by Eric Marturano
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| Me, enjoying the halls at Sloan! |
Welcome back to what has become a favorite annual tradition, writing a blog to help me keep my memories of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference organized!
After 12 years of attending this conference, I'm thankful that a few years back I had the sense to record my thoughts on different panels fresh after attending. Last year I got lazy & just did a tweet thread... which wasn't as useful as this blog as historically been. So, like my Super Bowl winning Philadelphia Eagles, we are BACK BABY!
Before I dive into my personal itinerary for the duration of the conference, I want to mention a few things:
- Most 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 there will inevitably 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. I should mention there is a little less content there / in this blog than in years past, largely due to the amount of time I spent talking to people & working. A worthy use of conference time for sure, but you don't care about that - you want content! I understand & I like to keep my customer satisfied. So my promise to you is this: if your satisfaction is less than a full rating of '10' on a 10pt scale, I'll send you a full refund for whatever you paid to read this. :)
- Since a huge benefit of this conference is the networking opportunity, I would be remiss not to mention where you can find me professionally.
It's been an awesome year for us at SPORTFIVE in more than a few ways - drop me a line at eric.marturano@sportfive.com if you'd like to find a way to work together!
Alright, enough preamble...onto the weekend!
Thursday March 6, 2025
Although I live in the Philadelphia suburbs, I'm fortunate to be able to walk to a train station, which means I can get as far as Boston without getting into a car. I woke up early, got my two boys Leo (2.5yrs) & Marco (4yrs) ready for daycare, bid them & my wife Erin goodbye, & then boarded a connecting train to 30th Street station in Philadelphia for my long Amtrak ride to Boston.
Fortunately, I was able to get some work done & get organized for the conference on the train, arriving in Boston in the late afternoon. This year, I am staying with my oldest childhood friend, John, who moved to Boston last year with his girlfriend Chelsea (& now their awesome pup Peach!). It's a pretty surreal experience to be hanging in a faraway town I went to college in with him, when 25+ years ago we were organizing neighborhood games of tag together back in the Philly suburbs. We spent the evening catching up (and watching the Sixers lose to the Celtics, sadly) as I prepared for the next day.
Fortunately, I was able to get some work done & get organized for the conference on the train, arriving in Boston in the late afternoon. This year, I am staying with my oldest childhood friend, John, who moved to Boston last year with his girlfriend Chelsea (& now their awesome pup Peach!). It's a pretty surreal experience to be hanging in a faraway town I went to college in with him, when 25+ years ago we were organizing neighborhood games of tag together back in the Philly suburbs. We spent the evening catching up (and watching the Sixers lose to the Celtics, sadly) as I prepared for the next day.
Friday March 7, 2025
I got up early to head to the Hynes Convention Center - always very thankful for the coffee & breakfast provided at the conference. Ready for Day 1!
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| The legendary Bill James welcomes everyone to SSAC25 |
This year was a little different, as I'm participating in the conference mentorship program as a mentor to students/young professionals. As part of that, I spent the first hour (9-10am) of the conference speaking with students in the Career Conversations room answering questions about the industry and how to build skills / break-in. 12 years ago, I was on the other side of this table looking to learn and figure out where to get started in pursuing a career in sports, so I really do appreciate the opportunity to give back to the wider sports analytics community in this way. It's quite humbling.
10:00am Hot Hands and Cold Decks: Balancing Strategy and Psychology in Poker
Speaker(s): Jennifer Shahade, Nate Silver, Alexandra Botez, Xuan Liu
Description: Poker is a game of skill, strategy, and psychology—but how do players navigate the tension between mathematical precision and the unpredictable swings of variance? This panel explores the interplay between optimal game theory strategy and the mental resilience required to handle hot streaks and brutal downswings. Experts and poker content creators will discuss the impact of solvers, intuition, and behavioral psychology on decision-making at the highest levels. Whether you're a data-driven grinder or a feel-based player, this conversation will reveal what it takes to stay sharp in a game where both skill and mindset determine long-term success
Reaction: The first panel of my day was a fun conversation about poker. I have played Texas Hold'em (not very well) since I was a kid and love the game as a bit of an analogy to life in that there is a mix of 'luck' & 'skill'. For a simple example, one of the best odds/reward situations one can be in for poker is an all-in pre-flop shove with Aces (AA). That's typically like an 80% win rate. Well.. you play enough hands, you'll certainly remember those 20+ times you lost, even though you made the best decision you could possibly make with the information you had at the time. Life can be a lot like that (for better & worse).
