by Eric Marturano
Hello & thank for reading this blog that I write every year so I can answer the question "yo dude, what did you do at Sloan?!". I have the memory of a goldfish (useful in competition, terrible everywhere else), so I've found that writing this stuff down is helpful to reference.
Since this is my 10th year going, I'm going to open this with a bit of an authentic self-reflection / inauthentic self-promotional narrative you commonly see on LinkedIn posts and roll your eyes over. If you don't care for that, skip ahead a few paragraphs. If you would like to indulge yourself in yet another effort to commercialize personal experiences, pull up a chair.
"Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" was a question I was asked a zillion times in college, especially at the end. I never had an answer for this, other than hoping I was happy.
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| The guy on the left just got finished calling his final play-by-play game for BC Basketball & definitely wore that same lone suit to Sloan the next week (an old panel in top left). The guy on the right is grateful for the guy on the left. |
When I started attending the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference (affectionally often referred to as "Dorkapalooza") back in 2014, as a senior at Boston College, I didn't know I'd still be doing it 10 years later. At the time, I called color & play-by-play for the football and men’s basketball teams on WZBC student radio, and was really just hoping to find a job, maybe one day in sports, but honestly I just wanted to save some money and move out of my parents house as soon as I could after graduation.
As I started working in market research in my hometown of Philadelphia and began building some research, analysis & project management skills, I kept attending the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference just to be around the industry & hopefully learn/connect at the professional level: not only is SSAC a super-fun event, but also doubles as my annual excuse to visit some friends who remain stranded in the terrible town of Boston. My freshman year roommate Joe (& now his wife Alyson!) hosted me. Didn't see that coming 10 years ago.
During these last 10 years, I also wrote sometimes. You can click around the side panel of this blog, but I've written mostly about the Sixers (I'm a season-ticket holder), gambling on the NBA, travel, entertainment, and this conference a few times. I did some podcasting during that time period as well, mostly to stay sane and get my thoughts out as I was figuring out who I was an adult, both personally & professionally. When you start doing these sorts of things as a philosophy major and then realize there are no philosophy factories out there, the creative/annoying/hipster-doofus/big picture commentary energy needs to go somewhere.
Today, I'm writing this as a Senior Director of Sports & Sponsorship at MarketCast, an awesome place where I've taken my aspiring career in sports & entertainment to the next level. I'm truly grateful for all these wonderful coworkers, clients, & friends met in the workplace that have shaped who I am professionally. It's been a thrill these last few years to be coming to this conference as someone actually working in the sports industry: If you told me that 10 years ago, I definitely wouldn't have believed you. I also now have 2 kids to feed so, please, if you have something you'd like to research, email me at eric.marturano@marketcast.com.
OK - enough navel-gazing. You came here to read about MIT Sloan 2023!
Before I dive into my personal itinerary for the duration of the conference, I want to mention that many of the panels & sessions can be be found on video here over the next few weeks. The agendas for each day can be found here. As an attendee, I very much appreciate that the conference records many of the sessions since occasionally there will be conflicts. I also did a TL;DR version of the below in a live-tweet thread, so feel free to check that out if you only like reading 280 characters at a time.
Thursday March 2, 2023
I live in the suburbs now, but can walk to a train station. Truly a gamechanger when you need to go somewhere that isn't daycare or your work-from-home setup. I woke up early, got my two boys Leo (8mo) & Marco (2yrs) to daycare, bid my wife Erin goodbye, & boarded a train to 30th Street station in Philadelphia for my connecting train to Boston. I got organized for the conference on the train & arrived in Boston around 4:30pm. My friends Joe & Alyson live in Brookline, so a nice easy T-ride or Uber to Hynes Convention Center during the duration of the conference. This also gave us plenty of off-the-clock BC-familiar options for food, drink, and fun.
Friday March 3, 2023
After spending the evening catching up with my friends, I got up early to head to Hynes Convention Center - always very thankful for the coffee & breakfast provided at the conference. After welcome remarks from Jessica Gelman (KAGR), Daryl Morey (1-2-3-4-5-Sixers), & David Schmittlein (MIT Sloan), we were ready for Day 1!
8:30am Revamping America's Pastime: The Effect of Rule Changes in Baseball
Speaker(s): Raul Ibanez, Bill James, Morgan Sword, and Kevin Negandhi
Description: America's Pastime has undergone significant changes over the past several years as it tries to capture younger audiences and develop them into passionate baseball fans like ones from past generations. Chief among these are rule changes meant to increase the pace, excitement, and competitiveness of the game. This panel convenes Bill James and executives from the MLB league office to discuss the rationale behind these rule changes, its effect on team composition, and the tangible impact that the panelists feel it will have on the game moving forward.
Description: America's Pastime has undergone significant changes over the past several years as it tries to capture younger audiences and develop them into passionate baseball fans like ones from past generations. Chief among these are rule changes meant to increase the pace, excitement, and competitiveness of the game. This panel convenes Bill James and executives from the MLB league office to discuss the rationale behind these rule changes, its effect on team composition, and the tangible impact that the panelists feel it will have on the game moving forward.
Reaction: As a Philadelphian and Phillies fan, what's better than kicking off your day in Boston than with a panel led by Temple-made Kevin Negandhi and former player Raul Ibanez?!
Baseball has a lot of changes on the docket to try to improve the game and make it more enjoyable for today's (younger) fans. Baseball analytics legend Bill James (decidedly not young) is entirely on-board with these changes and believes many of the ones you see currently causing some minor controversy (i.e., pitch clock, shift banning, larger bases, automated balls and strikes) should have happened 40 years ago. I agree. As James put it, changes need to be made to drive batting averages up / and power numbers & strikeouts down, making for a more strategic and consistent offensive flow in the aggregate.
Sword and Ibanez really spoke for "the league" and there doesn't seem to be much concern -spring training should work out some of the early kinks that have been seen in pitch timing violations and the belief that "guys will adapt" is prevalent (especially given enough data from prior years' minor league implementation). Change is never easy for those who have had success "their" way, but the hope is that these clear & consistently applied changes pan out to improve the game as new players accustomed to them age-in (and older ones who can't adapt age-out).
