Sports Analytics Dept at SU

[sutomcat]

You don't need analytics in basketball or sports for that matter. If you actually watch the game, your eyes will tell you what you need to know.

Using advanced analytics is a way to gain a major advantage over other programs that think like you do.

There are a surprising number of programs that do not realize the worth of this. It is low hanging fruit for those willing to open their eyes.

 

[Millhouse]

Not to "actually..." but

You can get a lot done even with some easy to learn skills, just above basic statistics, SQL and knowledge of an open source language to do data analysis with like R or Python.

Professional sports analytics relies more on proprietary data, that past couple of years almost none of the papers presented at the Sloan Conference were based on publicly available data. If the program is properly integrated with the athletics department, it can provide students with the access to proprietary data (ticketing/merch, sportvu, fitness tracking, etc.) and the change to develop their own IP that will be appealing professional.

The downside is that sports analytics are still significantly undervalued and more is expected for significantly less money than those skills would earn elsewhere. If you are dedicated to sports, it presents opportunity but if you are just interested in data better to go the traditional programming/math route.

Most data is propietary no matter ever you work. This is just a way for colleges to collect money from future unemployed sports nuts

 

[Arangeman]

Is Syracuse's Sport Analytics Degree Just A Marketing Scheme?

One of the criticisms in this article is the lack of available internships with our athletics dept, namely basketball. Integrating the two should be a no brainer.

 

[MadNY3]

Most data is propietary no matter ever you work. This is just a way for colleges to collect money from future unemployed sports nuts

The demand for this profession is notable. That was one of the drivers.

 

[Millhouse]

The demand for this profession is notable. That was one of the drivers.

I think the demand from high school sports fans will be greater than the demand for college grad sports data science guys.

schools should teach the hard general stuff and employees can figure out the application of it on the job. there's nothing so unusual about the movement of guys on the floor and the rules of basketball that non-sports data scientists couldn't figure out in days

 

[Millhouse]

Is Syracuse's Sport Analytics Degree Just A Marketing Scheme?

One of the criticisms in this article is the lack of available internships with our athletics dept, namely basketball. Integrating the two should be a no brainer.

i think this whole thing is a giant embarrassment and i wonder what professors within the school of information studies really think about it

SU has too many stupid majors

 

[MadNY3]

i think this whole thing is a giant embarrassment and i wonder what professors within the school of information studies really think about it

SU has too many stupid majors

Do you wonder what executive search firms Spencer Stuart and Korn/Ferry said that was part of the input that began the discussion of this focus?

 

[rrlbees]

Is Syracuse's Sport Analytics Degree Just A Marketing Scheme?

One of the criticisms in this article is the lack of available internships with our athletics dept, namely basketball. Integrating the two should be a no brainer.

interesting article. as I said earlier, my son picked it up as a minor. he wants to work in the sports world but realizes that's no guarantee so he's double majoring in finance and accounting with a minor in information technology. since he had room, he felt this minor would be a nice bump. he was going to add a minor in sports management but chose this instead.

 

[Millhouse]

Do you wonder what executive search firms Spencer Stuart and Korn/Ferry said that was part of the input that began the discussion of this focus?

Don't care.

School thinks that it will help enrollment and pay consultants to validate what they want to do.

Hopefully parents are smarter

 

[MadNY3]

Don't care.

School thinks that it will help enrollment and pay consultants to validate what they want to do.

Hopefully parents are smarter

So, of course, you realize that those executive search firms were not paid consultants. That they were reporting the rise and need of knowledge in the space to help feed opening roles at universities, brands determining value of sponsorship, information around new sports stadiums including in-game monetization, etc.

 

[MadNY3]

Speaking of Sports Analytics, they are having a Legend's night and mini-baskeball symposium on April 21 and 22. It was covered by the P-S, but tickets if anyone wants to go, click here for tickets to either.

 

[TheEgg315]

I would be pretty surprised if KenPom info wasn't looked at by many of the assistants and relayed to Boeheim in some manner.

If he uses that info...well that is another story.

 

[Cusefan95]

You don't need analytics in basketball or sports for that matter. If you actually watch the game, your eyes will tell you what you need to know.

Two thoughts:

1). One of the podcasts I follow talks with Rob Vollman at the start of each hockey season, and he discusses new analytics he's using/developing. He makes the point often that quality of data matters (which has historically been a big problem in hockey) - and even with good data it's critical to actually watch to see if trends you think you you've uncovered are real or just blips. Regardless, he has radically changed the way I watch hockey over the last 4-5 years. (The key turning point was when the Blackhawks were like the 6 seed in the west and he was picking them entering the playoffs to win the Stanley Cup; they demolished everyone on the way to winning. The data showed they were by far the best team in the league but had the worst "puck luck" in the last 25 years at least - the data was right).

