PER Sports was established in 1996 by Keith Thompson to provide Comprehensive Analysis of sporting athletic performance for various Professional and College Sports Teams. PER stands for Performance Efficiency Rating, and is a useful measure of overall player performance in various team and individual sports. It generates one number which measures in a comprehensive manner the overall performance of various athletes. It also provides coaches, sports executives and fans with the ability to properly evaluate which players to acquire, and exactly how much these players are likely to Contribute to their team. PER Sports encourages all fans and sports executives alike to "KNOW YOUR GAME"

PER Sports is established for the three major North American sports of Baseball, Basketball and American Football.

PER Baseball

The PER Baseball Analysis evaluates the top hitters and pitchers within the game using: Batting PER for hitters, and Pitching PER (of course for pitchers)

Batting PER

For Hitters, the concept of a Batting PER is developed which comprises the following: Run Contribution Average, Earned Base Average (a statistic measuring all bases earned, whether by hits or walks, or stolen bases, per plate appearance and steal attempt), and penalizes for the number of double plays hit into. Accordingly, the concepts of Run Contribution Average, Total Earned Bases, and Earned Base Average'' have also been developed to complement theBatting PER''.

Run Contribution Average (RCA) comprises Total Runs Scored plus Runs Batted In, less total Home Runs, all divided by Total Plate Appearances. Like Batting Average an RCA of 0.250 or higher indicates a good run producer, while an average of at least 0.300 indicates a hitter is an efficient run producer.

This is a vitally important statistic since The Primary objective of a hitter is to either score a run, or drive in a run if another player is on base. The Run Contribution Average also underlines the fact that a run scored is just as important to a team as an rbi. While RBI’s illustrate a hitter’s ability to score a runner already on base the Run scored is what actually helps the team win. This method therefore values both run scored and run batted in as equivalent, hence a player who scored many runs - because of his speed - but bats in only a few is just as important to a team as the player who drives in many runs because of his power but scores only a relative few. In the case of Babe Ruth, arguably the most prolific hitter in baseball's illustrious history, his RCA is calculated as 0.346.

Total Earned Bases comprises Total Bases produced by the Hitter, plus total Bases on Balls (Walks), and total Stolen Bases. This construct is somewhat more efficient than mere Total Bases since it measures a hitter's total contribution to his team. He may not be a power hitter with a lot of total bases, but if he can take a walk and/or steal a base then he can have just as significant an impact on his team's success as a power hitter. This concept also recognizes the fact that a walk is tactically equivalent to a bases-empty single, and a walk or single or hit-by-pitch and a stolen base is just as important as a double with the bases empty. Obviously with runners on base a hit (whether it is a single or double) can advance the runner(s) more than one base and may even score them, but under certain circumstances a walk or a stolen base is as good as a hit.

The Earned Base Average (EBA) comprises Total Earned Bases divided by total plate appearances plus total steal attempts. This is the single most important statistic of a hitter since it measures all facets of his performance: hits (measured by total bases), walks drawn, and stolen bases, and compares it against every time he is at the plate or attempts a steal. That player’s overall baseball skills is therefore assessed, and a true measure of his greatness is established. An EBA of greater than .600 indicates a great batsman and base runner, while a .700 or higher EBA indicates a premier batsman and all-time great Hitter. This EBA measure is better than mere On-base percentage, or Slugging percentage since it technically measures both. It also includes steals which makes it better than all other measures currently in the game. In the case of Babe Ruth again, his EBA is calculated as 0.735 (the highest ever recorded).

The three concepts of Run Contribution Average, Earned Bases Average and Double Plays penalties are then combined in a very intuitive formula (and adjusted for a hitter's total plate appearances) to determine his Batting PER. This methodology is therefore the single best measure of a baseball hitter's overall performance since it measures his batting average, power, speed and run production, all combined in one statistic. A PER value of between 90 and 100 indicates a superior performance While a value of over 100 indicates a truly legendary performance, or player. Babe Ruth's Career PER value is calculated as 108.1, Baseball’s all-time best score, and unquestionably its best hitter.

Players in Bold are active during the 2007 MLB season.

Interpreting the PER Hitting Score

• A score of 100 or greater is considered an extraordinary performance/player
• A score between 90 and 100 is considered a superior performance/player
• A score between 80 and 90 is considered above-average performance/player
• A score of about 70 is an average performance/player within the league
• A score below 70 is below-average performance/player
• A score below 60 is considered a significant under-performer/player

Pitching PER

The Pitching PER comprises a pitchers Earned Run Average (ERA), Walks to Strike outs Average, Opposition On Base Average and a statistic measuring success such as winning percentage fro starters and save percentage for closers.

