It was once rightfully so called “Geekfest,” a small to medium size gathering of young men looking to figure out how to make statistical analysis more relevant. However the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference as a brand has now grown into an event that has probably even surpassed the vision of what its founders, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey and Kraft Sports VP of Consumer Marketing and Strategy Jessica Gelman could have ever imagined; a gathering not just of several thousand general manager wanna-be’s, but a place where those largely behind the scenes in professional sports come to listen to learn and to discuss the business of how to make sport better.
While some bemoaned the fact that the event has gotten too big, many others felt that this year’s event had listened to its critics and actually become more open in topics, ideas and speakers. ESPN has played a key role in driving topics and speakers in the past few years as the event expanded its footprint to the point where many others doing great work in the space who were not aligned with “The Worldwide Leader” were driven away or excluded from the conversation during the two day event.
The vibe of the conference is different from most other “industry” events and is perhaps something still wholly American, because of its academic nature and its audience. Hours before the first Friday session, several hundred industry wanna-be’s buzzed around the lobby of the Westin Hotel, wearing their Sunday best and gleefully discussing which panels and speakers they wanted to see. Former NBA and Duke University star Shane Battier, longtime NBA coach Mike D’Antoni, and Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Sam Hinkie were like rock stars, being trolled for photos and questions all weekend.
Utah Jazz assistant GM Scott Layden, Washington Wizards assistant GM Tommy Sheppard, and others sat in on discussions about the place the media has now with regard to using analytics to tell stories, while NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked global expansion, MLS commissioner Don Garber fretted about labor piece but was bullish on expansion, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred touched on the speed of play in baseball, the expansion of the World Baseball Classic, and even, yes the thought of gaming and gambling being legal in North America.
That last topic…gaming and gambling…permeated almost every major discussion for the over 3,000 in attendance. Each commissioner, each media member, and even some current and former players were peppered with questions about the possibility of legalization of mobile gambling in North America, a topic currently under debate in political circles as much as it is in the media. Listening in the audience were also more than a few companies, most notably the large pay fantasy companies Draft Kings and Fan Duel along with several dozen startups in and around the space, all trying to glean a little more insight into the possibilities, the dollars, and the entry points that may arise as American sport looks to better control what many speculate could be a billion dollar industry down the road. Some nuggets from the session included NBA General Counsel Dan Spillane saying that Microbets & real time betting will make sports even more DVR proof in the US than it is now and ESPN Magazine editor Chad Millman using a number like $892 trillion for the gambling market today (while the average online bet is $25).
There were even some great lighthearted exchanges during the two day event, which might have surprised many used to attending more staid events. Most notably was the off-color and very funny exchange between Head of US Soccer Sunil Gulati and Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Randavive, who jousted back and forth about the growth of basketball outside the US and the growth of soccer in North America, with each jabbing lobbing more than a few ethnic-related comments back and forth throughout the spirited discussion.
Oh there were the stats, with panels like Baseball Analytics, Coaching Analytics etc etc. But there were also first rate panels on The Future of Sports and Media, Agents and Negotiations, and sports entrepreneurship with industry leaders like Fanatics founder Michael Rubin, Arn Tellem Vice Chairman, Wasserman Media Group, and “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis debating all sorts of issues during the two days.
Other than the Ivy Sports Symposium, which in some ways has become the fall sister to MIT’s late winter event, the MIT Sloan Event is more about those looking to engage and get into the field of sports business and analytics, combined with people actively engaged in the onfield business of sports. While the highly successful events run by the Sports Business Journal deal with those off the field topics, MIT and Ivy take a different approach to audience and structure. Many times the value in conferences is less what is said on stage than what is said in the hallways and over lunch. If you missed a session at MIT and were out kibitzing in the hallways, you missed real learning experience and thought that you might not have heard before, and you might not hear again because of the rare collection of leaders from varied places.
Geekfest? Maybe. As someone who was once accused of being part of the “lunatic fringe of sport” there is something to be said for a bit of Geekiness. However as someone who also attends multiple events, it was still a very entertaining few days that industry leaders others can learn from and build upon. After all, isn’t that what colleges and universities are really supposed to do for all of us? Find ways to inform and inspire and get us out of thinking what we do every day is the best way to do it.