Although this is an "analytics" conference, the most interesting things for me tend to be in the emotional spaces and how humans have to interact with them. Poker is full of these, which chess & poker superstar Alexandra Botez alluded to during this panel when comparing the two games:
“If you’re just really good at chess, you’re going to succeed. If you’re just really good at poker, you may not get invited!”
“If you’re just really good at chess, you’re going to succeed. If you’re just really good at poker, you may not get invited!”
Wisdom like that is why I try to hunt down the poker panel every year since having attended the first ever poker panel at Sloan back in 2019. I wrote about that here if you're curious (the value of blogging!).
I spent the next hour or so catching up with a few friends & former clients in halls. One thing I've really grown to appreciate over these 12 years is how much networking actually matters. It's hard to see the value and can even be awkward to try to build work relationships when you're 21 and just hoping to find a job (any job), but after working a few years or changing roles a few times, its humbling to see how a conversation here or a past project there can blossom into a genuine bonds and trust. The older you get, the harder it is to maintain even personal relationships, so I really appreciate this conference as an annual hub to physically meet & catch up with so many people who have impacted my life & work over the years.
12:00pm Mentorship Luncheon
Speaker(s): Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick, Jessica Gelman
Reaction: The mentorship lunch was a great space for getting to know my mentee (AJ, a Boston College sophomore; Go Eagles!), along with a few other mentors / mentees.
Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick kicked off the luncheon with an inspiring speech about the importance of contributing to the next generation of leaders. She was speaking from experience, having attended this conference back when it was just an MIT Class taught by our next speaker, Jessica Gelman. Jessica echoed a similar sentiment, citing the importance of being a mentor is "how you pay it forward". When I reflect on how much this conference has done for me over the last 12 years, its an easy decision and humbling to be a part of.
AJ & I enjoyed lunch and getting to know not only each other, but the other mentors/mentees at our table. I love that the conference has added this mentorship program and will certainly plan to do it again next year, alongside the mentorship I've been doing at Villanova (where I did my MBA) the last few years. My mentee from there (Amelie, Villanova junior; Go Cats!) was in attendance at the conference as well, so we found some time to catch up over the course of the conference too.
After the lunch, I wandered over to the recreational area and took some swings at the Home Run Dugout Batting Bays activity. The conference always as some fun activities like this so I try to take advantage when I can. Sad to report my exit velocity is not nearly as good as it was when I played baseball as a teen.
1:30pm The Future of Sports Business
Speaker(s): Abe Madkour, Amy Howe, Brian Rolapp, Jessica Gelman
Description: The sports industry is in a period of massive disruption from streaming media to direct-to-consumer to globalization to sky-rocketing team valuations to increased access to athletes to data connectivity. Why have team values increased so much despite declining viewership? The Future of Sports Business is evolving in real-time reflecting the changing expectations of fans, athletes, & stakeholders. Hear from industry innovators from the pre-eminent sports organizations engaging the changing fan, how the game is more connected than ever before, and why the sports world will continue to become smaller. This discussion will highlight how organizations across the ecosystem are strategically adapting to changing fan preferences and highlight the data & technology needed to support changes in-venue, at-home, and across the world. The panel will consider the broader influences affecting the sports ecosystem, including globalization and emerging trends, as they look to redefine the future of sports business
Reaction: "Where are things going next?" is an ever-green topic in life and sports business is no different. At SPORTFIVE, I'm often thinking of this question in the back of my mind when assessing what data strategies, insights, & tools to deploy in order to help our Commercial, Brand Consulting, Experiential, Media, E-Sports & Gaming, Digital, Golf Talent, & Golf Operations US business units stand out to their clients. These groups all have different needs & future plans, so it is important to stay on the edge of where our industry is headed.
One specific throughline that I'm often thinking about - and came up frequently during this panel - is global reach. Sounds like the NFL is too, which is no surprise given the success and recent expansion of their International Series of games.
Brian Rolapp hit on the NFL's expansion into Spain (announced last month), alongside its many other markets as frontiers of focus for growth. I can tell you personally after spending so much time in fan syndicated data that the sheer amount of NFL fans in the United States is staggering and demographically starting to become synonymous with the general population.
As of this writing (March 2025), per our trusted syndicated data partner, Vision Insights Decoder, on a 7-point avidity scale where 1 is "not interested" & 7 is "extremely interested", there are 114.3M avid NFL fans (rating a 6 or 7) aged 13+ just in the United States. If I expand that to include even the most casual fans (2-7), that number skyrockets to 204.3M.
As of this writing (March 2025), per our trusted syndicated data partner, Vision Insights Decoder, on a 7-point avidity scale where 1 is "not interested" & 7 is "extremely interested", there are 114.3M avid NFL fans (rating a 6 or 7) aged 13+ just in the United States. If I expand that to include even the most casual fans (2-7), that number skyrockets to 204.3M.
