Why the sports analytics discussion raised in Michael Wilbon's piece is not a racial one, and how statistics should actually fit into the broader sports discussion.
Michael Wilbon of ESPN and The Undefeated posted an article this morning about sports analytics (mostly in basketball) and their presence in the African American community. It immediately elicited strong reactions from all corners of the internet, including yours truly. He definitely raised some interesting discussions, and I don't disagree with everything he said, but I feel like Wilbon is missing the point. Here are the three main issues that need to be addressed: race has nothing to do with the topic at hand, basketball analytics are vastly misunderstood, and the "eye test" is more complicated than it seems at first glance.