Negandhi and James provided more of the "fan" perspective - James was quite bullish on all of these changes, while Negandhi had some concern regarding the dramatic playoff moments that can be had by a batter slowly working a count and the cat-and-mouse game of stepping in/out of the batter's box. My belief is closer to James: these changes are good and less wasted time to "get set" will only improve the spectacle of the sport (think when a QB just snaps a play before the play clock is over or when an NBA player hits an end-of-shot-clock jumper). Sports are better when they trend away from leisurely head games and more towards quick action under pressure. Timing is part of the challenge, right?
One thing I can definitely agree with Negandhi on: the pitch clock is good for kids. Paired with evening games starting earlier (6:40pm), faster pace means more games ending by say a 9:15pm bedtime. As the father of two young boys rooting for a promising Phillies team, I'm excited for kids to get more opportunity watching baseball than I did growing up.
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| I know at least one kid who is excited for earlier baseball games! |
9:45am Player Power - Building Businesses by Empowering Athletes
Speaker(s): Michael Rubin, DeMaurice Smith, Tamika Tremaglio, and Jessica Gelman
Description: Over the past 5 years, we’ve seen a massive shift in how players are directly engaging with fans, investing into business, and using their platform to affect societal change. As players step into their collective power, the NBAPA, NFLPA, and partners like Fanatics are redefining the role and impact of player influence within and across the sports industry. Featuring DeMaurice Smith (NFLPA Executive Director), Tamika Tremaglio (NBPA, Executive Director), and Michael Rubin (CEO of Fanatics), Jessica Gelman will guide a discussion on how these industry innovators are adjusting their business models, creating new business lines, driving the future of fan interactivity and have altered the player power landscape to innovate sports
Description: Over the past 5 years, we’ve seen a massive shift in how players are directly engaging with fans, investing into business, and using their platform to affect societal change. As players step into their collective power, the NBAPA, NFLPA, and partners like Fanatics are redefining the role and impact of player influence within and across the sports industry. Featuring DeMaurice Smith (NFLPA Executive Director), Tamika Tremaglio (NBPA, Executive Director), and Michael Rubin (CEO of Fanatics), Jessica Gelman will guide a discussion on how these industry innovators are adjusting their business models, creating new business lines, driving the future of fan interactivity and have altered the player power landscape to innovate sports
Reaction: This panel had some great banter - Michael Rubin & DeMaurice Smith must have just gotten out of a negotiation or something because they were making fun of each other the whole time and had entertaining exchanges.
In a world of individualized influencers, player brand building is exactly that in sports. As Tamika Tremaglio pointed out, player LeBron James has something like 7x the number of social media followers as his global brand team (the Lakers) does. Hearing from Smith & Tremaglio in how they think about getting their players the best deals - both collectively as leaders of the players unions and individually as one-on-one brand building guides - was encouraging. Even when that brand can be crushed in a moment (by say, an ill-advised social media post), the player can often recover and still find ways to enter lucrative investments, such as with companies like Fanatics (led by Rubin).
Rubin clearly prides himself as a connector in the sports the space, with lavish parties and high-profile dinners. He used to be a part-time owner of my beloved Philadelphia 76ers, but sold his share this past summer. I'd like to believe he had a hand in helping James Harden make some of his famous wine. Rubin seems excited to consult with any and all athlete ventures.
Jessica Gelman raised a great, somewhat existential question that is worth considering in the landscape of team sports - with all this personal brand building, is the "team" still the focus? Predictably, the players association leads (Smith & Tremaglio) and those who stand to profit (Rubin) downplayed these concerns, but as a fan I have these same questions. Certainly every player can and should profit off their platform and hopefully build generational wealth. But it is important - and on each player as they do so - to remain team-focused, as that is what keeps fans engaged in the long-run.
11:15am Beyond the Beam: Inside the Sacramento Kings Fan Engagement Strategy
Speaker(s): Colin Warner
Description: The Sacramento Kings aim to turn each game at Golden 1 Center into a spectacle - and the Kings Victory Beam is certainly that! Beyond the beam, the Kings have seen a tremendous growth in participation in their Royalty Pass program through fan challenges, loyalty rewards, and more. Come hear more about the ticketing and marketing strategy, technology and data infrastructure, and KPIs that help the Kings light the beam off the court each night
Description: The Sacramento Kings aim to turn each game at Golden 1 Center into a spectacle - and the Kings Victory Beam is certainly that! Beyond the beam, the Kings have seen a tremendous growth in participation in their Royalty Pass program through fan challenges, loyalty rewards, and more. Come hear more about the ticketing and marketing strategy, technology and data infrastructure, and KPIs that help the Kings light the beam off the court each night
Reaction: This ended up being my first competitive advantage workshop of the day and typically these are the more tactical/informative industry discussions. The Kings are one of many NBA teams I do sponsorship impact work for at MarketCast, so it's great to see how they leverage other data sources to get a true read on their fans. And - as a Sixers season ticket holder - it's always nice to have a sense of what's coming my way.
The Kings are a bit of a sports anomaly, since in a 30-team league where over half of the teams make the playoffs, they have suffered through a 17 year playoff-drought (since 2006!). Well, as of this writing, they're sitting pretty at 3rd in the Western Conference and are on their way to breaking that streak. Even better, during this season, they began their "Light The Beam" ritual - and the team success plus "communal fireplace" nature of the beam has been a rising tide lifting the spirits of fans, engagement with the team, and likely their sponsors.
The Kings smartly over the past few years have been able to track fan behavior & spend through their app & CRM, pair these with self-reported perceptions, and create segments, dollar-measure metrics of loyalty, and thus begin to better value their efforts among the fanbase.
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| Better understanding your fans can be win-win: fans have a better experience and teams find better value |
MIT Sloan is the perfect venue for the business-side ("back-office") of teams to share best practices and findings to help grow the sports' fandom as a whole.
12:30pm Golden State Warriors Global Fan Engagement & Growth StrategySpeaker(s): Jen Millet
Description: Hear from Warriors CMO Jen Millet on how the 7-time NBA Champions leverage data and insights to authentically engage and grow the franchise's global fan base through broadcast, social media and the Warriors + Chase Center Mobile AppReaction: If you haven't guessed yet, I'm a huge NBA fan. Before I started working in sports, even as just a fan, I found it informative to know how teams are working on growing their fanbase and using fan data. In the case of the Warriors, it's quite intelligently! As Mel Brooks would say, "it's good to be the king" and right now the reigning-champ Warriors and their international super-star Steph Curry are making hay as the leading NBA brand worldwide.
