Nash Equilibrium in Sports

This article discusses the role of mixed strategies in professional soccer in detail. I found this article interesting for a couple of reasons. Primarily, the article demonstrates a concept that we have been exposed to in class but goes into much more depth than we could during class time. As the in-class example with the penalty kicks, this article also provides further evidence on applications of mixed Nash equilibrium in soccer but in much more detail than we covered in class. I found this article useful because it explains every step of the model used to calculate the equilibrium in a soccer game. For example, in this paper, a distinction is made between near post shots and far post shots to make the equilibrium calculations more accurate. Data that is provided in this research is from an entire season of the Italian’s major professional league soccer games. Thus, comparing this example to the in-class example of the penalty kicks, it can be seen that the Nash equilibrium in soccer can be calculated in multiple instances and is thus more trustworthy. Through the images provided in the article, together with the simple explanation of this model, the empirical evidence, and an explanation of the results, the way that the goal shots were calculated became much clearer to me. Thus, I recommend this article to anyone who wants to know more about how exactly the mixed Nash equilibrium in soccer games is calculated or wants to find out more about this interesting application of Nash’s equilibrium.
Here is the link:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V84-4D8MMXG-1&_user=1458830&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000052790&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1458830&md5=adef733a681071c9f19dc47ff3bc37c9