The relevance of statistics

Statistics are a complicated part of news. The Canadian Press Stylebook acknowledges this by stating that "Statistics can be pillars of the day's news. They are also the devil's playground, luring reporters into errors of interpretation, assumption and fact." This is especially true in the field of sports reporting. Writers and editors must be able to decide which statistics have the most importance in regards to the story they are writing.

A case in point is the reporting concerning Steven Jyles of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in the run-up to Monday's game against the B.C. Lions. Jyles, the former starting quarterback, had been benched in favour of rookie Alex Brink. In reporting on the story, writers from the Winnipeg Free Press, Globe and Mail, and reporters from TSN all seemed fixated on Jyles passing efficiency rating. It was reported throughout the media that Jyles' rating was 100.6, second in the CFL.

The question that needs to be answered is what exactly determines the passing efficiency rating. The media threw around this stat liberally, but never explained what formula determined this rating. A statistic is meaningless if readers and viewers do not understand it. Reporters and editors should clarify the meaning of statistics in order to make them more powerful parts of a story.

To clarify, passing efficiency rating is calculated by using a complex formula that takes into account completion percentage, yards per attempted pass, percentage of touchdown passes, and percentage of interceptions. While it isn't necessary to explain this obscure formula completely, an overview of what goes into the formula would enhance readers' comprehension of the statistic.

In the end, passing efficiency rating ranks much lower than the final score, when it comes sports statistics and reader interest.