Data Stories: How Data Affects the Business of Sports
Data collection and analysis determine how players are hired, change where baseballs are hit, and show trends in who’s watching.
- By Lindsay Stares
- September 20, 2017
Is Analysis Helping Baseball Teams Win?
In the “Moneyball” methodology, made famous in Michael Lewis’s 2003 book, teams use analysis to find underrated players who can improve the team roster without breaking the budget. Today it has spread through much of major league baseball.
This set of Tableau charts asks how well the approach is succeeding. You can see which teams are over- or underperforming for their budget and examine specific teams’ statistics.
New Data Collection Changes Player Behavior
Beyond team performance, individual performance can be quantified. New methods of tracking the angle and speed of a baseball have caused many players to adjust their strategies, as this Washington Post article explains.
Viewership Falling for Sports
Younger viewers are less interested in watching sports than older generations, according to several pieces of recent research. This Bloomberg article summarizes the preliminary findings and speculates on causes for the trend.
About the Author
Lindsay Stares is a production editor at TDWI. You can contact her here.