re: Deflated: the Statistically Impossible Patriots Fumble Record; cheating proved?

quote:

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the one by the Patriots fan who suggested that a "one season rolling average" (no such meaningful thing) would be as meaningful as a five year average.

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He didn't advocate for a "one season rolling average" he is saying that there are meaningful patterns across seasons. Given the didferences between a team from year to year (personnel, coaches, injuries), let alone across five years, aggregating data hides meaningful variation. One of the major advantages of repeated measures studies is that it has more statistical power and can more accurately tease out trends and relationships. So given the small sample size, year to year variation, and advantages of repeated measures, it is patently false to say that the 5 year average is just as meaningful.