Share
Wharton Moneyball
Wharton Moneyball: Wearable Tech, NFL Play Analytics, & Athlete Training
Show from 7/31/19
In this episode of Wharton Moneyball, as the baseball season gets down to the wire hosts Eric Bradlow and Adi Wyner discuss what teams they think will make it to the 2019 World Series. Then, how can you measure an athletes recovery rate and what external factors impact performance? Our hosts talk to the CEO of WHOOP about their next generation wearable technology. Plus an in depth look at NFL play analytics. You'll find out how to measure the opposing teams offensive tactics and enhance a player's on field experience.
Guests:
Will Ahmed - Founder and CEO of WHOOP, which has developed next generation wearable technology for optimizing human performance. WHOOP works with professional athletes across every sports league, college athletes across every conference, Olympians and the U.S. military. WHOOP is also the official recovery wearable of the NFL Players Association.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @willahmed
Check out WHOOP: https://www.whoop.com/
Paul Posluszny - Former Pro Bowl linebacker who played 11 seasons in the NFL. He played college football for Penn State University, where earned consensus All-American honors twice, and was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars for seven seasons before retiring as the franchises all time tackles leader in 2018.
More episodes
View all episodes
From Masters Victory to Motion Data: Golf’s Analytical Evolution
01:02:36|Jeehae Lee, founder and CEO of Sportsbox.ai, joins the Moneyball team to explore Rory McIlroy’s Masters victory while analyzing how advanced motion capture, data analytics, and AI are reshaping player development, performance evaluation, and talent identification in golf.
Blending Analytics and Leadership in Major League Baseball Operations
55:05|Sam Fuld, Vice President and General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to discuss his transition from MLB player to executive and how analytics, player development, and business strategy drive success. Cade, Eric and Shane also analyze recent the college basketball finals, NHL playoff races, and Masters Tournament storylines.
The Many Meanings of Baseball: History, Data, and Fan Experience
57:03|Professor David Henkin, a historian of American culture and author of Out of the Ballpark, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to examine how baseball’s history, statistical evolution, and fan engagement reveal a complex, ever-changing sport that defies any single interpretation. Cade, Eric, Shane, and Adi also discuss early data and strategy implications of the automated ball-strike system in Major League Baseball while also analyzing tournament dynamics and competitive balance in NCAA March Madness.
Building a Contender: Analytics and Leadership in the NHL
56:07|Eric Tulski, Head of Hockey Operations for the Carolina Hurricanes, joins the Moneyball team to explains how analytics, roster construction, and organizational philosophy influence performance, player evaluation, and playoff outcomes in the NHL. Cade, Shane, and Adi also discuss the dominance of teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the debate over salary caps and spending floors, and how analytics and labor negotiations may shape the future of Major League Baseball.
How Analytics Shape NFL Team Building with Brandt Tilis
47:59|Brandt Tilis, Executive Vice President for Football Operations for the Carolina Panthers, joins the show to break down NFL roster construction, draft strategy, and the economics of quarterback contracts. He explains how teams balance analytics, film evaluation, and salary cap constraints. In the second half, the hosts discuss the intensity of the World Baseball Classic, automated strike zones, and surprising NHL playoff races.Inside KenPom: The Numbers Behind College Basketball
01:00:01|Ken Pomeroy, college basketball statistician and founder of KenPom, joins Wharton Moneyball to break down tempo-free efficiency ratings, the four factors (shooting, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws), and how he evaluates prediction accuracy and calibration across a full season. Plus, Eric, Shane, and Adi discuss what caught their eye in sports — from World Baseball Classic odds and preseason workload questions to tennis dominance and what makes today’s stars so statistically extraordinary.
Analytics, Rule Changes, and Baseball’s Revival
01:02:18|Theo Epstein, Senior Advisor and part owner of Fenway Sports Group and former executive with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, explains how integrating analytics with scouting built championship organizations, how reforms like the pitch timer reshaped the pace of play, and how Major League Baseball can reenergize its national appeal.
Inside the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Evolving Mission
01:15:54|Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, joins Eric, Shane, and Cade to explore how Cooperstown preserves baseball history, adapts to analytics and evolving standards of excellence, and prepares for America’s 250th anniversary while shaping the future of the game’s most iconic institution. Plus, the Moneyball team analyzes standout moments from the Winter Olympics—including three-on-three hockey and mixed doubles curling—while also examining NHL goaltending streaks and Major League Baseball preseason projections that raise broader questions about league parity.
NBA Analytics, Tanking, and the Future of Team Building
01:04:15|Ben Alamar—former NBA analytics executive with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, and author of Sports Analytics: A Guide for Coaches, Managers, and Other Decision Makers—joins Wharton Moneyball to break down emerging NBA storylines, the unintended consequences of draft lottery reform, bold alternatives to tanking, and the case for analytics trailblazer Dean Oliver’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Cade, Eric, and Adi also explore statistical evidence of Olympic figure skating bias, debate event proliferation in skiing and speed skating, unpack the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pythagorean paradox, and assess historic performance runs by athletes such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Scottie Scheffler.