The 16th Annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

2022 Oracle Innovation Challenge

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is partnering with Oracle (a global technology company) to host the Oracle Innovation Challenge! Graduate students from around the country will be tasked with creating and presenting an in-person or at-home gameday innovation to a panel of judges from Oracle. The proposed idea must integrate with Oracle’s cloud computing expertise, data analytics services, and/or sports and entertainment software/hardware.

Future of the Fan

In the Trenches of Football Analytics

Power of Athletics on Society: 50 Years of Title IX Impact & the Path Forward Presented by Wasserman

Transgender Athletes: A Conversation led by Malcolm Gladwell on Data and Participation Policy

The Reformation of the NCAA: The Impact of New Legislation, Re-Alignment, and NIL

Beyond Expected Goals: Analyzing and Implementing the Next Phase of Soccer Analytics

From NBA 75 to Basketball 100: The Future of the Game

Disrupting, Reimagining, & Crushing It!: A Conversation with Michael Rubin and Gary V

Painting the Black: The State of Baseball Analytics

Data, Snipe, Celly: The State of Hockey Analytics

OK, Zoomer: How Data Can Win Back Gen Z

Beyond the Book: The Inevitable Expansion of Sports Betting Presented by Caesars Sportsbook

Entrepreneurship, Fundraising, Investing: Approaches to Success

Chess and Machines: The Future of the World's Oldest Game

The Alternative Asset: Sports

Keeping the Ball Rolling: The Evolving Fight for DE&I in Sports Presented by Wasserman

Packing a Punch with Data: How Analytics Have Fueled the UFC

Swim, Bike, Run, Data: The Next Frontier for Driving Human Performance

The Evolution of Sports Business: Keeping Up With the Shifting Landscape Presented by Wasserman

Blockchain, Technology, and Sports

On A Finger Roll: Where the Basketball Analytics Movement Goes Next

Data is the New Muscle: Technology and Sports

ESPN Daily: Maximizing Competitive Meaning

NFTs, Ownership, and Utility: Outlining the Path Forward for Digital Assets Presented by Ticketmaster

Birdies & Big Data: The Golf Revolution

Continuing to Grow in the Esports World

A 1-on-1 with Calvin Johnson and Bomani Jones

Ticketing: When Precedent is No Longer a Predictor

Trash Talking: Live from SSAC Presented by Oracle

The Numbers Behind the Books: How Gambling Companies Leverage Data

The Art and Science of Data Collection: Power Growth, While Delighting Your Fans Presented by Adobe

First-party data is definitely a hot topic (and quite frankly a survival requirement) for the cookieless future ahead. Let’s break down the various types of data within reach and cover ways to grow the size and depth of your database in meaningful and actionable ways.

How Golf and Health Science Experts Worked Together During a Global Pandemic Presented by PGA of America

Arjun Chowdri of the PGA of America explains how golf and healthcare industry experts were able to utilize scientific data to swiftly work together and develop CDC-approved guidelines for the sport throughout the country and world.

Chess Analytics: Winning Moves when the Clock Is Ticking

This talk will explore the concept of in-game win probability for human chess matches where factors like rating, time, and player tendencies play a large role in outcomes.

3D Motion Analysis finally has a "Magic Camera": A pioneer's journey of how we finally got here

Phil Cheetham's presentation will focus on a personal view of the transformative journey of biomechanics and motion analysis technology from the early 1980s to the 2020s and how in those forty years we progressed from primitive frame-by-frame film analysis, through sensor technologies, finally arriving at the holy grail of single-camera 3D markerless motion capture and analysis: a confluence of computer, AI, camera and software technology all in a single phone.

Quantifying the Mind: Revolutionizing Golf Data for All

Scott Fawcett, the creator of DECADE Course Management System, will discuss his findings by using golfers during tournaments to track mental characteristics, shot outcome, and therefore the strokes lost due to lack of mental strength.

True ROI IS within Reach by Wasserman in partnership with FANAI

Shelley Pisarra will share learnings from Wasserman’s portfolio strategy to demonstrate how truly understanding performance attribution can help create more meaningful and effective partnerships.

Lessons Learned from The Harlem Globetrotters Rebrand

Delivered in a case study format, the session will share how Sunni Hickman, VP of Marketing and Sales for the Harlem Globetrotters, brought in masters of basketball culture, Black excellence, and live show punch to create an entirely new Globetrotters experience. She’ll share how you can apply similar rebranding tactics to drive renewed loyalty and engagement with your target audience.

The Power of Philanthropy Through Sport

This presentation will focus on how transformative opportunities are made available through elite level fundraising. The analytical data and assets generated by sports provide a platform for us all to use in making a difference in our communities. Kiesha Nix, VP of Charitable Affairs for the Lakers, will discuss best practices around idea generation, execution, and how to make an impact.

Different Balls. Same Goals. Presented by StatsBomb

What can a decade at the cutting edge of Soccer analytics teach us about creating game-changing Football data? Join StatsBomb CEO Ted Knutson as he describes the process of starting from scratch, finding new answers to the same questions and creating a new competitive edge.

HIVE: How AI-Powered Measurement Can Increase the Value of Your Sponsorships by 30% or More

Hear how Hive is using AI to power more scalable and comprehensive measurement of sponsorships, enabling brands to more fully capture the value of their investments and for rights holders to better price their assets

Using Technology to Monitor Workload in Elite Figure Skating

In this talk, Dr. Slater will explain how she uses technology to monitor workload and performance in elite internationally-competitive figure skaters.

