What Is Sports Analytics?

Author: Gautam Varier

Sports have been around for centuries at this point, but even after the advent of technology, analytics didn’t have a place in it for the longest time. Games and the players involved in them were simply evaluated by eye tests and raw numbers, but gradually, the true value that analytics can add to them has been realized across the globe. Right from the professional level down to the grassroots, teams and academies use analytics to improve performance and it has become an integral part of Sports.

What Is Sports Analytics?

While the term Sports Analytics is thrown around an awful lot these days, not everyone is clear on what exactly it is. In very simple terms, it entails a deep dive into the information at hand. With technology being ever so advanced nowadays, in-depth information is obtainable for one and all.

Sports Analytics involves plugging all of the relevant data, both past and present, into carefully created mathematical models in order to predict the outcome of certain events or games. These models also help to better evaluate players as they play a part in setting performance benchmarks, which are a necessity in Sports Analytics.

Another aspect of it is video analysis, which as the name states, is the use of the footage to analyze the action. A combination of these data and video elements is what makes Sports Analytics such a powerful practice.

Why Is Sports Analytics Needed?

With the stakes being higher than ever before in Sports, teams look to seek every possible competitive advantage they can get. Sports Analytics helps with that in a big way. Not only does it help clearly identify the problem areas for the team but it also helps figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the competition.

It helps coaches identify areas that players need to work on in order to perform at a higher level on the field and assists them in devising game plans based on the opposition. Analytics also helps management make better decisions on changes that might be needed in order to deliver better results.

It is of little surprise then when you consider all of this, that teams have now embraced analytics in the fashion that they have, as it makes life so much easier. It is one of the fastest growing fields across the globe and the advancement in technology makes analyzing all that new information in the best possible way, just that much bigger of a key to having success.

If you want to learn more about Sports Analytics, then fret not, for SportsKPI is coming up with a certificate program! Learn from the best in the business with our years of experience in this domain and gain entry into the world of sports.

Stay tuned to our social media page, SportsKPI Edtech, for updates!

Photo Credit : GTPE

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