The article was published on January 2, 2023)

Article Summary

The wealth of data for individual and team sports not only enhances in game performance, but can help in other areas outside of the arena as well. It’s becoming increasingly popular in individual sports for data to be used in choosing which equipment athletes buy. For example, in individual sports such as roller skating or hockey, athletes and coaches can use 3D data to identify which shoes would most likely fit with the athlete’s specific feet; in golf players can receive real time insights into how certain clubs effect their performance. Additionally, the use of tracking data provides insights as to how the athlete can better improve the technical aspects of their movements.

For team sports, it’s much more common now for team managers to use certain metrics such as expected goals when assessing the strengths of individual players. Across sports you’ll find organizations hiring specifically for collecting and analyzing data. The market for sports analysis and research is expected to be around $8.4 Billion by 2026.

Outside of the competitive space, data analytics can help drive digital consumer-team engagement and managing the crowd before and after a game.

Author Information

Sean Mallon is a big data expert and a freelance writer. He loves writing about big data, analytics, and predictive analytics. He’s published over 300 articles for Smart Data Collective since 2015.

PFF & the NFL

The reliance of NFL teams on PFF signifies how data analytics are changing the landscape of the NFL. PFF grades play a critical role in how teams evaluate and value players, influence contract negotiations, impact the drafting process, and provide insights to casual fans as to what the heck is going on in this complex sport.

For example, all 32 teams are clients of PFF and use their grades in the draft process, free agency, and in projecting players progress forward. Agents and teams can request packets of data with key metrics and highlights for players to leverage in contract negotiations.

Since PFF has expanded into the college sphere within the last few years, they now have grades on players dating from their first snap to their last in college and well into their NFL careers. This information goes into NFL teams’ decisions when projecting players forward and deciding whether or not to spend scarce draft capital on them or giving them a new contract.

I would attribute the trend of contractually valuing running backs less than their offensive line to the advent of PFF grades. It’s now widely understood that a sizable portion of a running back’s production is influenced by how well their offensive line is playing in front of them.

For the casual fan, it may be difficult to assess how well a player is playing as compared with their peers. In response, NBC, a client of PFF, shows a players’ rank among their position group during starting lineup introductions.

Plots

Titanic Plot

Titanic Datatable