Research Papers Competition

Competition Format

The competition consists of the following phases:

1. Abstract Phase

Authors submit abstracts. Based on the judged merits of their abstract submissions, a select group of authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts.

2. Full Manuscript Phase

Invited authors submit full manuscripts. Referees will evaluate every manuscript, and authors of the best submissions will be invited to give a presentation on their findings at the conference. The referees will also select a separate set of authors who will be invited to present their work during a poster session.

3. Conference Phase

     a. Presentations

Invited authors will present their findings during the first day of the conference. Based on the quality of the presentation and manuscript, one paper per sports track (see tracks below) and one wildcard will be selected to present at the conference in front of a panel of industry experts. The judge scores will be tabulated and the winners will be announced following presentations.

     b. Poster Competition

All posters selected for the conference will be entered into a competition for Best Poster, determined by a combination of a fan and judges vote during the weekend of the conference.

Note: this competition is independent of the presentation finals, and none of the posters will advance to the presentation finals.

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Timeline (all times Eastern Time)

Abstract submission due – Oct. 01, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST

Full paper requests sent out – Mid-October 2024

Full paper submission due (if selected) – Nov. 29, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST

Finalists and posters announced – Mid-January 2025

Submission of poster (if selected) – Early-February 2025

Submission of presentation (if selected) – Mid-February 2025

Conference presentations (if selected) – Conference Day

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Open-Source Requirement

For the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, the Research Papers competition has been a tremendous opportunity for researchers to both share their work with the community and improve the application of analytics across sports. We are excited to continue requiring all papers to be open-source for SSAC 2025 to further the impact of the great work of researchers in the industry.

Open-source research helps advance our mission to democratize analytics in sports by allowing researchers to build on top of the models and methods of their peers, both amplifying the effect of their research and better enabling widespread adoption of their work. We strongly believe that continued research into sports analytics is what makes our games more exciting and participants more effective. 

All papers will be required to submit a link to the team's GitHub repository, or another open-source repository, with the data used to conduct the research. This should include any publicly available data or private data used in the research. For any private / proprietary data, please use your best judgement to anonymize any personal information before sharing publicly. The code running the models is not required to be submitted, but is encouraged, as it contributes to the communal spirit of open-source work by which researchers build off of each other's work to further the application of analytics across sports.

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Sports Tracks

Based on abstract content, all submissions will be entered into one of the following Sports Tracks:

1. Basketball – All submissions related to the sport of basketball.
2. Baseball – All submissions related to the sport of baseball.
3. Soccer – All submissions related to the sport of soccer.
4. Football – All submissions related to the sport of American football.
5. Business of Sports – All submissions related to the business of owning, managing, or marketing a sport, or to new technology or ideas which could change the face of the sport.
6. Other Sports – All submissions related to the playing of a sport that is not included in the above Sports Tracks.

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Abstract Guidelines

Abstract submissions should be submitted online, and must use the following guidelines:

• Abstracts must contain fewer than 500 words, including title and body.
• Abstracts may include up to two tables or figures combined (e.g.  1 figure and 1 table, or 2 tables).
• Each abstract should contain the following sections:
• Introduction – What question is this research trying to answer? Why is it an important question for the industry?
• Methods – Description of relevant statistical methods used, including data sources or data collection procedures
• Results – Description of actual (not promised) results along with relevant statistics
• Conclusion – The overall takeaway from the study, including how the results will impact the sports industry

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Evaluation of Submissions

The conference seeks submissions that report research pertaining to the use of analytics in the sports industry. We are open to contributions ranging from evaluating players and game strategies, to examining the success factors for sports business. In the abstract and full paper submission process, research will be evaluated on, but not necessarily limited to, the following criteria:

• Novelty of research – Does the research provide interesting insight into new models or challenge existing beliefs?
• Academic rigor / validity of model – Are the methodologies of the model and results fundamentally sound and appropriate?
• Reproducibility – Can the model and results be replicated independently?
• Application – What are the applications or potential applications of the insights from the research?

In evaluating presentation finalists at the 2024 SSAC, the above factors will be supplemented by the following criteria, as judged by a panel of academics and industry executives from team management and sports business operations:

• Interest / impact – Is there significant interest in the proposed question in the field of study or the community at large? What are the benefits or impact of the model or application?

The Research Papers team will review all abstracts. The Review Committee will evaluate all manuscript submissions. The Review Committee consists of the Research Papers team, as well as academic professors and experts from top universities in fields including statistics, information sciences, and economics. The industry panel that makes the final winner selection will decide on the basis of the paper and the presentation at the 2024 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. In these final evaluations, more weight will be given to the final presentation, specifically the highlighted application and impact of the research.

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Conflict of Interest Policy

Our objective is to ensure an unbiased evaluation of submissions throughout the process. We are aware that members of the evaluation committee may have had relationships with authors who have submitted papers. When possible, potential conflicts of interest are avoided by minimizing the review of research by the following:

• Authors who have collaborated with the reviewer on previous submissions
• Current or former students who worked with the reviewer
• Colleagues from the same organization
• Any other previous relationships with the author that may prevent an unbiased evaluation of the paper

All potential conflicts of interest will be managed as best as possible while still maintaining the quality of the review process. Final reviews will occur without knowledge of the names of the authors.

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Rights and Permissions

All authors retain ownership rights to the research and the right to publish the research after the conference. Upon submission, authors grant access to 42 Analytics to make their research available for public viewing online and in print, for conference use for the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from third parties to reprint copyrighted information such as data, tables, or figures that may be protected by copyright.