There are "only" 277.1M people aged 13+ in the United States, so as the NFL starts to tap out the US market, it must look globally to continue to grow its fandom. Hence, the international games as the vehicle to do so!
*pause for semi-relevant shameless plug*
SPORTFIVE is located just about everywhere, headquartered in Germany, with 52+ globally offices in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Hungary, Japan, Korea, UAE, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, & Switzerland. Much of our work across rightsholders and brands expand in each of these countries. Email me to learn more
*ok, enough self-promotion, now back to the blog*
SPORTFIVE is located just about everywhere, headquartered in Germany, with 52+ globally offices in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Hungary, Japan, Korea, UAE, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Spain, & Switzerland. Much of our work across rightsholders and brands expand in each of these countries. Email me to learn more
*ok, enough self-promotion, now back to the blog*
2:30pm Chasing Greatness: A Conversation with GMs Across Sports
Speaker(s): Michele Steele, David Stearns, Nick Caserio, Daryl Morey
Description: What’s it like to negotiate nine-figure contracts, let go of a veteran fan-favorite player, or survive a trade deadline? This panel unites four visionary executives across three different sports—Daryl Morey (Philadelphia 76ers), David Stearns (New York Mets), Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings), and Nick Caserio (Houston Texans)—to explore how analytics are transforming team management across sports. The discussion will delve into how each leader leverages data and technology to guide roster construction, player evaluation, and development strategies. From navigating professional drafts to executing trades and competitive rebuilds, the panelists will share insights into how analytics drive sustained success in their respective leagues. They’ll also address the challenges of integrating data with traditional scouting and balancing innovation with the human element of decision-making
Reaction: This was a fun panel and directly relevant to my fandom as a Sixers season-ticket holder. Daryl Morey (Sixers), Nick Caserio (Texans), & David Stearns (Mets) took the audience inside the decision-making processes of front offices.
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| In Conversations with GMs, Daryl Morey sports a shirt honoring the late great Dikembe Mutombo. |
One theme that each kept coming back to was the importance of staying true to your process and not being swayed by momentary outside noise. Easier said than done, for sure.
Daryl Morey touched on how important it has been over the last 20 years or so that owners were willing to make investments in front-office analytic roles, a sentiment which Mets Pres. of Baseball Ops David Stearns echoed. As host Michele Steele (and any rival fanbase) might chide, the Mets seemingly have a 'blank check' when it comes to resources needed to compete. Look no further than Juan Soto's contract for evidence.
Jokes aside, ownership willing to spend seems to essentially be table stakes for fielding a competitive team, especially in a sport like baseball with no salary cap. When there is a salary cap, investment can be made in staff & processes around the front-office. Getting the right people in place on & off the field is paramount to team success, and Nick Caserio emphasized "curiousity" and "work ethic" as key attributes he looks for. I would contend that these are important not only for sports or work, but for life as well.
3:30pm The Analytics Driven Franchise: Building a Modern NBA Team
Speaker(s): John Hollinger, Shane Battier, Dean Oliver, Monte McNair, Ariana Andonian
Description: This panel will explore how NBA organizations have transformed through the integration of analytics into their decision-making processes. From drafting strategies and roster construction to player development and in-game tactics, panelists will examine the role of analytics in shaping team identity and success. The conversation will balance the front office’s perspective on long-term planning with the player-centric view of how data-driven strategies impact the on-court experience. Topics will include the use of advanced metrics for player evaluation, the integration of tracking data, the balance between data and basketball instincts, and the challenges of implementing analytics across departments
Reaction: As an NBA junkie, I enjoyed this panel immensely, although I found myself thinking more about day-to-day work than actual basketball due to a recurring theme throughout: making sure that data is in a language/format that its intended audience can understand.
Shane Battier - who famously bought into basketball analytics "early" - summarized this it nicely:
"There are tons of people who can find data & insights, but differentiates them is their ability to communicate"
Throughout my career, I've found this to be true. Unless the "frontline" folks - in sports or business - have the data in a format that they'll embrace & understand, then the data is useless. It is thus the job of the analyst or insights lead to make sure this doesn't happen, which is why communication skills are equally as important as analytical skills.
After another hour of hallway conversations, networking, & catching-up, I grabbed a drink nearby with a former colleague and current vendor and then later met up that evening with John & Chelsea for some dinner. We went out for a bit in the North End (Boston's Italian section) for a drink, before resting up & getting plenty of sleep for Day 2.
