Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

As the coolest guy at Denuo, I have some shocking news that will likely upset you.  I have a super huge nerdy side.  I know.  You thought I was different.  You thought I would never get locked in a debate between who is better, Thor or Longshot. Don’t worry, that’s still true.  But the nerd side does exist.  And he exists for sports analytics. While I won’t debate blonde dudes in comic books, I will get into a debate about whether Adam Dunn was more valuable to the Nationals than Derek Jeter was to the Yankees in 2010 (Hint: Dunn’s WAR was 1.4 points higher than Jeter’s).

And with that, I shall be releasing Nerd Durbin (Nerbin for short) at the Sloan Sports Analytics conference this weekend in Boston.  It’s a great event put on the by the MIT Sloan School of Management. It’s not just for people who love sports analytics, but also want an inside view into the world of sports business.

I will be on the Twitters, tweetering during the conference (@jdurbin and #ssac).  If you want to follow along, they will be streaming the panels here. For the agenda click here.

Don’t know what panels to check out?  Well lucky you.  Here are my recommendations (note that I did not list everything):

“Birth to Stardom: Developing the Modern Athlete in 10,000 hours?”

Why it will be interesting: The opening panel.  Usually a good way to start the day.  There’s a lot of debate about putting kids into too many activities and over committing to one sport too early.  Will be interesting to hear the different takes.

Added Bonus: When else will you be able to see Justin Tuck and Malcolm Gladwell have a conversation?

“The Coming War: Sports Labor Relations”

Why it will be interesting: Mostly relevance.  The current NFL CBA expires at Midnight tonight.  The NBA’s expires this summer.  The thing I will enjoy is the complexity of these things.  While the owners seem to have all leverage in the NFL negotiations, the players could disband the union and sue the NFL under anti-trust law like they did in 1993. More tidbits like that will make my brain happy.

Added Bonus: The palpable awkwardness for the rest of the conference when someone says something inappropriate about the owners.

“Sports Gambling: The Source of Sports Innovation?”

Why it will be interesting:  I love betting on sports. But aside from that, it will be interesting to see how this panel meshes with the rest of the conference.  Leagues are openly and vehemently anti-gambling so it will be interesting to see how much credit the industry is given for fan interest.

Added Bonus: You might get a hot gambling tip.

“The Decision: How Players and Teams Will Choose in the Future”

Why it will be interesting: Was Lebron a one time thing?  Is it something we will become immune to?  Will be good to hear from the industry folks on what their fears might be.

Added Bonus: Brian Burke is a part of this panel.  He’s awesome and by far my favorite sports executive.  If you had any doubt about my sports nerdery, I think the fact I have a favorite executive should put those questions to rest.

“Basketball Analytics”

Why it will be interesting: Basketball seems to be where baseball analytics were about 15 years ago.  A lot of new and interesting ways to measure performance are being figured out.  As with baseball there should be a few good head slap moments that make you say “of course!  It’s so obvious!”

Added Bonus: You might get some hot tips for your NCAA bracket (but probably not).

“Referee Analytics”

Why it will be interesting: The topic is fascinating.  There only recently seems to be a mainstream acceptance of Referees as inputs when evaluating performance of a team or a player. Mark Cuban talking about refs?  Yes. And. Please.

Added Bonus: My favorite NFL referee is on the panel.  Yup, even have a favorite NFL ref.

“Gut vs Data: How Coaches Make Decisions”

Why it will be interesting:  The coaching panel last year was incredibly insightful.  You learn so much and gain an appreciation for how much goes into coaching.  Two members of last year’s panel (Avery Johnson and Buck Showalter) were hired and are back to coaching this year.  It’s cool to get that kind of candid exposure to how they think and view things.

Added Bonus: Mike Leach is on the panel.  Charlie Sheen is the only person on the planet better at making awesome quotes.

“New Owners: Challenges and Opportunities”

Why it will be interesting: You can learn an insane amount from talking to someone who has owned a business (assuming you never have).  Put that business in one of the most visible and highly criticized industries, and you get an even more fertile ground for learning.

Added Bonus: Figuring out which owner clearly has no idea what he is doing based on how confused he is by the conversation.  There might not be one.  But more importantly, there might be.

“Business of Sports”

Why it will be interesting: I just find the business of sports interesting. Sunil Gulati and Darren Rovell (great Twitter account @darrenrovell) should have some great insight.

Added Bonus: You might get a hot tip on what franchise is failing.

“The Future of the Game Day Experience: HDTV vs Live Events”

Why it will be interesting: In my mind there is no bigger issue in sports.  Ticket prices go up while at home viewing options increase.  Owners need to balance the cost of running a team with at what point they price out fans.  I am really interested to hear what plans there are to address this need because I would like to go to games but can’t justify the expense more than once or twice a year.

Added Bonus: This is a reverse bonus.  This will be the last panel of the conference, and I’ll have to put Nerbin back in his cage. Frown.

Well, until my fantasy baseball draft that is.

 

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