First, I want to apologize for not being as consistent posting my DFS Lesson Plans this week. I’ve been in the midst of a week of travel, and that will continue for the next week as well. I continue to provide daily DFS coverage through articles, so if you are looking for my DFS advice and a Lesson Plan isn’t here, please check for the articles either directly at Rotowire or directly at Fansided. I always plan to do the Lesson Plans to bring all of my coverage together and add further perspective, but this is a just in case for travel weeks like this.
That said...I’m on my way to Sloan! Right now!!!
For those that don’t know, the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is an annual meeting to discuss innovative analytics approaches for better understanding, evaluating, and/or promoting sports. The NBA is one of the main sports covered, and I am STOKED to be able to attend again.
I first wrote about Sloan back in 2010, as a then-introduction to the concept of analytics in my fantasy basketball writing.
Then, in 2014, I got to attend Sloan for the first time. On my way there I wrote about how excited I was to be going, and my continuously growing interest in analytics. I live-tweeted a lot of the conference itself, then wrote a summary article that covered some of the highlights of what I saw there.
Now, three years later, I get to go back. And this time, knowing what to expect, I’m better prepared to take full advantage of the experience and, more importantly, share the good stuff with you. The last time I went to Sloan, the Hoops Lab blog didn’t exist yet. Now, it’s perfect for letting you share in what I’ll be seeing.
Plus, the last time I went to the conference alone, and didn’t know a soul there. This time, I’ll be meeting up with colleagues from Nylon Calculus that will also be attending, which should help me see and experience more.
So: the plan. The conference runs on Friday and Saturday. Expect a lot of tweets from me on each day, from sessions of interest. That will give me the material for more comprehensive reviews that will run here, on the Hoops Lab.
I know I’m a nerd, y’all. I freely admit it. But being a nerd also helps me get insights and understandings into how to evaluate the game of basketball that aren’t always immediately obvious. Learning to understand and interpret the numbers gives me a better feel for this game that I love. So...hopefully there are a few other nerds out there, or at least some open minded basketball lovers that also look forward to learning more about this great game.
And if nothing else...last time they brought in Stan Van Gundy to talk, which was pure comic relief. The conference has grown WAY beyond nerds and slide rules, and is now a corporate event with huge sports personalities and media mingling amongst the commoners. I’d be willing to bet that over the next couple of days, I’ll pick up a few fun stories to share!
Sloan is coming!
Links of Interest:
Sloan Conference Day 1 (2017)
Sloan Conference Day 2 (2017)
Rotowire - Sloan: More Summit than Statistics (2014)
