Everybody is a sports fan, but not everybody obsesses over the fan experience like I do.
Hi, I'm Brian... I love a good Twitter thread, enjoy finding stories within data, and want to solve the challenges of being a sports fan with analytics and technology so the next generation of fans can enjoy a better experience.
Welcome.
The Buffalo Bills don't know I exist... but they should.
I grew up about 15 minutes from Orchard Park and my father had season tickets back in the 90s glory years. I moved to New York in 2005 after undergrad, but made it a point to keep that father-son bond alive by going back for a Bills games once a season. I also went to every Bills at Jets game.
Last season, with pent up COVID cabin fever, I set out to attend as many Bills games as I could. I ended up going to eight games, including Thanksgiving night down in New Orleans. My dad and I even went to Kansas City for the divisional round playoff game. He doesn't fly so he took the overnight train from Buffalo to Chicago. I flew in Saturday morning, we rented a car, and made the eight hour drive to Kansas City. We made it to town just in time to meet up with hundreds of Bills fans at the Kansas City Bills Backers Bar.
This year I went to the season opener in Los Angeles, went down to Baltimore, saw Aaron Rodgers in Buffalo for Sunday Night Football, and of course went to the Jets game. I saw the Bills beat the Dolphins twice in primetime, including in the wild card round, and was once again in attendance for a divisional round loss.
I understand out-of-town fans are not the largest revenue driver for an NFL team, but in this day and age of personalized, one-to-one relationships between brands and consumers, this feels like a rather large blind spot on the part of an NFL organization. Nearly every other platform I can think of from Amazon to Netflix to social media delivers personalized recommendations. When it comes to sports fans however, we are put into boxes such as season ticket member, group sales, or individual ticket buyer. NFL teams don't have problems filling buildings or getting to people to tune in, but I believe there is a long tail of engagement the league and its teams are currently missing out on.
More About Me
Believe it or not, I do more than travel to Bills games. Throughout my 17+ year advertising career I have incorporated data into marketing campaigns for brands including Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, Mars Wrigley, T-Mobile, General Mills, Caesars Sportsbook, Chase Bank, and many more.
I may have not realized it at the time but two things have been apart of every step of my career: sports and data. At Wrapify I leveraged attribution and location data in partnerships targeting NFL venues for Caesars Sportsbook, Anheuser-Busch, and Molson Coors.
At iHeartMedia I was on the Mets Partnership Team responsible for on-air and on-site partnerships and activations.
Access Sports Media and InStadium offered me opportunities to develop campaigns with everything from scoreboard promotions to in-venue video networks and signage.
Even my days selling ads on coffee sleeves and gas station pump tops incorporated data into the sales process. Did you know a cup of coffee sits on a person's desk for an average of 47 minutes??
As a media planner at Initiative and Zenith I used deep data analyses of audiences and channels to recommend media strategies to AOL and Chase Bank, respectively.
Heck, even my undergrad time was spent crunching numbers as a dual advertising and marketing major at Syracuse.
Which brings me full circle to the completion of my master's in sports administration with a sports analytics specialization from Northwestern. And yes, I am fully aware I am one of the very few people in this world that went to Syracuse and Northwestern without earning a journalism degree!
It is time for my two parallel tracks - sports and data - to merge into one. It is time to take the next step - nah let's call it a leap - in my career.
More About Northwestern's MA in Sports Administration
The Northwestern Master's in Sports Administration program teaches students how to evaluate and analyze all the various business units within sports organizations. The program uses real-world projects pulled from the current sports landscape along with heavy collaboration and discussion to prepare students for careers in the sports industry.
Within the MSA program, the sports analytics specialization borrows from the University's predictive analytics and data science program to prepare students for roles in today's data-informed sports landscape. Students produce comprehensive data analyses and reporting of team management and player performance that rely on real-world applications of modeling and mathematics, probability theory, statistics, and programming.
The data science courses within the specialization teach students applied calculus and statistics, while providing practical Python and R training.
For fantasy football players, from novice to diehard, Points Matter is an online subscription service that generates custom scoring insights via data analytics offering users unique competitive advantages in their fantasy and sports betting endeavors.
Users can select from a variety of advanced statistics and analytical tools to evaluate rosters and players. The main competitive advantage of Points Matter is that for the first time, fantasy players can get exclusive insights through advanced statistics, data visualizations, and performance reports and gain true competitive advantages.
This business plan outlines the state of the fantasy football industry, organizational structure of Points Matter, finance and accounting considerations, marketing plan, communications plan, and strategic takeaways from the Sports Management Analytics course in Northwestern University’s master’s in sports administration program. Meticulous hiring timelines along with product roll outs catered to different market segments will allow Points Matter to achieve positive operating income in year four with expectations of more than $1 million in operating income in year five.
Points Matter is here to change the game.
Sports Analytics
NFL Quarterbacks Cluster Analysis and Identifying Jimmy Garoppolo Trade Partners
Hierarchical cluster analysis of NFL QB performance, followed by comparisons of key advanced statistics identified using regression analysis.
