Sports Analytics Conference: What Geeks Don't Get Panel Report

Simmons noted that the biggest issue he would like see is for those in the vanguard of the statistical revolution to make numbers more relatable to the common fan.

The Painted Area, March 6, 2010: Sloan Sports Analytics Conference: "What Geeks Don't Get: The Limits of Moneyball" Panel Report

Basketball The Painted Area is pitching in to the TrueHoop Network's coverage of the 2010 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference with our thoughts on the show-stopper panel on the day: What Geeks Don't Get: The Limits of Moneyball.

Over 1000 people packed into the main conference room to see this star-studded cast:

Michael Lewis (Moderator): Author of Moneyball and The Blind Side
Daryl Morey: General Manager of the Houston Rockets, and the conference's co-chair
Mark Cuban: Owner of the Dallas Mavericks
Bill Simmons: ESPN.com uber-columnist and author of The Book of Basketball
Jonathan Kraft: President of The Kraft Group (holdings include the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution)
Bill Polian: President of the Indianapolis Colts

Here's a running report of topics discussed:

Lewis started the panel by noting that he was blown away by the fact that the conference was more than a roomful of geeks, and he wanted to go against the grain and gather ideas about the limits of Moneyball, because he couldn't think of any himself.

Lewis began the questioning by asking Simmons what bothers him the most about the statistical revolution. After congratulating the crowd for setting a record for "most dudes in a conference room", Simmons noted that the biggest issue and advancement he'd like to see in the next decade is for the creators and those in the vanguard of the statistical revolution to make numbers more relatable to the common fan.

Cuban chimed in by joking that what bothered him most was not knowing what Morey and all 30 teams were doing. He noted that he wished NBA tracked stats like deflections, for example, so that things didn't have to be gathered on the team level, where teams had to spend a lot of time and money to collect data on their own.

Read more

More reports about Sloan Analytics Conference:

Will Coaches Listen to Stat Heads?
MIT Sloan SAC, Baseball Analytics
The Next Generation of Sports Management and Ownership
Other side's view, Colts' Polian backs Belichick's play-call
Meeting of the Minds: Five Thoughts From the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Trip to Boston for Sports Analytics Conference