Sports

Caliper In Sports

Genuine talent is a beautiful thing to watch. It's what we see in the athlete who glides down center court to make yet another nothing-but-net game-winning shot. Or steps up to home plate with the bases loaded, eliciting cheers from fans who are confident that if anyone can do it, he can.

But is there more here than meets the eye?

It isn't just the tangibles; the physical qualities of size, speed and strength, that make superstars and winning teams. Caliper has helped the coaches of 35 professional and college sports teams, over the past 21 years, determine which athletes have the dynamics, character, inner drive and motivation to make it in the pros.

Statistics

When comparing the performances of the basketball players Caliper recommended to those who we suggested coaches pass on, you can't argue with statistics. The Caliper-recommended athletes scored 909 points per season versus 376 for the players we determined lacked the traits necessary for consistent success. When it came to rebounds, Caliper-recommended players had 320 compared to 160 for those not recommended. This same inequality holds true for blocked shots: 51 versus 23; assists: 207 versus 91; steals: 77 versus 33; and minutes played 1,919 versus 1,004.

By delving beneath the surface with the Caliper Profile, Caliper's consultants can see if an individual has leadership dynamics, is truly competitive, will be a team player, is disciplined, confident, open to direction and possesses that inner drive to win. Armed with this knowledge, Caliper helps coaches determine which promising young athletes have more than just talent. The following table shows the difference in performance between players Caliper recommended drafting to those who were not recommended but were drafted anyway.

When Caliper assessed players who had already made it to the Major Leagues, it turns out that many of them may not have made it that far if they had been assessed before the teams signed them. Just compare these stats:

(Back to top)