MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference to bring sports industry leaders to Boston on March 11 – March 12, 2016

Michael Lewis, Bill James and Billy Beane—the dynamic team behind Moneyball—to join two commissioners and other sports innovators as guest speakers

Cambridge, Mass., January 25, 2016 – When the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference debuted ten years ago, around 150 attendees, many of them self-proclaimed ‘data geeks’, gathered in classrooms at the renowned Institute to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry. The growth and acceptance of sports analytics has paralleled the conference’s transformation into the world’s largest conference dedicated to sports analytics and business.

Presented by ESPN, the two-day event being held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will highlight the impact and innovation driven by industry experts, team owners, league executives, coaches, and players in the sports industry – both on and off the field –in a series of panels, presentations and workshops from top industry professionals and academics. MIT Sloan MBA organizers are expecting an all-time high of 3,600-plus attendees.

“The breadth and scope of the conference has evolved from a few panels in classrooms around MIT to a massive, multi-day event featuring speakers, interactive activities, presentations, and workshops,” said Jessica Gelman, conference co-chair, co-founder, and vice president of Customer Marketing & Strategy, the Kraft Sports Group. “We are very proud of our roots as a student-run conference, our ability to grow as interest in sports analytics has blossomed, and the support from sports industry leaders joining us for our tenth anniversary.”

In celebration of its tenth anniversary, the conference will highlight major moments in sports analytics as well as the pioneers and innovators in this space. More than 250 sports industry professionals from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, EPL, NCAA, NASCAR, U.S. Olympic Committee, and Major League Gaming; 1000-plus students representing more than 250 schools; and 80-plus professional sports teams will be represented.

Slated to speak are two league commissioners – Adam Silver (NBA), and Gary Bettman (NHL), – along with Billy Beane, Michael Lewis, and Bill James, the dynamic team behind the Academy Award-nominated movie and best-selling book, Moneyball. They will be joined by an all-star lineup of 100-plus speakers including:

• John Stankey: Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Entertainment & Internet Services
• Stanley Kroenke: Owner & Chairman, St. Louis Rams
• Jonathan Kraft: President, The Kraft Group and New England Patriots
• Jeff Van Gundy: ESPN Analyst and former NBA Coach
• Tom Gores: Founder & CEO of Platinum Equity and owner, Detroit Pistons
• David Falk: Founder & CEO of Falk Associates Management Enterprises
• Jeff Luhnow: General Manager, Houston Astros
• Thomas Dimitroff: General Manager, Atlanta Falcons
• Bob Myers: General Manager, NBA Champion Golden State Warriors
• Vivek Ranadivé: Founder of TIBCO and owner, Sacramento Kings
• Nate Silver: Statistician, author, and founder of FiveThirtyEight

The full list of speakers is available here. Panels will include, among others:

-Future of the Fan Experience: A look at the technology and innovative masterminds leading the pre-eminent brands that are redefining the fan experience. Featuring Jonathan Kraft, Michael Rubin (CEO, Kynetic) and Jared Smith (President, Ticketmaster).

-Analytics in Action: Discover how individual players have altered their training, game preparation, and in-game strategy based on the information revealed to them through analytics. Featuring Shane Battier, Sue Bird and John Urschel.

-Future of Sports Media Rights: A look at the recent changes in the battle for broadcasting rights and new revenue opportunities being considered by sports leagues. Featuring Adam Silver and John Stankey.

The Research Paper Competition presented by Ticketmaster returns again this year and is the world’s largest forum for the presentation of new, groundbreaking research. Past contributions have ranged from new ways to evaluate players and game strategies to examining the success factors for sports businesses. This year, nearly 200 submissions across four tracks – baseball, basketball, other sports, and the business of sports– are competing for the grand prize of $12,000 and a feature on FiveThirtyEight.com.

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is a non-profit conference founded and co-chaired by Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets and MIT Sloan MBA ‘00, and Gelman. It is organized by MIT Sloan MBA students.

Returning sponsors are ESPN, Ticketmaster, Zebra Technologies, Wasserman Media Group, Booz Allen Hamilton, Catapult, KORE Software, CDW, Ropes & Gray, and StubHub. New sponsors are Deloitte, Kitman Labs, NASCAR, TicketManager, and Vert.

The goal of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is to provide a forum for industry professionals, executives, leading researchers, and students to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the global sports industry. MIT Sloan is dedicated to fostering growth and innovation in this arena, and aims to enrich opportunities for learning about the use of analytics in sports via the 2016 conference.

To register, please visit: http://www.sloansportsconference.com