Sports and Big Data Coexist at Schulich
Sports analytics were made popular with the movie ‘Moneyball’ starring Brad Pitt. However, those analytics only covered one aspect of the sports industry, an athlete’s performance. The recent Schulich Sports Business Council “Passion Points: Data Analytics in the Sports, Media and Entertainment Industries” event looked at how the creative industries can use analytics beyond the field of play.
The event highlighted the role of analytics in optimizing operations, building stronger customer relationships, and creating new products and services to maximize revenue streams. The keynote speaker, Regional VP & General Manager, SAP Sports & Entertainment North America Frank Wheeler explained how SAP’s cutting edge technology is implemented in the field and how big data continues to evolve globally.
“The main point was to examine the companies that are operating in the industry and the skills needed to manage data in the digital transformation,” Wheeler said. “Industries are seeing huge upserge in data but they don’t always know what to do with it. The way we’re evolving with machine learning and the internet of things, the ability for a company to manage, connect and visualize data while making it actionable is going to be a key skillset for businesses in the future.”
The event was capped off with a panel moderated by Murat Kristal, Program Director, Schulich Master of Business Analytics that included industry leaders: Jonathan Carrigan, Senior Director, Strategy, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment; Robert Craig, Manager, Analytics and Ad Operations, Cineplex; Chris Bondarenko, Regional VP, Sales, Vision Critical; and Yoeri Geerits, SVP, Nielsen Sports Canada. They discussed ongoing issues in the industry and how their companies have succeeded in leveraging big data.