Statistics and the Overtime in the National Football League
Nicholas Gorgievski, Ph.D.
Nichols College
Over the past decade, football fans, sportscasters, writers, and mathematicians all weighed in on whether the NFL “sudden death” overtime rule was fair to both teams. Many claimed that the winner of the coin toss had an advantage in winning the game. As a result of all of the debate, the NFL owners accepted a proposal to alter the overtime rule for postseason games beginning in the 2010-2011 football season and for regular season games beginning in the 2012-2013 season. However, was this rule change really necessary? In this talk, I will use statistics to examine the coin toss and its effect on the outcome of the overtime games.
Dr. Nicholas Gorgievski graduated from Providence College in 1998 with a major in Mathematics. He continued his studies at the University of Vermont and graduated with a Master of Science in Mathematics. He then earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction specializing in Mathematics Education from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Gorgievski is currently an Associate Professor and Chair of the Mathematics Department at Nichols College in Dudley, MA. His research interests include the teaching and learning of Mathematics at the university level. He also enjoys playing tennis, watching sports, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
