An Interdisciplinary Approach to Sports Analytics in a University Setting; The Sports Analytics Controversy in the U.S.

Sports analytics can improve athletes’ and teams’ performance, but its implications are complex and controversial.
How can University of Virginia Athletics improve the performance of its teams and athletes? Data collection and modeling techniques offer universities valuable opportunities. Some universities offer academic programs in sports analytics and sports management. Yet to retain a competitive advantage, holders of sports analytics findings seldom share them, thereby impeding research. To promote research in sports analytics, to serve UVa Athletics and the local community, and to set an example in ethical data collection and use, we propose an open, interdisciplinary sports analytics center at the University of Virginia.
How has data analytics divided team managers, coaches, athletes, and fans in the U.S? Though analytics has led some to question the value of human managers and coaches, coaching excellence cannot be entirely reduced to quantitative metrics. Analytics firms, front office employees, sports commentators, athletes, and fans are competing to define the proper limits of analytics in sports.

School of Engineering and Applied Science
Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering
Technical Advisor: William Scherer
STS Advisor: Peter Norton
Technical Team Members: Jacqueline Hoege, Maryanna Lansing, Sarah Nelson, Daniel Ungerleider, Rishab Iyer, Ben Metzger, Peter Worcester, Aniket Chandra, Jacob Leonard, Rachel Kreitzer