re: Bama and 5* Recruits

quote:

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The thing about statistics is when you add more and more disclaimers, is you are creating your results, instead of actually getting information from the results

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But you have to add disclaimers to statistics. You have a fundamental misunderstanding of statistics if you think they're applied universally, regardless of the intent, without strict delineations of what is being discussed. In this case, the intent is to show the ability of a program to develop talent, not show that a program is responsible for all life choices made by a given player.

All statistical models have parameters involved. That's the nature of statistics. If you want to make the parameters broad enough, you can prove almost anything. I can argue that Auburn players are all serial killers*

*In my imagination

And that's statistically true. In my imagination, all Auburn players are serial killers. It's only one parameter. You can add "Auburn players that actually exist, and have interacted with a broad range of people (thus establishing they're not limited to one person's imagination) and have actually attended Auburn on scholarship and..." and I'd bemoan all these extra parameters you're tacking on. And I'd be completely untrue to a premise that "Auburn players aren't serial killers" despite have the fewest parameters of anyone discussing the topic.