Saturday March 2, 2024
After getting some rest, I got up slightly-less early to head to back to the conference. Day 2 at Sloan is always a bit more casual & relaxed day, given it's a Saturday.
9:00am Have the Nerds Ruined Basketball?: A conversation on Competitiveness, Three Pointers, and Rule Changes
Speaker(s): Deepak Malhotra, Sue Bird, Evan Wasch, Mike Zarren, Daryl Morey
Description: Basketball has seen a dramatic shift in recent years, with the three-point shot dominating team strategies and reshaping how players approach the game. This panel will explore whether the NBA is at a “crisis” point due to this trend, drawing lessons from other sports that faced similar strategy convergence. Panelists will debate whether the league has reached peak three-point shooting volumes, how defenses have adapted, and whether this evolution has made the game less entertaining or overly repetitive. The discussion will also address potential solutions: Should leagues intervene with rule changes, or will the game naturally evolve as teams identify new inefficiencies? Join us for a lively debate on the future of basketball amidst the three-point era.
Reaction: After my 12th year at Sloan, I feel like I have season tickets to the Mike Zarren "let's complain about basketball" panel - and its always a treat. Longtime panelists Daryl Morey & Sue Bird were joined by Evan Wasch from the NBA league office, which made for a lot of entertaining barbs about rule changes (announced or otherwise) from current Sixers front-office lead Daryl Morey & Celtics front-office lead Mike Zarren.
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Sue Bird laments recently watching a college student pickup game where a student successfully pump-faked & stepped back for a three vs. drive to the rim. In her words: “It went CLANG. And I thought “Daryl!”  |
I appreciated Sue Bird highlighting the current gap in available data between the WNBA & NBA - and how as this gap shrinks, fans will be better able to access records & information to put those ever-engaging "who was better??" arguments in perspective. Zarren hit a similar point, wondering what information fans might discover if they had public access to the information (such as camera data) that teams have.
As a Sixers fan, I appreciated Daryl's answer of "Yes" that the Sixers will win a title in the next 10 years. It...uh... is not looking like this will be the year. But there's always next year, as a wise fan once said.
After another hour or so of networking & fun conversations out in the halls - and a really cool AI-Driven Concussion Test booth - I was ready for my next panel.
11:00am Bringing Sports Data to Life
Speaker(s): Riley Martin
Description: From analytics to viral sports content, discover how to transform complex data into compelling visual stories. In this workshop, Riley Martin breaks down the methodology behind @_Sportsball's explosive growth from a side project to a thriving media company. Learn how techniques refined in fintech and consulting shaped a new approach to sports storytelling, with real examples from collaborations with the NHL, Olympics, and major sports brands. Whether you're an analyst, content creator, or industry professional, you'll learn actionable strategies for making data not just digestible, but unforgettable.
Reaction: This was probably my favorite panel not only of the conference, but in the last couple of years. I had seen Riley "@_Sportsball" Martin's videos scrolling on social media before and found them engaging, but was really blown away with his wisdom and granular expertise about story-telling.
Basing most of his workflow on the premise that "its never the audiences fault" if they don't understand, he gave a masterclass workshop in how to explain complicated and somewhat mundane topics (like the NFL salary cap) to the even the most casual/uniformed fans. The winning method is a slow, visually engaging minute or so that begins like a scuba-dive - starting with surface information and "general knowledge" that everyone knows and then descending slowly into "fan knowledge" and then "specific knowledge".
Like a scuba diver, it is important not to change too quickly between these three "knowledge layers". And by matching audio / video of hand-drawn visualizations, @_Sportsball allows the viewer to learn messy topics in an easy-to-follow manner, all in about a minute and 30 seconds.
My biggest takeaway was the slow process of layering in 1 piece of information at a time, going from general to specific, and will be something I bear in mind the next time I'm staring at a blank PowerPoint deck. I was fortunate enough to get a hand-drawn souvenir to remind me of this:
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| A real drawing used in this video: https://www.instagram.com/_sportsball/reel/DCuhOwQz21h/ |
I spoke to a few more conference friends in the halls as I ate lunch, and enjoyed reading an awesome research paper by Dubem Mbeledogu on the topic of Measuring Player Adaptability in the NBA.
