""Just as companies have been competing with analytics to enhance profitability, sports teams have been using analytics to gain a competitive advantage on the field of play. The tools of sports analytics are evolving quickly and the use of analytics in sports is now commonplace. Still, due to the constant evolution of technology and techniques, decision makers at sports organizations are often unsure of what is possible, how to begin, how to evaluate an analytics program, and how to continue to drive value from their investment in analytics. Strategic planning and a comprehensive understanding of sports analytics will assist teams in maximizing their investment in their analytic functions, and thus the competitive advantage gained from the program. Sports analytics is a comprehensive field that includes data management, analytic models, and information systems, and the skill set of analytic decision makers often requires understanding of cognitive bias and the impact it can have on decision making. This book takes a comprehensive view of sports analytics and provides teams with an overview of the current state of the use of analytics in pro sports, concrete examples of how analytics has helped teams win, and a roadmap to begin building their own analytics program and gaining more value from their existing program. The second edition will include three new chapters (one on the evolution of the field, one on predictive analytics concepts, one on new tools and methods on the horizon), a revamp of three existing chapters, and updated examples throughout.""--
Data and analytics have the potential to provide sports organizations with a competitive advantage both on and off the field. Yet even as the use of analytics in sports has become commonplace, teams regularly find themselves making big investments without significant payoff.
This book is a practical, nontechnical guide to incorporating sports data into decision making, giving leaders the knowledge they need to maximize their organizations investment in analytics. Benjamin C. Alamara leading expert who has built high-performing analytics groupssurveys the current state of the use of data in sports, including both specifics around the tools and how to deploy them most effectively. Sports Analytics offers a clear, easily digestible overview of data management, statistical models, and information systems and a detailed understanding of their vast possibilities. It walks readers through the essentials of understanding the value of different types of data and strategies for building and managing an analytics team. Throughout, Alamar illustrates the value of analytics with real-world examples and case studies from both the sports and business sides.
Sports Analytics has guided a range of sports professionals to success since its original publication in 2013. This second edition adds examples and strategies that focus on using data on the business side of a sports organization, provides concrete strategies for incorporating different types of data into decision making, and updates all discussions for the rapid technological developments of the last decade.
This book is a practical, nontechnical guide to incorporating sports data into decision making, giving leaders the knowledge they need to maximize their organizations investment in analytics.