Speaker(s): Jen Millet
Description: Hear from Warriors CMO Jen Millet on how the 7-time NBA Champions leverage data and insights to authentically engage and grow the franchise's global fan base through broadcast, social media and the Warriors + Chase Center Mobile App
Description: Hear from Warriors CMO Jen Millet on how the 7-time NBA Champions leverage data and insights to authentically engage and grow the franchise's global fan base through broadcast, social media and the Warriors + Chase Center Mobile App
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| The Warriors outpace every other NBA team on every social platform globally! |
Warriors CMO Jen Millet did a great job of outlining how the team is capitalizing on all channels - broadcast, social, and app to maximize their fan engagement both domestically and abroad. In fact, many partnerships - particularly jersey-sponsor and Japanese-based fintech company Rakuten - are being strategically leveraged at the international level. Wisely, after the Warriors played their global game in Japan, they rolled out a Japanese Instagram handle to continue to serve fans that have become more and more engaged in Japan. These are the types of tactics and partnerships that teams can leverage over the course of a deal (like jersey-patch) to best serve the team, the brand, and the fans. Everybody wins!
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| By rolling out their Japanese Instagram account, the Warriors are capitalizing on a game recently played there, as well as their relationship with local company Rakuten |
1:30pm Big Events, Big Tickets, Big Experiences: Managing the Fan Experience When Stakes are HighestSpeaker(s): Sezin Aksoy, Brian Lafemina, Molly Pendleton, Ryan Tanke, and Shira Springer
Description: While companies are pouring billions of dollars into media and streaming rights to bring events to the masses, there is nothing that can replicate a live viewing experience: the sights, smells, sounds, and energy of a stadium is so unique. The stakes are only amplified when the events and experiences are big - fan expectations skyrocket in parallel with ticket prices. This panel convenes leading executives from ticketing companies, teams, and major events to discuss how to price the biggest tickets and deliver the boldest experiences all in the name providing fans an unforgettable live experienceReaction: As a season-ticket holder for a sports team, I'm always thinking about ticket pricing, sales, and demand. As much as I'd like to, I can't reasonably go to all 41 home games over the season, so creating a buying network of friends, family, & online has helped me subsidize my Sixers addiction. And I've definitely gotten better at this on the personal end by attending ticketing panels at Sloan over the years.
The most interesting part of this panel to me was how Ryan Tanke (COO of the Timberwolves & Lynx) actually chose to reduce seating capacity in the stadium to help avoid the "race to bottom" on the secondary market and get rid of the "worst seats in the house". The result was a new record in ticket revenue, despite less capacity. In this way, the name of the game is to create the best experience for the fans who are willing to pay (and pay maybe a little extra for that value) vs. flooding the market with cheap seats, emptier stadiums, and worse atmosphere.
I didn't catch the end of this one since I stepped out to meet with an incoming MarketCast co-worker / current Harvard student (looking forward to working with you, Gracie!) who was participating in the student mentorship program at the conference. As "working-world" as this analytics conference can feel, I have always loved how MIT Sloan has kept the event students-first over the years to allow for these types of connections and conversations.
Speaker(s): Sezin Aksoy, Brian Lafemina, Molly Pendleton, Ryan Tanke, and Shira Springer
Description: While companies are pouring billions of dollars into media and streaming rights to bring events to the masses, there is nothing that can replicate a live viewing experience: the sights, smells, sounds, and energy of a stadium is so unique. The stakes are only amplified when the events and experiences are big - fan expectations skyrocket in parallel with ticket prices. This panel convenes leading executives from ticketing companies, teams, and major events to discuss how to price the biggest tickets and deliver the boldest experiences all in the name providing fans an unforgettable live experience
Description: While companies are pouring billions of dollars into media and streaming rights to bring events to the masses, there is nothing that can replicate a live viewing experience: the sights, smells, sounds, and energy of a stadium is so unique. The stakes are only amplified when the events and experiences are big - fan expectations skyrocket in parallel with ticket prices. This panel convenes leading executives from ticketing companies, teams, and major events to discuss how to price the biggest tickets and deliver the boldest experiences all in the name providing fans an unforgettable live experience
2:45pm The Future of the Fan: Innovation, Data, and "Always On" Fan EngagementSpeaker(s): Renie Anderson, Valerie Camillo, Marie Donoghue, Shelley Pisarra, and Jessica Gelman
Description: The Year of the Fan is upon us as leagues, teams, and partners are more connected and more knowledgeable about their consumers than ever before. Sports continues to dominate our mindshare whether that be watching, reading, listening, or playing alongside. Historically, the Holy Grail of Fan Insights was long around who was attending games. With more ways to consume sports, innovation in understanding and serving the fan is rapidly accelerating. Organizations have invested in improving all aspects of the game-day experience and growing connectivity. Simultaneously, as digital marketing, cashless payments, and OTT content provides a deeper perspective about who, how, when, and why fans are engaging, innovation around a 360 degree view of the fan has become the new focus. Listen in as industry leaders who are redefining fan experiences through entertainment/content, experiences, data, and fan connectivity. With new patterns and data on consumer behavior, long-held industry myths have been busted and is driving a more personalized and "always on" fan experience.Reaction: This past season, as any NFL fan knows, Amazon took over Thursday Night Football. And frankly, I felt it was pretty seamless in terms of viewing experience - the broadcast "felt" familiar and right for what an NFL game should be. Upon discovering that former ESPN-er and industry vet Marie Donoghue was at the helm of this transition, my surprise from this value quickly turned to a feeling of "oh yea...of course!"
Marie outlined one of the more interesting findings from a year collecting TNF viewership data, and that is that the audience is surprisingly younger (~7yrs) than the average NFL viewer. In a world where everyone is trying to reach the younger generations, the NFL and Amazon can now point to a channel of strong access on Thursday nights.
Renie Anderson of the NFL finds this important as the game goes global, observing that "Germany has a huge passion for America football". Accordingly, the league has doubled-down in Germany increasing their games in the country for next season from 1 to 2.
I left a bit early to get a jump on the next session, but look forward to reviewing all the video. These are the reasons I'm so glad SSAC makes these accessible on video here during the weeks after the conference!
