Decision Analytics for Sports

Catalog description

In recent decades, more and more sports organizations have reached out to the application of advanced management methods, in particular statistical, data analysis and operations research/management science techniques. The use of data, and now Big Data, has become entrenched in the business of sport. The analysis of sports data has taken on new dimensions and has become as sophisticated as that of any other endeavor. This course is an examination of the application of those techniques to success in sports. The structure of the course is to examine the use of them to four main areas of interest: player performance measurement, in-game decision-making, player selection/team building, and general administration such as marketing, pricing, contracts, stadium management etc. Emphasis will be place on the use of advanced decision analytics techniques including but not limited to regression analyses, probability models, hypothesis testing, optimization techniques, simulation modeling and others to improve player and team performance. The course will consist of lectures, guest speakers, and field visits. There will be homework assignments using the analytic techniques discussed. Lastly there will be a group project due at the end of the semester.