1:30pm 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' at SSAC
Speaker(s): Pablo Torre, Sendhil Mullainathan, Daryl Morey
Description: As AI continues to reshape industries, its impact on sports is only beginning to be understood. Economist and behavioral scientist Sendhil Mullainathan and Daryl Morey join Pablo Torre Finds Out for an in-depth discussion on how AI can expand human capacity in sports, not by replacing human intuition and expertise, but by enhancing decision-making, strategy, and performance. Rather than merely automating scouting reports or game-day decisions, AI can serve as a powerful tool for reflection and learning—helping athletes identify patterns in their play, coaches uncover hidden strategic opportunities, and front offices refine their decision-making processes. Should teams rely on AI-driven scouting, or should these systems be designed to work alongside human evaluators, amplifying their insights? Can AI help players recognize critical mistakes in real time and develop strategies to adapt? And how do we ensure technology strengthens competition rather than diminishing its human essence?This panel will move beyond the hype, exploring AI’s true potential to act as a “bicycle for the mind” in sports—an augmentation of human intelligence that enables athletes, coaches, and teams to push the limits of their capabilities.
Reaction: I am a huge fan of Pablo Torre's podcast "Pablo Torre Finds Out", so was thrilled there was a live taping at the conference. Something I did not expect was so much Sixers-related discussion, and it was a nice surprise for this avid fan. For example, Sendhil Mullianathan is not only a MacAthur Genius Grant winner, but RealGM message-board posting Sixers fan. As a way-too-online Sixers fan myself, this information gave me endless joy.
There was a lot of discussion of large language models, algorithms, and automation, but I found one thing Sendhil said quite comforting: that is, that "experts who are masters of repeated applications / tasks" should be worried for a more automated future, but that the "experts who can take an ill-formed problem & creatively transform it" into something solvable by these tools will never go out of style.
I would encourage you to check out the video of this when it posts, not only on MIT Sloan's website, but also at "Pablo Torre Finds Out" on YouTube.
2:30pm Behind the Deal: The Analytics of Sports Sponsorship Valuation
Speaker(s): Keegan Fiertl
Description: How are sports sponsorships priced, and how to brands measure their success? This workshop is intended for anyone interested in the business behind sports sponsorships, an increasingly important part of rightsholders' revenue streams and brands' marketing plans. It explores the analytics behind valuing and evaluating the effectiveness of partnerships from both the seller's and buyer's perspectives and will give those attending a crash course on how the two parties assess these in similar, yet different, ways.
Description: How are sports sponsorships priced, and how to brands measure their success? This workshop is intended for anyone interested in the business behind sports sponsorships, an increasingly important part of rightsholders' revenue streams and brands' marketing plans. It explores the analytics behind valuing and evaluating the effectiveness of partnerships from both the seller's and buyer's perspectives and will give those attending a crash course on how the two parties assess these in similar, yet different, ways.
Reaction: I loved this workshop because I do valuations for brands & rightsholders often, in an effort to help them understand the value they're getting or delivering in sponsorship deals. It was nice to hear perspectives from other agencies and see that we're concerned about the same stuff, specifically the benefits & drawbacks of the industry standard "media equivalency".
Without getting too granular, media equivalency is a measurement approach in which something is valued as relative to the cost traditional media, such as a 30 second full-screen TV ad. Although this gives a sense of what something might cost if it were actually available for purchase in that specific channel (broadcast), Media Equivalency value does not equal real-dollars back or even asset performance. I'm sure you've seen headlines such as "Celebrity post generated $1B in earned media"... and while that may be true in "attention dollars", nobody actually ever cut a check for $1B. What its saying is that Celebrity generated enough attention that would have been the same as buying $1B in 30 second commercials. And lucky you! You only paid $100M for that asset, so it sure feels like you got a 10x return... right?
As you can probably guess, there are times & places for focusing on media equivalency value when assessing a partnership and there are times & places to emphasize other forms of measurement. Hence, why it is important to understand what you're "getting" as a brand or "providing" as a rightsholder from multiple angles - including brand KPIs, intangible IP value, event attendee exposure, hospitality, business-back and more. Most importantly, it is paramount to know the benefits / drawbacks of the data that you are using to measure your partnership, relative to its goals - or "why" you're doing the partnership in the first place.
As a 3rd & final shameless plug: if you'd like to talk more about this, shoot me an email at eric.marturano@sportfive.com.
As a 3rd & final shameless plug: if you'd like to talk more about this, shoot me an email at eric.marturano@sportfive.com.
Final Thoughts
After leaving the conference a bit early, my friends John, Chelsea, & I met up for a final afternoon/evening of drinks, dinner, and more catching up. We caught the Celtics / Lakers game at a local bar near TD Garden and enjoyed the fan atmosphere. There were a few more Lakers fans out & about than I expected... but hey, I get it...who in their right mind wants to root for the Celtics!??
After the night was over, I got up early & on a train home... where I started writing this blog again. And I'm glad I did - it at least makes this 6 hour train ride go by a little faster!
The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference has continuously helped me personally & professionally these last 12 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.
Catch you back here after my (lucky) 13th year in 2026!