Speaker(s): Renie Anderson, Valerie Camillo, Marie Donoghue, Shelley Pisarra, and Jessica Gelman
Description: The Year of the Fan is upon us as leagues, teams, and partners are more connected and more knowledgeable about their consumers than ever before. Sports continues to dominate our mindshare whether that be watching, reading, listening, or playing alongside. Historically, the Holy Grail of Fan Insights was long around who was attending games. With more ways to consume sports, innovation in understanding and serving the fan is rapidly accelerating. Organizations have invested in improving all aspects of the game-day experience and growing connectivity. Simultaneously, as digital marketing, cashless payments, and OTT content provides a deeper perspective about who, how, when, and why fans are engaging, innovation around a 360 degree view of the fan has become the new focus. Listen in as industry leaders who are redefining fan experiences through entertainment/content, experiences, data, and fan connectivity. With new patterns and data on consumer behavior, long-held industry myths have been busted and is driving a more personalized and "always on" fan experience.
Description: The Year of the Fan is upon us as leagues, teams, and partners are more connected and more knowledgeable about their consumers than ever before. Sports continues to dominate our mindshare whether that be watching, reading, listening, or playing alongside. Historically, the Holy Grail of Fan Insights was long around who was attending games. With more ways to consume sports, innovation in understanding and serving the fan is rapidly accelerating. Organizations have invested in improving all aspects of the game-day experience and growing connectivity. Simultaneously, as digital marketing, cashless payments, and OTT content provides a deeper perspective about who, how, when, and why fans are engaging, innovation around a 360 degree view of the fan has become the new focus. Listen in as industry leaders who are redefining fan experiences through entertainment/content, experiences, data, and fan connectivity. With new patterns and data on consumer behavior, long-held industry myths have been busted and is driving a more personalized and "always on" fan experience.
3:30pm Preparing for Launch: How the Miami Dolphins applied data analytics to strategize and amplify "The Moment"Speaker(s): Jordan Wetherbee
Description: A new coach, a marquee , and a promising run at playoffs, on the field the Dolphins were poised for a strong 2022 season. Before these moments happened, the analytics and sales teams manufactured their own success, ultimately selling out of season tickets and achieving other milestones to have their own historic seasonReaction: The business strategies of teams ebb-and-flow with on-field success and fan interest. Typically, when demand is down, the creative and engaging tactics increase to better serve that hardcore fan. I've lived this as a guy who bought his Sixers season tickets during a 10-win season. But more importantly, teams need to have the structure in place for when something exciting happens to best capitalize when interest spikes.Jordan Wetherbee's discussion on how her team prepared the entire organization with the same vocabulary and tools for quick data analysis was more than just internal alignment - it had a practical rapid application the moment the team traded for star WR Tyreek Hill.
A good analytical foundation is key for when "the moment" comes.
By shortening the sales process through data analysis, the Dolphins were better able to capitalize on fan interest and hit their sellout number much faster than expected - an awesome case study in how preparation can meet opportunity to generate team success!
Shorter sales process means faster sellout!
Speaker(s): Jordan Wetherbee
Description: A new coach, a marquee , and a promising run at playoffs, on the field the Dolphins were poised for a strong 2022 season. Before these moments happened, the analytics and sales teams manufactured their own success, ultimately selling out of season tickets and achieving other milestones to have their own historic season
Description: A new coach, a marquee , and a promising run at playoffs, on the field the Dolphins were poised for a strong 2022 season. Before these moments happened, the analytics and sales teams manufactured their own success, ultimately selling out of season tickets and achieving other milestones to have their own historic season
Reaction: The business strategies of teams ebb-and-flow with on-field success and fan interest. Typically, when demand is down, the creative and engaging tactics increase to better serve that hardcore fan. I've lived this as a guy who bought his Sixers season tickets during a 10-win season. But more importantly, teams need to have the structure in place for when something exciting happens to best capitalize when interest spikes.
Jordan Wetherbee's discussion on how her team prepared the entire organization with the same vocabulary and tools for quick data analysis was more than just internal alignment - it had a practical rapid application the moment the team traded for star WR Tyreek Hill.
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| A good analytical foundation is key for when "the moment" comes. |
By shortening the sales process through data analysis, the Dolphins were better able to capitalize on fan interest and hit their sellout number much faster than expected - an awesome case study in how preparation can meet opportunity to generate team success!
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| Shorter sales process means faster sellout! |
4:00pm Performance Under PressureSpeaker(s): Sue Bird, Steve Magness, Brad Stevens, and Michael Lewis
Description: Pressure in sports comes in many forms and some people "have it." Listen in as legendary clutch performer Sue Bird shares how she handles the highest-pressure moments on the court and in boardrooms, how former coach and now team architect Brad Stevens defines the value of performance under pressure for his players, and how performance coach Steve Magness studies the science of these skills to drive performance improvement. Can the "clutch ability" be measured? How do we define clutch? End of shot clock, end of game, importance of the game? How do athletes prepare to perform under pressure mentally and physically? Join this myth-busting discussion led by Michael Lewis as leaders in this area attempt to answer what truly makes the best athletes perform under pressure.Reaction: After a fairly tactical afternoon, it was nice to zoom out and think about sports as a whole on this panel, led by the ever-insightful Michael Lewis. The topic was how to deal with pressure and the perspectives provided by Brad Stevens (coach/GM), Sue Bird (player), and Steve Magness (performance scientist) were awesome to hear in tandem. I have heard from the brilliant Stevens and illuminating Bird many times over the years, but Magness was a new and quite fascinating voice. One thing he said stuck with me and I think is universally applicable advice for anyone dealing with stress and pressure: "Clutch performers find a sense of control", meaning that when Option A fails, you have backup Options B, C, and D ready to go. Reps matter as well, and Stevens highlighted the team tactic of putting as many players as possible in as many pressure situations as possible to better prepare for big playoff moments. Getting comfortable in the uncomfortable was a common theme.The pressure to perform is prevalent in American society, but as Sue Bird put it "expecting uncertainty" can go very far in maintaining composure in any arena of performance. Fittingly, towards the end of this panel, Daryl Morey and Jessica Gelman surprised Sue with an Alpha Award for raising awareness of the lack of (and thereby encouraging more development of) analytics around women's sports over the years. Sue's attitude towards the clutch extends beyond the court and it was awesome to witness recognition of how this has helped grow interest during a key era in women's sports. 
Congrats Sue Bird!!
