Category: sports

Sam Hinkie’s resignation from 76ers GM via 13 page manifesto in 2016 didn’t lack for style (or for burying the lede, which he announced at the end of the first page). In the letter he explains to shareholders his philosophy on basketball and on life, citing a diverse group of business icons, scholars, and other luminaries, including: Continue reading “Using Behavioral Economics to Learn From Sam Hinkie’s Mistakes”

Without question March Madness is my favorite time of the year. I’m far from a die-hard college basketball fan, but a number of features of March Madness  turn it from your run-of-the-mill postseason tournament into an earth-shattering spectacle of awesome.

Collegeball: A True Underdog Story Continue reading “Decoding what Makes March Madness so Great”

I am in a terrible mood because my favorite team—the New England Patriots—squandered the chance to advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in a row and the seventh time in my life.

The previous sentence epitomizes why nearly all sports fans hate the Patriots (and their fans). Nevertheless, sports fandom perfectly illustrates how difficult it is for a single event to affect one’s long-term happiness level¹.

While I’m currently devastated, my minute-to-minute happiness tomorrow, and the next week, month and year won’t be significantly affected by this loss.

Continue reading “Why Everything Bad Makes You Feel Better and Everything Good Makes You Feel Worse”

UPDATE: Original post said “won 2 out of 3” fantasy football championships. Since updated to “3 out of 5.”

I hesitate to write this, not only because it is an incredible display of hubris for which I am sure to receive a horrible dose of karmic retribution, but also because it is a foolish competitive move to put the strategies that have been successful for me out in the open for anyone (including future leaguemates) to see. Additionally, I am making the classic error of attributing my success to my own skills rather than to luck, which, in all likelihood, played a larger role. May the fantasy football gods have mercy on my soul¹ and may my readers forgive this brief bout of braggadocios blogging.

Continue reading “How Behavioral Economics Made Me a Fantasy Football Champion”