Share

cover art for Wharton Moneyball Special: The 2019 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Wharton Moneyball

Wharton Moneyball Special: The 2019 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

Ep. 142

Show from 3/19/19


This is a special episode of Wharton Moneyball where host Cade Massey travels out to Boston to interview some of the top minds in sports analytics at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.


Find out more here: http://www.sloansportsconference.com/


Guests:


00:00

David Epstein – Science Writer & Investigative Reporter (David Epstein is author of the forthcoming book RANGE: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, and of the New York Times best seller The Sports Gene. He was previously an investigative reporter at ProPublica–covering everything from medical misdiagnosis to drug cartels–and before that a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, where he wrote or co-wrote many of the magazine’s most high-profile pieces, including the 2009 revelation that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez had used steroids.)


14:20

Maria Konnikova – Author, Journalist and PokerStars Team Pro (Maria Konnikova is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, The Confidence Game, winner of the 2016 Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, an Anthony and Agatha Award finalist.)


27:30

Anne Milgram – Profressor at NYU Law School (Milgram’s work centers on reforming the criminal justice system through smart data, analytics, and technology) 

37:38

Ted Knutson – Owner and Founder of StatsBomb (Ted is the owner and founder of StatsBomb and StatsBomb Services. His company is at the forefront of the data and analytics revolution in Soccer, and also has a unique expertise in set piece design and execution.)


53:18

John DiFiori – Director of Sports Medicine with the NBA (He works with the league on research initiatives and the development and implementation of policies related to player health and wellness. Together with the NBA, Jr. NBA and USA Basketball, he recently led the development of the first published guidelines for youth basketball participation. He serves as one of the three NBA members of the NBA/National Basketball Players Association Wearables Committee, as the Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board for the NBA and GE Healthcare Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Collaboration, and on several other league committees related to player health and wellness.)


1:12:22

Maryann Turcke – COO of NFL (She oversees all facets of the operation including marketing, technology, NFL Films, NFL Network and NFL Digital Content and Operations. She also oversees the corporate functions including Human Resources, Public Relations, and Government Relations. Prior to her promotion to (COO) she was the President of the NFL Network.)


1:26:09

Mina Kimes (from 2018) – Sports Journalist and ESPN personality


More episodes

View all episodes

  • How Constraints Shape Creativity and Athletic Development

    01:00:13|
    The right limits can lead to better ideas and better performance.David Epstein, bestselling author of The Sports Gene, Range, and Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, joins Wharton Moneyball to explore how constraints can strengthen creativity, focus, and decision-making.Epstein discusses the value of tight briefs and rapid prototypes, why first ideas are not always the best ideas, and why young athletes may benefit from playing multiple sports before specializing.
  • Breaking Down Randomness, Win Probability, and Competitive Balance Across Sports

    01:01:15|
    If the best team does not always win, how much of sports success comes down to skill, strategy, or randomness?Eric Eager, Vice President of Football Analytics for the Carolina Panthers, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to examine the role of unpredictability in sports. The conversation explores whether the Home Run Derby is more revealing than it appears, how tournament design influences results, and why major competitions can feel random even when familiar contenders ultimately advance.The discussion also covers World Cup win probabilities, the importance of superstar players, NHL contracts and salary caps, the disappearance of 200-game winners in baseball, and whether momentum can explain the changing performance of elite golfers.
  • Rethinking How We Measure Soccer Performance

    57:12|
    What if one of soccer’s most important analytics metrics is missing some of the most dangerous moments in a match?Recorded live with students from the Wharton Moneyball Academy, Jonathan Pipping, Ph.D. student and member of the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative Research Team, explains the limitations of expected goals and the development of XG+, a new approach that accounts for both the probability of a shot being taken and the likelihood of it becoming a goal. He discusses how player tracking data can reveal opportunities that traditional XG misses, why creating shooting opportunities may be more predictive than finishing ability, and how advanced metrics could help teams better evaluate player performance and transfer value.
  • Breaking Down the World Cup with Soccer Analytics Insights

    01:07:59|
    Ravi Ramineni, Head of Analytics for the LA Galaxy, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to break down the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup, discuss how analytics shapes player evaluation and front-office decision-making, predict the tournament's favorites and dark horses, and is followed by conversations on Serena Williams' Wimbledon return, and notable MLB trends.
  • What Unexpected Champions Teach Us About Sports

    50:42|
    Neil Paine, sports data journalist and former FiveThirtyEight contributor, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to discuss the New York Knicks’ surprising title run, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup victory, the role of luck and player interactions in team success, and what early World Cup results reveal about the limits and strengths of sports analytics.
  • Breaking Down the Biggest World Cup Ever

    01:02:23|
    Ryan O'Hanlon, ESPN staff writer, author of Net Gains, and Syracuse University instructor, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to analyze the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, assess the favorites and dark horses, evaluate the outlook for the U.S. Men's National Team, and explain how analytics-driven innovations such as set pieces and long throw-ins are transforming soccer, before Cade Massey, Adi Wyner, and Shane Jensen discuss the spread of analytics across sports, playoff unpredictability, tournament design, and the evolving impact of NIL on college athletics.
  • Measuring Skill, Luck, and Competitive Balance in Sports

    01:03:34|
    Greg Bond, Chief Investment Officer and Head of Americas at Man Group, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to discuss research on skill, luck, competitive depth, and predictive analytics across professional sports leagues, while Cade Massey, Shane Jensen, and Adi Wyner break down the NHL Stanley Cup Final, NBA Finals, NCAA championships, and innovative coaching strategies reshaping modern competition.
  • How Baseball Analytics Is Reshaping Hall of Fame Conversations

    01:00:46|
    Cade, Eric, Shane, and Adi discuss NHL playoff hockey, expected goals models, statistical limits in measuring player performance, and how sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, and football differ in the way win probability builds and shifts during competition. Jay Jaffe, senior writer for FanGraphs, the author of The Cooperstown Casebook, and the creator of the JAWS (Jaffe WAR Score) metric for Hall of Fame analysis. joins the Moneyball team to break down early MLB season surprises, debate modern Hall of Fame standards for pitchers, explain the JAWS.
  • Breaking Down NBA Playoff Matchups Through Advanced Analytics

    01:03:20|
    Ben Alamar, Author of Sports Analytics: A Guide for Managers, Coaches, and Other Decision Makers?, joins the Wharton Moneyball crew to analyze Victor Wembanyama’s playoff performances, explain advanced defensive metrics, debate NBA draft evaluation methods, and reflect on championship-building strategies across today’s NBA. The team also explores the “hot hand” phenomenon, debates managerial impact in baseball, analyzes NHL playoff momentum, and examines why unpredictability makes golf and tennis so compelling for sports analytics fans.