Speaker(s): Sue Bird, Steve Magness, Brad Stevens, and Michael Lewis
Description: Pressure in sports comes in many forms and some people "have it." Listen in as legendary clutch performer Sue Bird shares how she handles the highest-pressure moments on the court and in boardrooms, how former coach and now team architect Brad Stevens defines the value of performance under pressure for his players, and how performance coach Steve Magness studies the science of these skills to drive performance improvement. Can the "clutch ability" be measured? How do we define clutch? End of shot clock, end of game, importance of the game? How do athletes prepare to perform under pressure mentally and physically? Join this myth-busting discussion led by Michael Lewis as leaders in this area attempt to answer what truly makes the best athletes perform under pressure.
Description: Pressure in sports comes in many forms and some people "have it." Listen in as legendary clutch performer Sue Bird shares how she handles the highest-pressure moments on the court and in boardrooms, how former coach and now team architect Brad Stevens defines the value of performance under pressure for his players, and how performance coach Steve Magness studies the science of these skills to drive performance improvement. Can the "clutch ability" be measured? How do we define clutch? End of shot clock, end of game, importance of the game? How do athletes prepare to perform under pressure mentally and physically? Join this myth-busting discussion led by Michael Lewis as leaders in this area attempt to answer what truly makes the best athletes perform under pressure.
Reaction: After a fairly tactical afternoon, it was nice to zoom out and think about sports as a whole on this panel, led by the ever-insightful Michael Lewis. The topic was how to deal with pressure and the perspectives provided by Brad Stevens (coach/GM), Sue Bird (player), and Steve Magness (performance scientist) were awesome to hear in tandem.
I have heard from the brilliant Stevens and illuminating Bird many times over the years, but Magness was a new and quite fascinating voice. One thing he said stuck with me and I think is universally applicable advice for anyone dealing with stress and pressure: "Clutch performers find a sense of control", meaning that when Option A fails, you have backup Options B, C, and D ready to go. Reps matter as well, and Stevens highlighted the team tactic of putting as many players as possible in as many pressure situations as possible to better prepare for big playoff moments. Getting comfortable in the uncomfortable was a common theme.
The pressure to perform is prevalent in American society, but as Sue Bird put it "expecting uncertainty" can go very far in maintaining composure in any arena of performance. Fittingly, towards the end of this panel, Daryl Morey and Jessica Gelman surprised Sue with an Alpha Award for raising awareness of the lack of (and thereby encouraging more development of) analytics around women's sports over the years. Sue's attitude towards the clutch extends beyond the court and it was awesome to witness recognition of how this has helped grow interest during a key era in women's sports.
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| Congrats Sue Bird!! |
5:15pm Using Crowd Sentiment to Help Pick Winners in Fantasy FootballSpeaker(s): Benjamin Hendricks
Description: Given the random nature of sports events, it's understandably hard to accurately project player performance in any given contest, especially in the NFL, with such a limited set of games to draw from. This presentation outlines a method to improve upon existing fantasy player projections published by professional sites (IE NFL.com) by incorporating sentiment based features into the projection model, and discusses results achieved with this approach.Reaction: I wrapped up the day by seeing if anything personally profitable could be gleaned from a talk about analyzing fantasy sentiment data. As a Twitter junkie, I was surprised to hear how useful Benjamin Hendricks found the "wisdom of the crowd"...seems like maybe I'm running in the wrong online circles!By ingesting millions of Twitter comments, NFL.com fantasy data, and more, Hendricks was able to put together regression models that outperformed NFL.com predictions. I'm not sure I want to win bad enough to scrape so much data, but it's nice to know it can be done and done well. As fantasy and online sportsbetting continue to develop, we may see more and more "sharks" in this space utilizing regression...although the smartest ones may keep their competitive advantage to themselves.
Speaker(s): Benjamin Hendricks
Description: Given the random nature of sports events, it's understandably hard to accurately project player performance in any given contest, especially in the NFL, with such a limited set of games to draw from. This presentation outlines a method to improve upon existing fantasy player projections published by professional sites (IE NFL.com) by incorporating sentiment based features into the projection model, and discusses results achieved with this approach.
Description: Given the random nature of sports events, it's understandably hard to accurately project player performance in any given contest, especially in the NFL, with such a limited set of games to draw from. This presentation outlines a method to improve upon existing fantasy player projections published by professional sites (IE NFL.com) by incorporating sentiment based features into the projection model, and discusses results achieved with this approach.
Reaction: I wrapped up the day by seeing if anything personally profitable could be gleaned from a talk about analyzing fantasy sentiment data. As a Twitter junkie, I was surprised to hear how useful Benjamin Hendricks found the "wisdom of the crowd"...seems like maybe I'm running in the wrong online circles!
By ingesting millions of Twitter comments, NFL.com fantasy data, and more, Hendricks was able to put together regression models that outperformed NFL.com predictions. I'm not sure I want to win bad enough to scrape so much data, but it's nice to know it can be done and done well. As fantasy and online sportsbetting continue to develop, we may see more and more "sharks" in this space utilizing regression...although the smartest ones may keep their competitive advantage to themselves.
After Day 1 of the conference, I met up with my 4 senior year roommates for an awesome home-cooked dinner and catching up, before resting up for Day 2.
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| My senior year roommates, from left to right: Joe, me, Nick, & Jon (also Jon’s dog Hector). Love these guys. |
Saturday March 4, 2023
After getting some rest, I got up slightly-less early to head to Hynes Convention Center - still very thankful for the coffee & breakfast provided at the conference. Day 2 at Sloan is always a bit more casual & relaxed day, given it's a Saturday.
