Expected goals, player efficiency, ERA, slugging percentage, exit velocity, exit velo, exit velo. All these terms are very familiar to the sports analytics community and are terms that a small portion of fans within this community obsess over.
Sports analytics have optimized and homogenized all major leagues in this country, especially the MLB. The rise of the information era has been synonymous with the rise of sports analytics. Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” tactics amazed baseball organizations by using statistics to build a cost-efficient organization after typing a few queries from a computer.
As technology improved, so did the methods by which players were being evaluated. Cameras are now used to evaluate pitchers’ biometrics, while sensors evaluate contact on bats, displaying an average of none other than exit velo. With the recent rise of object detection within machine learning, almost every sport has benefitted from the increased visual analysis of players. Scouts can now use intuition beyond the “eye test” and aggregate countless data sources to make an informed recruitment decision. Teams across industries use analytics for serious injury prevention, which can identify errors or mistakes in their training programs for athletes with the highest salaries.
But when I sit down to watch myNew Jersey Devils push for a playoff berth, I do not want to be brought back to probability class.
I want to be captivated by Jack Hughes’ slickness or Jonas Sigenthaler’s aggressiveness. Minutes on ice and shots on goal are secondary to the personalities in the rink or the intense and bitter rivalry with that other team across the Hudson River. The storyline is what will always bring me back for more, and the analytics would not be here without the rivalries that facilitate competition. If sports analytics do not propel intense competition forward, many viewers, including myself, will find the game hard to watch.
The NBA is in an analytics crisis of its own. The 3-point shot is becoming more and more of a mainstay, replacing mid-range jumpers and fadeaways faster than ever. As I noted in my previous article, this has created an atmosphere resembling an LA Fitness open gym session rather than a completely developed professional product for interested viewers.
While the NBA may be behind in properly utilizing deeper analysis, professional baseball has certainly used it to enhance its sport. Pitch clocks and larger bases have increased scoring — by a staggering 0.7 runs in 2023 — and have decreased game times by 24 minutes, packing the same entertainment into a more digestible game for baseball viewers.
What truly exemplifies fans’ increasing desire for the “storyline” in sports is the explosion of talk shows on sports. Whether it’s Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on First Take arguing over LeBron James’ behavior or Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA whining about the 9 p.m. late start in Milwaukee, fans appreciate the candid humor that the personalities provide. First Take viewership increased 24% from 2023 into 2024, reminding viewers and analysts alike that no matter what advances in sports analytics statistics can provide, storylines and personalities will continue to remain paramount for the viewers and ensure sports remain relevant for years to come.
