In today's NBA, are analytics just a regular season tool? Analytics have a major place in today’s basketball world. At some level, every team relies on data and analytics for roster construction, salary negotiation, and in-game strategy. But th

Front Office, Disrupted

Sep 26th, 2019 25m 5s

The explosion of streaming media offers fans unlimited access to sports and entertainment. So how can teams entice their audience to the events happening here and now? Sports Innovation cofounder and CEO Angela Ruggiero says success starts with

The Running Game Is Only Mostly Dead

Sep 12th, 2019 20m 33s

Recent years have seen an explosion in the NFL passing game and emerging analytics demonstrate that teams that throw the ball more win the game more. So does this mean the run no longer matters? That’s not entirely clear. We talked with The Ath

Information Overload?

Aug 8th, 2019 24m 38s

Counterpoints takes on two pressing questions in the sports analytics field: the issue of information overload and whether there is such a thing as too much data, and a very different — but related — issue: Biometrics. We’ll go to the mat over

Talent vs. Teamwork

Jul 25th, 2019 34m 6s

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The rag-tag group of underdogs overcomes the more skilled favorite thanks to nothing more than their belief in each other. That popular sports movie cliché may feel unrealistic at times, but when it come

Behold the Big Man

Jul 11th, 2019 17m 45s

In the NBA’s modern era of pace-and-space, small ball, and chucking away from 3, it feels like there’s no more place for the lumbering 7-foot center who used to be the backbone of the league. But the burgeoning field of defensive analytics show

What the NBA Gets Wrong About Lottery Pick Protections

Jun 27th, 2019 27m 18s

A herd mentality and a lack of good data have led teams to make some poor decisions about trading draft picks. Is there a better way?

Predicting the College Football Playoff

Jun 13th, 2019 31m 15s

Which teams make it to the college football playoffs isn’t as random as it sometimes seems, says University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Laura Albert. In this week’s Counterpoints podcast, we look at how Albert uses analytics to predict the b

NFL Pass Blocking is Even More Important than You Think

May 30th, 2019 20m 32s

Though lacking in glitz and glamour, the tackle, guard, and center positions make up the backbone of every NFL offense. Without skilled players in those roles — and players who can work as a unit — a team’s entire strategy can fall apart. In th

The Secret of My eSports Success

May 16th, 2019 31m 19s

eSports has arrived as a major player in the sports world. Games like DOTA 2 and League of Legends have hundreds of millions of players, and the best gamers have fan-bases and endorsement deals right up there with the stars of "real" sports. As

The Economic Impact of Sitting NBA Superstars

May 2nd, 2019 26m 20s

When NBA superstars like Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, or Kawhi Leonard are given a planned night off, the impact of their absence isn’t just felt on the floor - it’s a financial issue as well. Whether it’s fans not getting what they believe they p

Second-Grade Soccer Superstars

Apr 18th, 2019 25m 53s

Even as soccer has become a multibillion-dollar business, with superstar transfer fees exceeding nine digits figures in euros, the best clubs can still gain a competitive advantage through their youth academies. Ajax, FC Barcelona, and Manchest

Buyer Beware! MLB Free Agents Underperform Their Contracts

Apr 4th, 2019 25m 6s

Almost every team’s fans can point to a signature free agent signing that fell flat. Sometimes the reasons for the players’ underperformance are clear -- injuries for example. But often, it’s harder to pinpoint the cause. In those cases we tend

How Much Do Coaches Actually Matter?

Mar 21st, 2019 24m 27s

Eddie Robinson at Grambling. Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. It’s hard to underestimate the impact these coaches have had on their organizations. But are coaches always an X factor? Consider the Golden State Warriors. Do

"Out-getting" Is the Next Great Baseball Strategy. Or Not.

Mar 7th, 2019 31m 6s

Most Counterpoints listeners are well familiar with the sweeping changes that Moneyball brought to offensive strategy in baseball. Are we now on the cusp of a similarly profound transformation of pitching? Some believe the practice of "out-gett

Mapping Tom Brady's Brain

Feb 21st, 2019 27m 41s

It is incredibly difficult to judge individual talent in the NFL, because so much of a player's ability to succeed is based on context: his teammates and the system in which he operates. But the need to isolate performance is huge. Those who ga

What Would Happen if Baseball Outlawed the Shift?

Feb 7th, 2019 27m 16s

Supporters of the shift believe it's a solid baseball strategy. By overloading defenders to the side of the field where a hitter routinely drives the ball, teams should get outs more easily. When to deploy the shift is a game of numbers. It dep

Is It Possible to Judge Individual Talent in the NFL?

Jan 24th, 2019 29m 59s

When the Patriots and the Rams take the field on Sunday, February 3, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for Super Bowl 53, both teams will be there on the backs of several players few expected to become as important as they are — and in spite

Why F1 Mathematicians Should Be Paid More than Drivers

Jan 10th, 2019 27m 7s

On the Formula One circuit, tenths and even hundredths of seconds can be the difference between podium glory and being out of a job. Races are won and lost thanks to the skills of the drivers and the strength of the car, it is true. But as the

So, Do Analytics Actually Work?

Dec 27th, 2018 35m 12s

In this week’s episode, we take on a question that could lead to an existential crisis for this very podcast: How much of a difference do analytics actually make? We’d better hope the answer is that analytics make a big difference. The emergenc

When NHL Best Practices Go Overboard

Dec 13th, 2018 24m 52s

In pairing right-handed defensemen with left-handed defensemen, many NHL teams believe they are following a proven and, seemingly obvious, formula. If defensemen play on their strong side, they will be more effective at their jobs. Conventional

Sleep is the Greatest Legal Advantage in Sports

Nov 29th, 2018 30m 3s

Does everyone benefit equally from the same amount of sleep? And how exactly does one measure its specific impact on performance — athletic or otherwise? After all, if you’re going to convince a young athlete to give up party time or practice t

The Quest to Measure Basketball IQ

Nov 14th, 2018 21m 21s

Basketball IQ is one of the game’s holy analytical grails. We know it’s there, or at least we think we know it’s there. But what is it even made of? Intuition? Vision? Knowledge of the game? Or is it simply natural intelligence and brain proces

Do Teams Need to Win to Sell Tickets?

Nov 14th, 2018 30m 16s

It’s easy to understand why winning teams would draw more fans — a great team features exciting players, entertaining competition, and the expectation of feeling satisfied once the game is over. But are those qualities actually tied to wins and

Preview Episode

Oct 24th, 2018 2m 10s

This is a sports analytics show for sports professionals, data junkies, and fans alike. It’s a show for anyone who knows that numbers are about much more than the score. Hosts Ben Shields (MIT Sloan School of Management) and Paul Michelman (MIT