9:45am Leveling Up: How Basketball Teams Deploy Analytics to Develop PlayersSpeaker(s): Shane Battier, Katherine Evans, Mike Zarren, and Ben Cohen
Description: Analytics has transformed how players, coaches and front offices approach player development. The use of data analysis and advanced metrics has provided teams with valuable insights into player performance, allowing teams to tailor their training and development programs to better meet the needs of individual players. In addition, analytics has also led to a shift in how players approach their own development, as they now have access to detailed data about their own performance and can use this information to identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the use of analytics has also impacted roster construction, as front offices and coaches now use data to make more informed decisions about everything from blockbuster trades to lineups. Join us as NBA Champion Shane Battier and front office executives Mike Zarren (Boston Celtics) and Katherine Evans (Washington Wizards) discuss the ways in which analytics has revolutionized the way that players, coaches and front offices approach player development.Reaction: I think in my 10 years of coming to Sloan, I've seen a basketball analytics panel with Mike Zarren every year - and maybe nearly as many with Shane Battier and multiple with Katherine Evans. This was a great group and a better discussion.Major highlights included how much motion-capture data matters to front-office behind-the-scenes folks like Zarren and Evans. The NBA is about to even further granularize their motion capture with new partner Hawkeye - meaning more points on the body, more moments of capture, and more data. The hope is this translates into better insights...but that of course is on the analysts sifting through these mountains of information. Battier was there to provide the "bought-in" player perspective, as his own career journey is one lifted by embracing analytics. He believes that communication is key and - as someone who is constantly trying to simplify data-stories for clients - I couldn't agree more: "If you can show players there's an advantage to be gained", they'll buy-in. For Shane in his career, that meant more defensive spacing, more match-up tendency memory, and more threes launched from the corner.Evans outlined the importance of staffing in putting together an analytics team - a solid software engineer, research/insights analysts, statisticians, and importantly, actual players of the game to sanity check whatever findings the data-folks come back with. The implicit injection of experience and qualitative expertise is key in making sense of findings, especially in a world where data-people may sometimes forget not everything is a quantitative equation. Thus, the lesson here is data is great and so is analyzing it, but if your communication of that story is lacking or falling on deaf ears, it's all for naught. EQ matters just as much as IQ in the world of data...and it's nice to see that perspective shared more and more at this conference these last 10 years.
Speaker(s): Shane Battier, Katherine Evans, Mike Zarren, and Ben Cohen
Description: Analytics has transformed how players, coaches and front offices approach player development. The use of data analysis and advanced metrics has provided teams with valuable insights into player performance, allowing teams to tailor their training and development programs to better meet the needs of individual players. In addition, analytics has also led to a shift in how players approach their own development, as they now have access to detailed data about their own performance and can use this information to identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the use of analytics has also impacted roster construction, as front offices and coaches now use data to make more informed decisions about everything from blockbuster trades to lineups. Join us as NBA Champion Shane Battier and front office executives Mike Zarren (Boston Celtics) and Katherine Evans (Washington Wizards) discuss the ways in which analytics has revolutionized the way that players, coaches and front offices approach player development.
Description: Analytics has transformed how players, coaches and front offices approach player development. The use of data analysis and advanced metrics has provided teams with valuable insights into player performance, allowing teams to tailor their training and development programs to better meet the needs of individual players. In addition, analytics has also led to a shift in how players approach their own development, as they now have access to detailed data about their own performance and can use this information to identify areas for improvement. Furthermore, the use of analytics has also impacted roster construction, as front offices and coaches now use data to make more informed decisions about everything from blockbuster trades to lineups. Join us as NBA Champion Shane Battier and front office executives Mike Zarren (Boston Celtics) and Katherine Evans (Washington Wizards) discuss the ways in which analytics has revolutionized the way that players, coaches and front offices approach player development.
Reaction: I think in my 10 years of coming to Sloan, I've seen a basketball analytics panel with Mike Zarren every year - and maybe nearly as many with Shane Battier and multiple with Katherine Evans. This was a great group and a better discussion.
Major highlights included how much motion-capture data matters to front-office behind-the-scenes folks like Zarren and Evans. The NBA is about to even further granularize their motion capture with new partner Hawkeye - meaning more points on the body, more moments of capture, and more data. The hope is this translates into better insights...but that of course is on the analysts sifting through these mountains of information.
Battier was there to provide the "bought-in" player perspective, as his own career journey is one lifted by embracing analytics. He believes that communication is key and - as someone who is constantly trying to simplify data-stories for clients - I couldn't agree more: "If you can show players there's an advantage to be gained", they'll buy-in. For Shane in his career, that meant more defensive spacing, more match-up tendency memory, and more threes launched from the corner.
Evans outlined the importance of staffing in putting together an analytics team - a solid software engineer, research/insights analysts, statisticians, and importantly, actual players of the game to sanity check whatever findings the data-folks come back with. The implicit injection of experience and qualitative expertise is key in making sense of findings, especially in a world where data-people may sometimes forget not everything is a quantitative equation.
Thus, the lesson here is data is great and so is analyzing it, but if your communication of that story is lacking or falling on deaf ears, it's all for naught. EQ matters just as much as IQ in the world of data...and it's nice to see that perspective shared more and more at this conference these last 10 years.
11:00am The Impact of Moneyball: 20 Years LaterSpeaker(s): Shane Battier, Bill James, Daryl Morey, Michael Lewis, and Jackie MacMullan
Description: When Moneyball was published in 2003, no one could have predicted its monumental impact across business, sports, culture, and beyond. Now, twenty years later, the book, and later the blockbuster movie, sparked a renaissance that has totally changed how organizations think about and use data. Jackie MacMullen will lead a discussion with Michael Lewis, Bill James, and Shane Battier as the group reflects on the impact and legacy of Moneyball - and analytics driven thinking - over the last two decades.Reaction: This is probably the panel I attended most worth watching and my recap will hardly do it justice. If you can, do yourself a favor and go find it in full.Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" came out 20 years ago and it's incredible to see how much it has shaped the concepts of efficiency and edge both in sports and beyond. Within sport though, the text itself drew attention to the most important players in the space - the owners - that, hey, maybe your money is being wasted. No rich person wants to hear this, so this book sparked change from the moment of publish.It was a truly awesome listen, so please do. Here are some of my favorite quotes throughout the discussion:- "In sports we are so results-oriented. It's the myth of what makes you a productive athlete. Before (Bill James') Baseball Abstract, we never talked about process...results are a byproduct of good process. The Process - that is what is revolutionary." - Shane Battier
- "RAPTOR (an advanced analytics basketball stat) gets MVP wrong." - Daryl Morey, campaigning for 'my' MVP Joel Embiid.
- "There are a lot of people in our field (analytics) which give us a bad name by acting like everything we say is God's Truth...when actually there are many other factors to consider." - Bill James
- And as a market researcher & philosophy major, this one was my favorite: "Curiosity is more important than intelligence...asking yourself how I can self-improve...that's the role of data: it's to get someone to say 'huh, that's interesting!' and that is what spurs innovation." - Shane Battier
An awesome panel of awesome people in sports.
Movements almost always have foundational texts in human history, and the modern sports analytics movement is no other. Bill James' "Baseball Abstract" and, then Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" stand above in this regard, not entirely unlike Plato's Republic or Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. It was nice to take stock of how this field has been shaped by both the ideas (James) and the ability to communicate them to the masses (Lewis)After catching-up over some lunch with a friend and former MarketCast colleague (shout out to Jake, now at the NHL!), I was ready for my final push of panels on the day.