Key Insights
Key performance indicators include Air Yards, YAC, EPA per Play, and CPOE. Garoppolo lags behind top-tier quarterbacks in Air Yards and YAC, and should be traded to one of six eligible trade partners to make way for Trey Lance.
Kansas City Royals Attendance Analysis and Ticketing Strategy
Environmental analysis of Royals attendance featuring multiple regression models focused on identifying the best days, months, weather, opponents, and promotions to maximize revenue.
Key Insights
The Royals should implement a dynamic pricing model to prioritize revenue for popular interleague match ups, holiday weekends, and games against the Yankees and Red Sox. The club should also launch a subscription ticket product to bring in younger, casual fans to help drive revenue for lower value games.
How Focusing on Pressure Performance Can Help NFL Teams Make the Right Quarterback Decisions
In-depth statistical analysis of recent QBs comparing PFF Time Since Pressure data and EPA to identify the game's elite signal-callers.
Key Insights
What separates MVP-level QBs is their ability to evade pressure and make big plays down field in the passing game or by scrambling. The days of pure dropback QB play are over. Today's QBs must be able to buy time and create explosive plays.
Faith Win Probability Model NFL Divisional Round
A custom win probability model is created and compared to the nflfastR model across the four NFL divisional round playoff games.
Key Insights
Before unraveling in the last 13 seconds, the Buffalo Bills made several crucial plays in the final three minutes which drastically swung its odds of taking down the Kansas City Chiefs and advancing to the AFC Championship game.
New York Knicks Team Construction and Player Types
Analyzing the Knicks roster using Dean Oliver's Four Factors, and identifying potential upgrades at key positions with a cluster analysis and player classification system.
Key Insights
To compete with the elite talent in its division, the Knicks must seriously upgrade the top-end of its roster, especially on the wing and in the backcourt. With limited free agent options available at those positions, and a late lottery draft pick, the Knicks should maximize future flexibility and look to improve on the margins.
New Orleans Pelicans Performance Evaluation and Recommendations
Organizational analysis including franchise valuation, comparison to other small-market clubs, and player performance using positional win share values and salary.
Key Insights
The Pelicans need to find trade partners for Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe so it can find upgrades at center and point guard. Potentially available centers including Jonas Valanciunas offer significant upgrades over Adams, while Malcolm Brogdon, Kyle Lowry, and others would provide substantial upgrades from Ball.
Business & Technology
Sick of the second screen? Introducing Personalized Augmented Reality!
The second screen used to help fans follow the game more closely, but a tipping point has been reached where there is too much information to absorb via multiple apps and screens, but not enough time between plays to check them all.
What if fans at home could choose exactly what type of broadcast they wanted? PAR gives fans control over what is on their first screen, eliminating the annoyance and detachment of the second screen.
With PAR, every fan creates their own MegaCast!
Remote Sports Event Revenue Streams
A written report breaking down the on-air revenue streams of the Chicago Bulls.
Live Sports Event Revenue Streams
A comprehensive presentation of how the New York Knicks maximize revenue for games at Madison Square Garden.
Keep the Bears in Downtown Chicago
A presentation showing how the City of Chicago can apply technology solutions to keep the Bears from leaving Soldier Field.
Marketing, Public Relations, Legal
Introducing the WNBA's newest expansion franchise, the San Francisco Pride!
After a thorough market research process, San Francisco was selected as the home of the next WNBA expansion franchise. This comprehensive marketing plan walks through every step of the process from establishing the organizational values and brand identity to ticketing strategy. Social media, digital, radio, out-of-home, influencer marketing, and events are leveraged to launch the new franchise.
#HearUsRoar!
Also see: Marketing Plan Executive Summary
Tennessee Crisis Communications Plan
Reactive crisis plan announcing the sudden resignation of Peyton Manning, including key messages and tactics.
Also see: Written Crisis Plan
Tennessee Communications Plan
Featuring objectives, strategies, tactics, and key messages for the hiring of Peyton Manning as Tennessee head coach.
Also see: Written Communications Plan
Systemic Racial Discrimination in the NFL
Comprehensive report on coaching hiring practices in the NFL, the Rooney Rule, and the ongoing lawsuit, Brian Flores v. National Football League, et al.
Nike Dream Crazy Campaign
Nike's iconic Dream Crazy campaign changed the course of the company by positioning it as an authentic voice for social justice and women's rights.
Leadership
Nike Leadership Interview: Cyntia Leo
A leadership discussion highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and core principles of Nike's Lifestyle Brand Marketing Director.
NBA TMBO Organizational Analysis
A review of the mission statement, organizational values, and day-to-day activities at the NBA's internal consultancy.
F.A.I.T.H. Leadership Philosophy
Defining what leadership means to me, identifying three pillars of leadership, and soliciting feedback to analyze my style has truly been transformational and eye-opening. As I change careers from advertising sales into sports analytics it will be critical for me to bring my leadership philosophy to life.
F is for fostering an environment of teamwork, collaboration, and empathy
A is for taking action, adapting, and holding yourself and others accountable
I is for inspiring, being passionate, innovative, and empowering
T is for teaching, coaching, supporting, and providing resources and support
H is for staying humble and hungry, honest, self-aware, and consistent
Let's Connect!
