Leaderboards

As someone who has won the Oprah Award for most giveaways in a season multiple times, I am fine with including it on the board. After a few weeks, people who had a single bad game will likely filter down the list and people who favour exciting, risky throws and get high number of touches will bubble up. People at the top of the board regularly know who they are and how they play.

First rule of parity. Stats are somewhat meaningless, just for fun. Isn't that in the first email?

I can assure you that nobody will shame or criticize you, or think less or anyone who has a high number of throwaways or drops, etc. Some of the longest-tenured and most celebrated Parity players (as Al himself alluded to) are regulars in this category, and it's not shameful at all - it's endearing and not even in a condescending way... Doing a bit of good, a bit of bad is kind of what Parity is all about. We may on occasion banter each other a bit, but this is generally limited to people who have established a rapport and are as comfortable taking a jab as giving one in return. 

If you humble yourself before the stats, you'll have a great time. If the stats humble you, you're in the wrong league.

ps. "You" here is referring to the royal You, not specifically you.

Out of curiosiy, I checked out the leader boards. The only one I made was the throwaway board. I didn't even rank highly there. Perhaps a reasonable person would feel some shame in this. I would like to think of myself as reasonable but no...not even a little. I investigated further and I see that the stats show I was very involved in my last game but given my making the cut on this particular leader board, I'm not so sure this was good for my team.... Naturally I got traded. Someone got a good deal on questionable ability. I find it fascinating what the stats say and like to see how to improve with different types of teams. For any captain that wants me: mediocre deeds done dirt cheap right here!

A thing to note for those new to the Parity stats app:
There is a filter in the upper right corner of the page.

Ariel, you may be #2 for throwaways for 'Week 2', but not on the radar for 'All'.

all very fascinating in a way I certainly never thought i'd spend my free time thinking about

We were like you, once... Mwa-ha-ha-ha!

So, this is an interesting (and well considered) question:

> Question: for the Leaderboards, what is the use of the Throwaways and Drops leaderboards? Seems to be a shaming mechanism? I suggest that they are removed from the leaderboards.

This is always a concern in a league where data is collected and used to value players. There is a fine line between inclusive and exclusive use of numbers, and Parity generally recognizes that it's not easy to walk that line without bruised egos or hurt feelings. There are a few key thoughts on this, in general.

1. Numbers are numbers. They cannot distill a player into their worth on the field, they are a construct for funsees. CC, Matt and I made it rule 1 way back when Ottawa started Parity. Various coordinators since then have done the same. The "Whose Line Is It Anyways?" rule applies: the points are made up and the scores don't matter.

2. Punch up, not down. Most of the "bad stat" leaderboards are populated by high-event players who can handle the criticism. The people on those leaderboards who can't are absolutely not fair game for chirps or singling out in any way. By way of example:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSYagm2vWj8RyHbT09oM68EA...

Here's Hadrian's all time leaderboards sheet. If you go look at the names in the top ten for both categories you singled out:

• everyone on the throwaway leaderboard also touches the disc a lot - they are good enough to get the disc, and also know they are agressive (*ahem* reckless) with the disc. For the record all of my throw aways were carefully considered and judicious.
• everyone on the drops leaderboard is either a high target player OR a player who regularly is put into spots to make difficult catches because handlers know they are generally sure handed enough or athletic enough to make a bid.

Stats keeping, you see, is subjectively objective. I kept stats for a game earlier this year where Hadrian made a full layout bid on a disc that was an overthrow. Arguably a handler error, but when I looked at the players involved I decided to "punish" the player who could most obviously handle the criticism. The following conversation resulted:

Hadrian to me: "Did you give me a drop for that?"

Me to Hadrian: "Yup."

Hadrian: "C'mooooon."

Me: "You went to worlds."

Hadrian: "Well, it was in my hands I guess."

Yes, yes it was.

3. The league is equal parts spectacular and tragic. Parity is as much an absurd bid to save a reckless throw as it is a throw to space to no one because honestly it's 10:45 and it's way past your bed time. The ideal Parity meta-statistic is the Berry (Simon Berry), which is having at least one of every major statistical category. That means goals, assists, second assists, D's, catches, completions, throw aways, thrown drops, and drops. You must be the living embodiment of a tragicomedy to achieve a Berry.

The bad happens, and it's okay. The good happens, and we clap. We cheer for both, and it's always well intentioned.

I guess what it comes down to is yes, it is very important to consider that people may feel targeted by numbers. But the numbers are what they are. What's important is to mock the numbers (not the people - unless they can take it - see story re: Hadrian above) mercilessly so they don't feel so significant. Because they aren't. It's all an inside joke, and we're all inside it.

I would remove the drops leaderboard from the app page.  

Throwaways tends to be filled with throwers who throw a lot or take a lot of risks.  The truly high numbers are often due to over agression rather than a lack of ability.  It's usually a funny stat.  

The drops list is often different and I don't know that it's productive to leave on the leaderboard page of the app.  It is often filled with less experienced players who had a rough game.  It also is the only leaderboard that consistently has a higher representation of women vs. men.  This last factor I suspect may be compounded by bias on the part of those doing data entry.  What is a drop and what is a throwaway is subjective and while everyone is doing their best, this is an area where bias certainly creeps in.

I am never upset when I show up on the drops page, but I'm a bit of a ball hog, so I usually wind up on one or two "positive" leaderboards each week.  The experience might not be the same for someone who is on the drops leaderboard each week and only on a very good week makes it on the goals or D blocks leaderboards.

The purpose of the leaderboards is to generate fun banter and interrest in the league.  While I conceed that the drops leaderbaord occasionally does that, I don't know that the positives for having it outweigh the potential negatives.

Hey Kevin and Hadrian, since we're on a postivitiy kick, and we've got the space on the leaderboard page now that we've dropped drops (also don't look at the word 'drop' too long or it will have a semantic satiation effect), why not add second assists to the leaderboard.  Salary wise they are as valuable as a d-block, and this week Hadrian, you would be top of the charts ;). Just a thought.