Speaker(s): Shane Battier, Bill James, Daryl Morey, Michael Lewis, and Jackie MacMullan
Description: When Moneyball was published in 2003, no one could have predicted its monumental impact across business, sports, culture, and beyond. Now, twenty years later, the book, and later the blockbuster movie, sparked a renaissance that has totally changed how organizations think about and use data. Jackie MacMullen will lead a discussion with Michael Lewis, Bill James, and Shane Battier as the group reflects on the impact and legacy of Moneyball - and analytics driven thinking - over the last two decades.
Description: When Moneyball was published in 2003, no one could have predicted its monumental impact across business, sports, culture, and beyond. Now, twenty years later, the book, and later the blockbuster movie, sparked a renaissance that has totally changed how organizations think about and use data. Jackie MacMullen will lead a discussion with Michael Lewis, Bill James, and Shane Battier as the group reflects on the impact and legacy of Moneyball - and analytics driven thinking - over the last two decades.
Reaction: This is probably the panel I attended most worth watching and my recap will hardly do it justice. If you can, do yourself a favor and go find it in full.
Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" came out 20 years ago and it's incredible to see how much it has shaped the concepts of efficiency and edge both in sports and beyond. Within sport though, the text itself drew attention to the most important players in the space - the owners - that, hey, maybe your money is being wasted. No rich person wants to hear this, so this book sparked change from the moment of publish.
It was a truly awesome listen, so please do. Here are some of my favorite quotes throughout the discussion:
- "In sports we are so results-oriented. It's the myth of what makes you a productive athlete. Before (Bill James') Baseball Abstract, we never talked about process...results are a byproduct of good process. The Process - that is what is revolutionary." - Shane Battier
- "RAPTOR (an advanced analytics basketball stat) gets MVP wrong." - Daryl Morey, campaigning for 'my' MVP Joel Embiid.
- "There are a lot of people in our field (analytics) which give us a bad name by acting like everything we say is God's Truth...when actually there are many other factors to consider." - Bill James
- And as a market researcher & philosophy major, this one was my favorite: "Curiosity is more important than intelligence...asking yourself how I can self-improve...that's the role of data: it's to get someone to say 'huh, that's interesting!' and that is what spurs innovation." - Shane Battier
|
| An awesome panel of awesome people in sports. |
Movements almost always have foundational texts in human history, and the modern sports analytics movement is no other. Bill James' "Baseball Abstract" and, then Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" stand above in this regard, not entirely unlike Plato's Republic or Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. It was nice to take stock of how this field has been shaped by both the ideas (James) and the ability to communicate them to the masses (Lewis)
After catching-up over some lunch with a friend and former MarketCast colleague (shout out to Jake, now at the NHL!), I was ready for my final push of panels on the day.
2:45pm Mind, Body, Machine: The Role of AI/ML in the Future of Sports
Speaker(s): S. Matthew Liao, Patrick Lucey, Sherry Marcus, Daryl Morey, and Ethan Sherwood Strauss
Description: The recent launches of ChatGPT and Dall-E have put a spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI), making it arguably the most discussed topic in the news right now. While many industries have just started to get their first exposure to the possibilities of AI, it has already started to make an impact in the sports industry. Some reports estimate that the AI in Sports market will reach tens of billions of dollars in the next 10 years. From helping analyze game footage and player data in the NBA and NFL, to identifying trends and patterns that predict future performance in F1, teams and organizations are increasingly relying on AI to help gain an edge. Led by Ethan Strauss and joined by Daryl Morey (76ers), Patrick Lucey (Stats Perform), Sherry Marcus (AWS) this panel will discuss the current state of this cutting edge technology and what the future of AI has in store for the sports industry.Reaction: After this panel, I'm considering maybe just feeding my previous year's recaps and next year's schedule to Chat GPT, to at least get a digitally fake version of my record out there. It would certain save me some time typing! Seriously though, this was a wild discussion during which this existential philosophy major found his mind racing during. Another one worth a listen, for sure.The crux of the discussion centered on the ethics of using computer generated artificial-intelligence and machine-learning in sports. What's the role? How much is too much? Is the future scary or full of opportunity? As moderator Ethan Strauss commented, "It's so hard to fathom that the robot is our muse now." For example, Sherry Marcus at AWS outlined how FOXSports leveraged Amazon AI/ML to create naturally sounding sportscaster narratives. 10 years ago, I was doing play-by-play in college...and now a robot can do it in a passable way? Good thing I didn't go into broadcasting!
Some of the leading minds in sports AI discuss its future
S. Matthew Liao warned of the dangers on-the-court and in-the-clubhouse. If a team, say, imposes its players wear devices tracking personal medical data and then that data is used by the team, where does the teams' right begin and the players' right end? What about privacy? Patrick Lucey highlighted the concept of cheating as a concern too, which Liao (an NYU professor who is afraid maybe some students are writing papers with Chat GPT) echoed. What if a scout wanted to mislead another scout and created a deep-fake prospect across the globe with fake highlights? Even an astute GM like Daryl Morey hadn't truly considered that perhaps the next highly-touted prospect could be advertised in an entirely digitally dishonest light.I believe the concerns with new, especially "black box" (read: we can't explain it) tech are warranted. However, I'm always certain in humans' abilities to adapt. Going back to the broadcasting example, perhaps we use robots for 1st tier analysis in-game, freeing up commentators for more heady strategic discussions. The analysis goes deeper and the fans win, in that world. And as black-boxes get unpacked over time, perhaps the fear lessen.Still, I don't want to wake up to a world that is the equivalent of the paper-clip game...hopefully there are enough folks that feel the same way to keep this tech growing in an ultimately positive, guided, and ethical manner.
Speaker(s): S. Matthew Liao, Patrick Lucey, Sherry Marcus, Daryl Morey, and Ethan Sherwood Strauss
Description: The recent launches of ChatGPT and Dall-E have put a spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI), making it arguably the most discussed topic in the news right now. While many industries have just started to get their first exposure to the possibilities of AI, it has already started to make an impact in the sports industry. Some reports estimate that the AI in Sports market will reach tens of billions of dollars in the next 10 years. From helping analyze game footage and player data in the NBA and NFL, to identifying trends and patterns that predict future performance in F1, teams and organizations are increasingly relying on AI to help gain an edge. Led by Ethan Strauss and joined by Daryl Morey (76ers), Patrick Lucey (Stats Perform), Sherry Marcus (AWS) this panel will discuss the current state of this cutting edge technology and what the future of AI has in store for the sports industry.