2) Most people are idiots, and all people are biased. Saying your eyes will tell you everything you need to know makes you susceptible to confirmation bias...and frankly confirms you are one of the numerous idiots. I still see people pointing to things in Moneyball that were relevant twenty years ago but don't apply today to "prove" analytics doesn't work (hi, Joe Morgan!)- the only thing they prove is they have no idea what they are talking about. One example is working pitch count was a great strategy in the 90's, because bullpen pitchers were generally terrible. There's a reason bullpen pitchers make substantially more now than 20 years ago - by focusing on improved pitching teams largely negated working pitch count to get starters out as an advantage. The Royals didn't work pitch counts at all when they won the World Series two years ago...I saw at least three articles talking about their "anti-Moneyball" approach. None of the authors demonstrated that they understood baseball had shifted as a whole and that wasn't a focus area in 2015 - the all implied it showed Billy Beane was wrong. Because they, like most people, were likely idiots.

 

[cuse10]

We can agree to disagree. I don't put much stock into analytics. I've been around basketball most of my life due to my father coaching high level AAU and HS, so when we'd watch games it was like we were dissecting game film at the same time. I don't watch with the same frame of mind a casual fan watches with. If you know the game, you don't need data (much of which is crap IMO) to tell you what you're already seeing. Like you said people are biased, but some people use data as an end all, be all when it doesn't tell the entire story.

 

[andyw715]

I'm sure the NCAA would find something impermissible about using our SAD to help the team.

I like stat's, just need to remember not to rely on them 100%, ie. this past election.

 

[jr4750]

Is there any collaboration between the Sports Anaytics Dept. and basketball? SU is one of the few schools in the country to offer this major. We have professors on campus that are sports analytics experts as well as students who could possibly do internships, projects, etc.

Sports analytics are a big part of the future. If feasible, wouldn't it make sense to integrate this resource we have right on campus?

We can finally say yes

A Winning Team: Sport Analytics Students Partnering With Syracuse Athletics to Prevent Injuries, Improve Performance

As the associate athletic trainer for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team, Mike Mangano says he’d much rather spend his time preventing injuries t ...

news.syr.edu

 

[OrlandoCuse]

We can finally say yes

A Winning Team: Sport Analytics Students Partnering With Syracuse Athletics to Prevent Injuries, Improve Performance

As the associate athletic trainer for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team, Mike Mangano says he’d much rather spend his time preventing injuries t ...

news.syr.edu

Well that only took 7 years

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Don't they say it's never too late?

Statistically unlikely.

 

[Millhouse]

Learn stats, learn programming, then apply it to sports

Don't do some watered down nonsense because you like sports. This takes money from dumb kids

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Learn stats, learn programming, then apply it to sports

Don't do some watered down nonsense because you like sports. This takes money from dumb kids

At least you are consistent with your opinion from 7 years ago

 

[Millhouse]

At least you are consistent with your opinion from 7 years ago

Look at the alumni profiles. Nothing wrong with any of those jobs but they're not the jobs that some high school kid who wants to get into sports analytics is gunning for.

Our Alumni - Falk College – Syracuse University

falk.syr.edu

 

[MadNY3]

Look at the alumni profiles. Nothing wrong with any of those jobs but they're not the jobs that some high school kid who wants to get into sports analytics is gunning for.

Our Alumni - Falk College – Syracuse University

falk.syr.edu

The problem is they tend to select the students who were very teacher-oriented who volunteer to do this or as asked to do this as a favor versus those that got hired by NBA, NFL, several major professional teams, etc.

Two years or so, the Bills offered a Falk kid a full-time job and skip his senior year. (Oddly cool and bizarre.) Graduated and decided to go the Astros or Pelicans I think…

 

[pwong]

I think we had a former manager who was studying sports analytics as an undergrad and then did a lot of analytic works for Arkansas as a grad assistant. I doubt he had any involvement with bball analytics under JB.

 

[bnoro]

One of our walk-ons back in the 2008-2012 era did analytics for our bball staff. First hand knowledge.

And our analytics program is the best in the country.

Learn stats, learn programming, then apply it to sports

Don't do some watered down nonsense because you like sports. This takes money from dumb kids

Ridiculous (and borderline insulting) take. Look at where some of these grads are getting jobs.

 

[Dinkyspond]

Anal-lytics is what is ruining baseball. I used to like it but all it is now are walks, strikeouts and homers. I liked bunts, steals and great fielding but there is so much less with the ball not in play. Although steals are coming back with the bigger bases. Gives you that extra second to swipe a bag.