Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You change your interpretation and credit your friend with the pass.
"OK," you agree. "I'll do it this time, but you owe me big." You boot up your computer again and look through the data that you entered. You find the data you entered for the pass in question, and you change the coding that you entered during the game.
You credit your friend with making the pass instead of giving it to the player who really made it. Your friend is very grateful and thanks you for helping save his career.
The player who really made the pass comes up and says you are in error. "What's the matter with you?" he asks. "Didn't you see that it was my pass?"
You tell him that your interpretation is made and you will not change it. The player walks away shaking his head, but no one else challenges your data.
However, for the rest of the season, you discover that other players are approaching you with similar requests. Your friend didn't tell anyone, but the player who really deserved the credit suspected what had happened and he spread the word around.
The players now see you as someone who can be talked into changing a ruling. Some of the players are persistent and argumentative. It becomes uncomfortable for you to carry out your function.
When your contract expires, the administration awards the contract to someone else.
"If you make a poor decision in the area of ethics, " says Eric Moore, "you lose credibility and after a while, people will stop giving you work."
Overall, sports statisticians must be decisive, says Leroy McKinnon. He is the statistician for a major junior hockey league. And the consequences of a mistake can be significant.
"Teams are not picky, but they want to make sure that players are getting the right stats, especially players that are entering the draft. It's very important for these players," he says. "If somebody is off by a couple of points, that could affect their position in the draft."