Description: The recent launches of ChatGPT and Dall-E have put a spotlight on artificial intelligence (AI), making it arguably the most discussed topic in the news right now. While many industries have just started to get their first exposure to the possibilities of AI, it has already started to make an impact in the sports industry. Some reports estimate that the AI in Sports market will reach tens of billions of dollars in the next 10 years. From helping analyze game footage and player data in the NBA and NFL, to identifying trends and patterns that predict future performance in F1, teams and organizations are increasingly relying on AI to help gain an edge. Led by Ethan Strauss and joined by Daryl Morey (76ers), Patrick Lucey (Stats Perform), Sherry Marcus (AWS) this panel will discuss the current state of this cutting edge technology and what the future of AI has in store for the sports industry.
Reaction: After this panel, I'm considering maybe just feeding my previous year's recaps and next year's schedule to Chat GPT, to at least get a digitally fake version of my record out there. It would certain save me some time typing! Seriously though, this was a wild discussion during which this existential philosophy major found his mind racing during. Another one worth a listen, for sure.
The crux of the discussion centered on the ethics of using computer generated artificial-intelligence and machine-learning in sports. What's the role? How much is too much? Is the future scary or full of opportunity? As moderator Ethan Strauss commented, "It's so hard to fathom that the robot is our muse now." For example, Sherry Marcus at AWS outlined how FOXSports leveraged Amazon AI/ML to create naturally sounding sportscaster narratives. 10 years ago, I was doing play-by-play in college...and now a robot can do it in a passable way? Good thing I didn't go into broadcasting!
 |
| Some of the leading minds in sports AI discuss its future |
S. Matthew Liao warned of the dangers on-the-court and in-the-clubhouse. If a team, say, imposes its players wear devices tracking personal medical data and then that data is used by the team, where does the teams' right begin and the players' right end? What about privacy? Patrick Lucey highlighted the concept of cheating as a concern too, which Liao (an NYU professor who is afraid maybe some students are writing papers with Chat GPT) echoed. What if a scout wanted to mislead another scout and created a deep-fake prospect across the globe with fake highlights? Even an astute GM like Daryl Morey hadn't truly considered that perhaps the next highly-touted prospect could be advertised in an entirely digitally dishonest light.
I believe the concerns with new, especially "black box" (read: we can't explain it) tech are warranted. However, I'm always certain in humans' abilities to adapt. Going back to the broadcasting example, perhaps we use robots for 1st tier analysis in-game, freeing up commentators for more heady strategic discussions. The analysis goes deeper and the fans win, in that world. And as black-boxes get unpacked over time, perhaps the fear lessen.
Still, I don't want to wake up to a world that is the equivalent of the paper-clip game...hopefully there are enough folks that feel the same way to keep this tech growing in an ultimately positive, guided, and ethical manner.
4:00pm The Last of SportsSpeaker(s): Bill James, Jessica Gelman, Daryl Morey, Nate Silver, and Michele Steele
Description: Imagine you are granted unlimited wishes allowing you to change the landscape of sports as we know it. You can access any data in the world; you can change any rules; you could invent totally new sports; you can introduce any type of technology. What would you do? In the final session of our 2023 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, we bring together the leaders in sports and business analytics to discuss the art of the possible for future changes in the sports industry.Reaction: During this last panel, I had to cut out early to make a dinner reservation, but am grateful it was put together (and recorded!). Considering that 100 years ago (March 4, 1923), boxing and horseracing were much more prominent sports, the future of the sports landscape is rife with uncertainty. Bill James pointed out that these sports handled their technological transitions poorly - boxing via funneling the money into too few hands (PPV) and horseracing by avoiding television in hopes of channeling folks to the stadium. Both are cautionary tales for sports leagues looking to maintain their hold on the top, grow, or breakthrough - no channel of communication and engagement can be ignored.However sports look in the future, I am certain we'll have them and they'll continue to matter to people throughout time. There's an innate joy in playing and there's an informative interest in following. Thus, its important that the folks working in this landscape continue to take their responsibility seriously. I have no doubt with conferences like MIT Sloan at the helm, that will continue.
Speaker(s): Bill James, Jessica Gelman, Daryl Morey, Nate Silver, and Michele Steele
Description: Imagine you are granted unlimited wishes allowing you to change the landscape of sports as we know it. You can access any data in the world; you can change any rules; you could invent totally new sports; you can introduce any type of technology. What would you do? In the final session of our 2023 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, we bring together the leaders in sports and business analytics to discuss the art of the possible for future changes in the sports industry.
Description: Imagine you are granted unlimited wishes allowing you to change the landscape of sports as we know it. You can access any data in the world; you can change any rules; you could invent totally new sports; you can introduce any type of technology. What would you do? In the final session of our 2023 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, we bring together the leaders in sports and business analytics to discuss the art of the possible for future changes in the sports industry.
Reaction: During this last panel, I had to cut out early to make a dinner reservation, but am grateful it was put together (and recorded!).
Considering that 100 years ago (March 4, 1923), boxing and horseracing were much more prominent sports, the future of the sports landscape is rife with uncertainty. Bill James pointed out that these sports handled their technological transitions poorly - boxing via funneling the money into too few hands (PPV) and horseracing by avoiding television in hopes of channeling folks to the stadium. Both are cautionary tales for sports leagues looking to maintain their hold on the top, grow, or breakthrough - no channel of communication and engagement can be ignored.
However sports look in the future, I am certain we'll have them and they'll continue to matter to people throughout time. There's an innate joy in playing and there's an informative interest in following. Thus, its important that the folks working in this landscape continue to take their responsibility seriously. I have no doubt with conferences like MIT Sloan at the helm, that will continue.
Final Thoughts
After leaving the conference a bit early, my friends and I hit some of our old BC haunts for drinks, dinner, and more catching up. Each and every year I am so thankful for this conference, and it has been surreal to reflect upon when I first started going in 2014. A lot of life had been lived - but none of the important stuff holding relationships together has changed. I hope to say the same 10 years from now.
The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference has continuously helped me personally & professionally these last 10 years and I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to all of the students, Daryl Morey, Jessica Gelman, and everyone else who helps put on this event each year.
Can't wait for my 11th year in 2024. Until then? Trust the Process, always.
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