Finding the Modern Day Fan Presented by Ticketmaster

Fans have changed the way they look at the live event space over the past two years. Join in this Competitive Advantage chat to learn how Ticketmaster LiveAnalytics team is working with event organizers to better understand how demographic, psychographic, and behavioral metrics have changed for fans across all segments of entertainment

A Trail Runner's Steep Climb on a Mountain of Data

The trail running community has been rapidly growing over the past decade. Along with it, a vast amount of data is being collected. Data availability has the potential to support monitoring and evaluation of runners' performance at scale, two activities that have traditionally required domain knowledge. In this talk, I will outline some of the opportunities that data and analytics offer to trail runners.

Importance of Inclusion, Empowerment, Ownership: The Future of Women’s Professional Hockey

Team owner and league governor Johanna Boynton pulls back the curtain to show how the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is approaching the current sports landscape where player empowerment, fan engagement, and value-based partnerships have never been more important.

Equity Analytics and the NFL's Rooney Rule

This session will consider the impact of the Rooney Rule on the representation of NFL coaches of color – and leaders of color beyond the NFL. Novel analytics focused on how coaches enter the NFL and progress up the coaching ladder highlight opportunities to enhance the Rule’s impact.

Reimagining Football: First Data Driven Football League

A look behind the curtain on how to create a fan first football league using silicon valley product development principles. Find out how experts, data, and live testing football rules, technology, and equipment to create the best 5 weeks of start up football in 60 years.

Braves New World - Marketing in the Metaverse

Seamless and blended physical/digital environments and “digital twins” will soon become reality and ubiquitous components of next generation fan experience. Sports business leaders should capitalize on advances in technology and the emergence of a Web 3.0/Metaverse business climate to create transformative immersive environments for fans and new revenue streams for teams.

Brick & Mortar Integration for Digital Customers Presented by Caesars Sportsbook

In the increasingly competitive sports betting landscape, consumers have more options than ever. To differentiate from their peers, learn how Caesars Sportsbook is leveraging best practices from an industry-leading rewards program, reducing friction between online and in-person transactions, and creating unique experiences to engage their best customers.

NBA Strategy: Leveraging Analytics on In-Game Information Presented by Microsoft

From strategy in practice to games on the court and BIG WINS for the fans: analytics matter. In a previous world sports analysis for the NBA was a combination of observation, review, and gut instinct, all culminating in game-time strategy. Join Philip Chang, Director of Basketball Analytics with the Los Angeles Lakers for a talk about how analytics is literally changing the game.

Cut Through Sponsorship Noise with Context Presented by SponsorPulse

From women's sports leagues continuing to press for their rightful share of spend, to the shake-up that's underway in the U.S. motorsports hierarchy, we'll take a look at how consumer behavior and attitudes reveal some surprising findings and validate our suspicions about where sponsorship dollars are headed next.

The Next Frontier of Data Analytics in Sport: Integrating Performance Data and Video Presented by Catapult

Our goal at Catapult is to unleash the potential of every athlete and team on earth, and today we're sharing a breakthrough way for teams to do just that. Adam Chovan, a Senior Product Manager at Catapult, will discuss how Catapult is integrating wearable data with video footage to redefine performance analysis for all sports at every level. Discover how integrating these data sets can lead to new insights.

How the NBA has evolved data strategy to serve the broadening definition of membership

The pace with which fans have demanded new and different ways to engage with their favorite teams and leagues has rapidly accelerated in recent years. Learn how the NBA has grown its data strategy to support a growing product set and in so doing has evolved its thinking beyond the traditional definition of what it means to be a member.

Acceleration of Fan Insights: How the Philadelphia 76ers & New Jersey Devils Innovate with Data Presented by KAGR

The effects of COVID on sports fans and live events have altered the revenue strategy and emphasis around data acquisition for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (holding company for Philadelphia 76ers & New Jersey Devils).

How to Drive Audience for Women's Sports

This talk will explore the opportunity to grow audience for women’s sports by engaging all fans and debunking the idea that only women are interested in women’s sports.

The Biomechanics Of Buckets: The Next Revolution In Basketball Analytics

This talk explores key innovations in motion capture and how they are helping elite players and teams improve their shooting performances.

Career Playbooks Presented by Catapult

Spreadsheet Simplicity at Cloud Scale - Using Sigma to Deploy Self-Service Analytics

In this workshop, we will explore best practices in modern data architecture and self-service data exploration in Sigma - a next generation Analytics Platform built for the cloud. Sigma extends the power of SQL and the scale of the cloud by abstracting it into the common language of data, the interface that over a billion people already know how to use, the spreadsheet. We'll use Sigma to explore, analyze, and rapidly build an interactive workbook from scratch on millions of rows of live data.

First Pitch Case Competition Presented by SponsorPulse

How to Win at Sports Betting: Building Models and Pricing Odds with Data Science Presented by FanDuel

Ever wondered how a Sportsbook sets their odds? Come watch as FanDuel takes you through pricing markets from idea to delivery. We will provide insights into data ingestion, feature engineering, the modeling process, and putting data science models into production.

Using Machine Learning to Describe How Players Impact the Game in the MLB - An Open Source Workshop

This session will introduce participants to concepts, techniques, and relevant work from two growing domains of machine learning – Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computer Vision (CV) – through the lens of open-source research done by Research Paper Competition participant, Connor Heaton. Connor’s work suggests a new way in which the game of baseball can be analyzed, described, and interrogated.

Women's Networking Luncheon

Join us for a keynote lunch featuring LA28 CEO Kathy Carter to discuss what the future holds for women in sports

How Data Journey Started for the Indianapolis Colts