Player Ratings and Online Reputation in Super Rugby

Authors

  • PJ Bracewell
  • Tamsyn Hilder
  • F Birch

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12922/jshp.v7i2.154

Keywords:

Player ratings, Mainstream media, Sentiment analysis, Online reputation, Natural language processing

Abstract

Sports reporting contributes to the entertainment derived from professional sport.  Studies have been undertaken that explore sentiment and match outcomes (Simmonds et. at., 2018, McIvor et. al., 2018), but, little is known about the quantitative relationship between on-field performance and mainstream media perception of athletes.  This largely stems from robust methods for evaluating on-field performance in a number of sports.

    Using commercial tools for assessing rugby player performance (RPI) and rating sentiment (Ethel), this relationship is examined using the five 2019 New Zealand Super Rugby franchise squads from the first round of the 2018 competition until mid-April of 2019.  The combination of ratings and current event data generates a summary data set of 2008 observations for analysis.

    Simple linear regression is used to test both the statistical significance and inform the interpretation of these findings.

    An athlete’s playing reputation is derived from a string of on-field performances. This is essentially an estimation of their ability as described by Bracewell (2003).  When matches are previewed, this playing reputation informs the number of articles featuring an athlete and the associated sentiment. That is, players perceived to have better ability are talked about more often and more positively.  Performances within a match appear to influence the media post-match review. That is, athletes who performed well in a game are more likely to be mentioned and talked about favourably.

    Arguably, this is a trivial result as it is no surprise that the “stars” get more coverage as it is more likely to coincide with public interest. However, the ability to quantify and find statistical evidence of these relationships is non-trivial and has important implications for management of athlete reputation.  That is, ability influences previews, performances influence reviews.  As this can be benchmarked, other influences can be examined to assess how individuals cope with public scrutiny, or identify individuals who’s associated ability to generate positive content is rising or falling.  This empowers athletes and their agents to identify suitable opportunities with demonstrable reach.

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Additional Files

Published

2019-11-14

How to Cite

Bracewell, P., Hilder, T., & Birch, F. (2019). Player Ratings and Online Reputation in Super Rugby. Journal of Sport and Human Performance, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.12922/jshp.v7i2.154

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles