posted by Jason
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After I posted a set of maps last month denoting NBA player birthplace and high school locations, a few people wondered about per capita implications as well as other sports. Thankfully, I got an email from Andrew Percival, who a few years ago plotted much nicer-looking maps that tackle those very questions.
First, here's his NBA production map (click to enlarge), which shows how many high schoolers made it to the NBA for every 1 million males in each respective state. Not surprisingly, the results are quite similar to what Truth About It calculated from the later birth stats, with states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota producing more than their share of players. When presented in this format, it's evident that there isn't much of a strong regional pattern.
Next up is his MLB production map (again, click to enlarge), which shows stronger geographic patterns. As a warm-weather sport, baseball's strength is in states with mild to subtropical climates, with Washington and North Dakota being the only real northern outliers.
My favorite was this NFL production map, which is even more geographically concentrated in the Southeast. No shocker here--Sarge at First and 10 Inches pointed out just yesterday that 32 of this year's top 50 high school senior football prospects are from Florida, Georgia, Texas and Alabama.
So why is basketball more geographically diverse? Andrew offered two explanations, paraphrased here:
- Basketball is can be played year-round, indoors and out, so it doesn't rely on optimal weather conditions.
- The basketball map is based on about 1/3 as many players as baseball and 1/5 as many players as football. The smaller sample size increases the relative importance of each individual player, contributing to the more checkerboard like pattern.
His last gift was a set of Google Earth files which frankly make my old Google Maps offerings look like garbage. (You can download Google Earth here, but don't blame me if you get sucked into zooming in and out on your neighborhood for the next 15 minutes.)
These files map the high school of every player in each league from last season. Click a dot to see which players are represented, and double-click to zoom in on the school. If you made it this far (and don't have vertigo), you'll love them.
Google Earth: NBA High School | MLB High School | NFL High School
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tykeenan The football map would seem to support anyone who thinks that the SEC has the most talent of any conference.
Maine and Vermont need to get their acts together.
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dumpdolan Do I need to make a comment on Maine and Vermont's proclivity for white people?
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Sarge Great stuff, JG. There is no doubting the wealth of talent in the southern states - making the recruiting that much tougher on the Midwest. -
Sean Malone Great info! Very informative. -
EthanJaynes So this is what happens when smart sports fans have too much time on their hands :-)
Just playing. great job!
South Dakota is a hotbed for NBA talent?
The Postmen // A Sports Blog // Chicago, IL. —
... Jason and the Ballhype crew have been known to throw together some uber-stellar charts and graphs and the one above certainly follows suit. Who knew South Dakota churned out so many NBA stars? But thinking about it, ...
High Five
Foul Balls —
... ] Further proof that Illinois is a hotbed for young basketball talent. Now if only we could get all that talent to stay in state.... [ Ballhype ] Somebody might want to work on their finish. [ ...
Around the Blogosphere for 1/15
MVN Outsider —
... Jason from Ballhype determines that California produces lots of MLB players, Florida produces lots of NFL players, and South Dakota (???) produces lots of NBA players. [Ballhype] ...
Cheap Shots #91: An Experiment.
Signal to Noise —
... King James getting a speeding ticket gets an AP write-up. Sheesh. Leave the man alone.
Baron Davis, Movie Star: Hell, I’d watch anything he was in with a bullet fedora on.
Hit the links:
Igor Olshanky, shut your mouth. [Can’t Stop The Bleeding]
Colts fans are fickle. [Rumors and Rants]
News reporter fails miserably at Lambeau Leap. [FanIQ]
The best states to raise athletes. [Ballhype]
Which Red Sox member made the most season-ending outs? [One More Dying ...
The Bucket List - An NBA Photoshop
Truth About It - Washington Wizards Blog —
... >> I can't stress enough how cool this project from Jason of Ball Hype is. Are you raising a kid? Do you want him or her to play sports? (and by "sports", I mean Basketball, Baseball, or Football -- sorry hockey, no offense.....you just weren't included in this project) If you want your kid to play against the best of the best around....and if you want nothing to ever get them down....then consider moving. The link will help with your decision where. ...
The Jetsam 1.21.08
Flotsam - We'll tell you what to think —
... owes me 8 bucks for that one. Also, Jonathan Brandis, Brad Renfro and now Ledger? What the hell is happening to our late-90s kid stars? Someone keep an eye on Jonathan Taylor-Thomas. The Packers might have lost the game (damn you, Al Harris!), but they're gaining some new respect, one bikini top at a time. My inner geek starts showing when I read over articles about where baseball talent is coming from, but it's still interesting stuff. Especially where in the country the talent is coming from. ...
