Question

A reporter wishes to portray baseball players as overpaid. Which measure of center should he report as the average salary of major league players?
A. the mean
B. the median
C. Either the mean or median. It doesn't matter since they will be equal.
D. Neither the mean nor median. Both will be much lower than the actual average salary.

Answer 1

Which direction do you think the skew is in?

Answer 2

I would assume since this is a measure of "overpaid" the skew would be to the left, and the high numbers would be on the right. I remmeber that if the skew is right that the MEAN > MEDIAN so would this be the opposite? MEDIAN > Mean would which mean Median would be the best choice?

Answer 3

It is A.

Answer 4

why?

Answer 5

Fine fine I wont give answers anymore :/

Answer 6

You're not supposed to, you can agree, but mods will be on your case if you just give answers. YOu have yo explain and help out. I appreciate it, but I want to know why :). A lot of people here want answers, Iw ant to learn, and that is what the OS TOU says.

Answer 7

http://davidmlane.com/hyperstat/A92403.html has a clear explanation.

Answer 8

Okay so I was correct? Median is a bigger number.

Answer 9

Well, it depends on if the reporter is correct.
The way I see it. If there are thousands of people earning very small amounts and only tens or hundreds earning really large amounts, then the median is going to be really low, and those few really large amounts are going to pull the mean much higher than the median.

Answer 10

Yeah that's what I was saying before. I would assume if he wants to show it's overpaid you would have more "higher earning," but it doesn't specify anything about that... Only speculation.

Answer 11

Yeah, and plus: "A reporter wishes to portray baseball players as overpaid."
All baseball players or just some?

Answer 12

That's why I personally am assuming if I wanted to portray something I would take the biggest amounts like Yankee players, and would take data off of them, and other high paying players, not the small fry...

Answer 13

If they are all overpaid, then they are all making the same high amount (more or less) and the distribution is nearly uniform.

Answer 14

@TuringTest We need your wisdom.

Answer 15

Well, I'm not going to be so cynical as to assume the reporter is going to rig the numbers that way.

Answer 16

I am :)

Answer 17

I would assume a lot of higher paid would be up there, but there would have to be some lower paid ones as well....

Answer 18

Right. If it is true that 'most' baseball players are overpaid then the median will be higher than the mean, but if there are only a few earning really high amounts that will pull the mean above the median.
https://www.networthiq.com/people/markwws/tips/median-income-vs-meanaverage-income-

Answer 19

How do I disconnect from this?? you guys are blowing up my notification :P

Answer 20

notifications *

Answer 21

That's a good question..

Answer 22

@.UserNotFound. you can't yet, but I think they'll be fixing that soon

Answer 23

Ahaha ok -_-

:)

Answer 24

reading the question I am thinking this is simpler than you guys are making it, but I admittedly know little of stats...

Answer 25

they want to know how to best convey that the players are overpaid
I ask what is the most accurate and convincing measure of how much we are spending to pay these guys, which I can only see to be the mean

Answer 26

I think I'm over-thinking it too, that's why I'm stuck. I thought one had to know the actual shape of the distribution to see which was higher. I assume baseball player incomes are similar to the general population: most earn very little while a few earn a lot, but if the reporter wants to 'portray' them (all?) as overpaid then he would want to pick the higher number.

Answer 27

but that could only be determined were we given the distribution of salaries. Would it not be the case that depending on the distribution the mean could be hicher than the median, or vice-versa?

Answer 28

higher*

Answer 29

yes

Answer 30

that;s wat we were stating above, Id on'tg know... grrr >(.

Answer 31

We know the reporter is going to pick whatever number is higher, the mean or the median. If it's true that most baseball players earn huge salaries, then the median will be higher, but if it's more like only a few baseball players are super-duper rich, then the mean will be higher.

I suppose you could do an online search of MLB mean and median incomes to see the real shape of the distribution.

Otherwise, the sideline coach says, "bunt."

Answer 32

whateve I will gess :).