ERA represents the number earned allowed per 9 innings pitched.

Opposition On Base Average is a very important statistic (second only to ERA) since it indicates the number of hits, walks and hit-batters a pitcher allows on base per inning pitched.

Walks to Strike-Out Average is a measure of the level of dominance and control exhibited by the pitcher. High Strikeouts reflect pitching dominance and low walk totals speak to impressive control.

The winning percentage, while important (especially for a starting pitcher), is not by itself an accurate reflection of a pitcher’s capabilities or accomplishments. This is because winning percentage depends a lot on the amount of run support a pitcher receives (which is itself a function of his opposing pitcher on the mound).

Players in Bold are active during the 2007 MLB season.

Interpreting the PER Pitching Score

Since a value of 100 represents the ceiling on a pitcher's rating (and that for a truly perfect pitcher, i.e. the score for a perfectly pitched game) then the following rating guide applies:

• Between 90 and 100 indicates a truly Legendary Pitcher/Performance
• Between 85 and 90 indicates an Excellent Pitcher/Performance
• Between 75 and 85 indicates a Superior Pitching Performance
• Between 70 and 75 indicates an Above-average Pitching Performance
• Between 65 and 70 indicates an Average Pitching Performance
• Between 60 and 65 indicates a Below Average Pitching Performance
• Below 60 indicates a Poor Pitching Performance

PER Basketball

Individual PERformance

The Basketball PER system evaluates players in nine statistical categories: points scored, rebounds collected, assists distributed, steals, blocks, turnovers, two-point shooting percentage, three-point shooting percentage, and free throw percentage.

Each of the first six categories are adjusted from ‘per game’ to ‘per complete game’ by making due adjustments for the actual minutes played per game. The three shooting percentages are combined into one overall shooting percentage to measure a player’s overall shooting skills. The nine categories are then appropriately weighted to reflect their overall contribution to basketball success.

The PER scores should be interpreted as follows:
A score of 100 or greater is considered an extraordinary performance (the top 1% of the entire league)
A score between 90 and 100 is considered a superior performance (top 5%)
A score between 80 and 90 is considered above-average performance
A score between 70 and 80 is considered average performance
A score below 70 is below-average performance
A score below 60 is considered a significant under-performer

Most Valuable Player Efficiency Rating

The PER methodology has also developed the Most Valuable Player Efficiency Rating (MVPER) award which best determines the annual MVP within the league. This measure considers the outstanding player for any given season who had the greatest impact within the league. It combines both strong individual performance – measured by the Individual PER – with the winning percentage of the team while that player competed. This MVPER measure therefore combines both individual skills and winning intangible into overall player performance. The PER MVP Analysis (known as MVPER) has been accurate in measuring the annual MVP winner ten (10) of the last twelve (12) years in which it was awarded, as judged by the number of first or second placed rankings of the eventual MVP winner.

Career PER

The Basketball PER has also been used in recent times to evaluate the top professional basketball players in the history of the game. This information is contained in the recently published book, "Heroes of the hardcourt"1 2, and the list of the top 20 all-time greatest players, as well as top players in the game today is presented below.

Players in Bold are active during the 2007/08 NBA season

PER Football

The PER Football concept measures the performance of offensive and defensive players on both sides of the football.

Offensive Football Players Ratings

For Quarterbacks PER Sports calculates a: Passer rating that measures completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns and interceptions, and penalizes for fumbles allowed, and Rushing rating which measures yards per carry, total carries, touchdown and fumbles. This passer rating is more accurate than the existing QB rating system as it includes all turnovers (interceptions and fumbles) and also measures their rushing ability.

Running backs are evaluated by: Rushing rating which includes yards per carry, total number of carries and touchdowns, and penalizes for number of fumbles allowed, and Receiver rating which evaluates yards per catch, total receptions and touchdowns, and penalizes for number of fumbles allowed

Receivers are evaluated primarily by a: Receiver rating which combines yards per catch, number of receptions caught and touchdowns, and penalizes for number of fumbles allowed.

Defensive Football Players Ratings

Defensive positions such as Defensive Ends, Line backers, Safeties and Defensive Backs are evaluated based on the total number of tackles, sacks, fumbles and interceptions forced. Each of these defensive stats are allocated different weights based on their positions historical contributions to football success.

For additional information on this sports concept, see: [ http://www.persports.com]