Economic Advantage Helps Players Get Into NBA

Interesting and somewhat counter-intuitive article on the economic background of NBA players:

An African-American child raised in a lower-class family is 37% less likely to become a professional basketball player than is an African-American child raised in a middle- or upper-class family, according to Joshua Kjerulf Dubrow of the Polish Academy of Sciences and jimi adams of Arizona State. Contrary to the popular stereotype, most black professional basketball players come from the middle class and above, the researchers say, and economic advantage improves players' likelihood of being selected into the NBA.

Perception ≠ Reality: Analyzing Specific Allegations of NBA Referee Bias

Let's class this blog up with some social science research.

Ryan Rodenberg, Florida State University

Abstract

The 2007 gambling scandal involving a National Basketball Association (NBA) referee, coupled with the NBA’s follow-up investigation, put allegations of basketball referee bias in the spotlight. This paper analyzes specific allegations of bias by Miami Heat coach and general manager Pat Riley against NBA referees Steve Javie and Derrick Stafford. In the course of analyzing every referee who officiated a Miami Heat during a nine-year period, neither Javie nor Stafford exhibited systematic bias that had an adverse effect on the Miami Heat. In fact, the Heat performed slightly better than predicted when Javie officiated their games. The results provide real-world empirical evidence consistent with “confirmation bias,” a theory grounded in the finding that individuals with a vested interest in certain self-justifying outcomes may reach generalized conclusions unsupported by actual evidence.