Using Baseball Data as a Gentle Introduction to Teaching Linear Regression

This effort describes a successful classroom exercise to introduce simple and multiple linear regression to working professional MBA students. The exercise starts by exploring the relationship between a baseball team’s payroll with its winning percentage. The exercise then continues with the introduction of additional predictor variables so that the students are able to build a strong predictive model for winning percentage. Student feedback consistently praises the exercise as an effective way to learn about linear regression.