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09 Mar 2010
An (Updated) Note on the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
A few people have asked, so: Yes, either Bill Barnwell or I will be writing something about our experiences at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference this weekend. However, we are going to wait a couple of weeks until the people at MIT post video of the panels on their website. On the main panel, "The Limits of Moneyball," both Jonathan Kraft and Bill Polian made some very dismissive comments regarding analysis. I think it makes sense to let our readers see the panel itself, rather than only read about it through our comments. Until then, read what Kevin Pelton and Neil Paine have to say.
There are some comments I can make without that video, however. It is great to meet so many attendees who have nice things to say about Football Outsiders. I have as much gratitude for you as you have for us; if not for your support, I would have to get a real job. I also want to say how much I really enjoy the company of all the basketball analysts who attend this thing. Kevin Pelton, Dean Oliver, John Hollinger, Ben Alamar -- these are some of my favorite people. (Congratulations to Kevin on his new gig with the Indiana Pacers.) It's good to meet people in person who I know only as e-mail addresses, like ESPN's Brian Kenny, who has had me on his radio show, and Jonah Keri, who was fun to hang out with. As for next year, I asked the Sloan people to see about postponing things a week so the conference doesn't conflict with the first weekend of NFL free agency.
I've now opened comments on this XP in case people who attended do want to discuss the conference. However, you'll have to wait a couple weeks for comments from me or Bill that go past me talking about people being nice.
Oh, and if you want to know why somebody tweeted mid-conference that I look like Rob Ryan now, here you go.
5 comments, Last at 27 Mar 2010, 4:21am by sports-veronica
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Comments
Re: An (Updated) Note on the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Love how you're the only guy in those photos not in a suit. Really I do. Fight the power!
Re: An (Updated) Note on the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
If you're thinking of going next year, order your tix as soon as they are available. This year had 1000 people and a 400 person waiting list and has gotten a lot of play on the intertubes, so I expect the tix for next year's to go like hotcakes.
It was cool to see Aaron in person. And let it be known that whenever he was hanging out in the hallway it appeared he had a crowd around him. He even had a conversation with Chris Polian (of course, that was before the infamous panel :)
And don't let the "Analytics" in the conference name fool you. While there was plenty of discussions of that (including a research paper track), it's a great conference if you're interested in the business of sports, not just analytics.
I really hope they put up the video to everything. More than once I found hard to pick between panels and would love to be able to see what I missed.
Random trivia factoid from the conference -- the NFL prohibits virtually all technology to team staff in the press box. Coaches in the box aren't even allowed to use so much as a calculator.
Re: An (Updated) Note on the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
You're not kidding. I tried multiple times to go introduce myself and say hi to Aaron, but he was always talking to someone.
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