“Everyone’s looking for someone to blame.”
The lyrics from Tom Waits’ “Hold On” perfectly describe professional sports media and fandom in the 2000s. Nuance is difficult, takes time and doesn’t distill the problem down to one answer or simple answers.
Recently, fans and media of the Cleveland Browns have went back to an old faithful thing to blame: “Analytics!” This time, instead of focusing on Sashi Brown, the lawyer turned GM, the focus has been on chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta. DePodesta, who the character Peter Brand is based on in “Moneyball,” is the man behind the curtain for many.