The Role of Data Analytics in Professional Sports Management

My STS research paper looks to explore how the use of data science has changed the role of general managers in the world of professional sports. This paper looks towards the "Moneyball" Oakland Athletics team who were pioneers in the use and belief in statistics to make managing decisions. Following their success, professional teams across all major American sports raced to adopt advanced analytical practices which has lead to greater integration between technology and professional sports than ever before. A second team discussed in my paper is the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise with general manager Sam Presti. The Thunder have relied on predictive modeling for player acquisition and training and with this technology have built one of the most talented and best positioned teams in the National Basketball Association. These two cases are strong examples of the positive impact that integrating data science technology can have across industries.