For Michael O鈥機onnor 鈥�22, traveling with his fellow Sport Analytics Berlin Scholars in early March to Boston was 鈥渁 moment of things coming full circle.鈥�
Four years ago, O鈥機onnor visited Boston for the first time with his father, Dave O鈥機onnor, to tour the headquarters of sports footwear and apparel company . On that same trip, the O鈥機onnors drove to 黑料不打烊 to tour 黑料不打烊鈥檚 David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and meet with sport analytics academic advisor .
One of the highlights of the Berlin Scholars’ trip to Boston was a tour of the New Balance headquarters. In the front row, from left to right, are John Asel 鈥�23, Kevin Ivers 鈥�22, Michael O鈥機onnor 鈥�22, Kylie Dedrick 鈥�23, Mackenzie Mangos ’22, Connor Meissner ’22 and academic advisor Francesco Riverso. In the back row, from left to right, are Ward Walton 鈥�22, Seth Warner 鈥�22, James Hyman 鈥�21, Assistant Professor of Sport Management Justin Ehrlich, Preston Klaus 鈥�22, Samual 鈥淏en鈥� Ayers 鈥�22, Daniel Nagle 鈥�22, Charles 鈥淐B鈥� Garrett 鈥�19 and Cooper Shawver 鈥�22.
That was Michael鈥檚 first and only time on campus before he enrolled in the Falk College鈥檚 in the fall of 2019. Now majoring in sport analytics with a minor in sport management/economics, O鈥機onnor is set to graduate in May and start his professional career in sport analytics.
The Berlin Scholars went to Boston to attend the , an annual event for professionals and students to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the sports industry. When the Falk College launched a degree in sport analytics in 2016, University Trustee and alumnus Andrew T. Berlin 鈥�83 made a $1 million gift to provide scholarship and financial assistance to select undergraduate sport analytics students, support faculty research and allow students to participate in student-focused sport analytical competitions and academic symposiums such as the Sports Analytics Conference.
O鈥機onnor shared his thoughts about attending the conference and visiting New Balance (and his father!):
鈥淭he MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference returned to Boston for the first time since before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and having the opportunity to attend in-person as a senior was incredible. I attended the conference last year virtually, but I learned very quickly that the benefits that come with an in-person conference just can鈥檛 be captured in online breakout rooms. This event was one I鈥檇 been looking forward to since before arriving at 黑料不打烊, so to finally be able to network and attend incredibly informative panel discussions with my friends and peers was a great experience.
鈥淧ersonally, I enjoyed the wide variety of panels that the conference had to offer. This year offered more coverage of topics that aren鈥檛 discussed often enough in the sports landscape; for example, I attended the Title IX discussion and the conversation on transgender athletes in sports, two topics that have seen increased coverage over the last few weeks after recent events in Utah and the NCAA Swimming Championships.
鈥淧roviding opportunities for those with a background in data to broaden their perspectives and challenge their beliefs is one of the first steps in making meaningful change, and I thought those were two of the most informative and impactful panels of the conference.
鈥淚n addition to listening to those panel discussions, students attended various networking workshops, had industry professionals review their resumes and explored various research projects that students from numerous colleges and universities had been working on. I enjoyed meeting with the authors of those research projects to gain insight on their process and methodology. I also met students from other universities that I had worked with virtually, and I hope those relationships will form stronger bonds between the various sport analytics cohorts at colleges across the country.
鈥淲e not only got to experience everything that the conference had to offer, but we also had the opportunity to tour the New Balance headquarters in Boston, along with the Boston Bruins鈥� practice facility and 鈥楾he Track鈥� at New Balance, a brand-new multi-purpose athletic facility that is set to open to the public soon. My father, Dave O鈥機onnor, is a national sales manager for team sports at New Balance and coordinated a walkthrough of their facilities and discussed opportunities available at New Balance, along with Francesco Riverso, our academic advisor.
鈥淲hile this may not have been the most 鈥榓nalytically driven鈥� aspect of the weekend, it was an interesting opportunity for students to realize that there are opportunities to get involved in sport analytics that may not follow their traditional understanding of working in the industry but provide the same advantages and benefits as working for specific sports teams.
鈥淭ouring The Track at New Balance was definitely a highlight of the trip. I ran track and field in high school and have been closely following the construction of the new venue, so to get a first look at the building before it opened to the public was incredible. New Balance also has a sports science lab located on the first floor of The Track; a state-of-the-art facility that incorporates sports science and analytics to produce better results for athletes. There aren鈥檛 many labs like this elsewhere, let alone ones that allow tours for students with a passion for sport analytics.
鈥淓very aspect of the tour was a wonderful experience, both from an educational and entertainment perspective. I鈥檓 incredibly grateful for Mr. Andrew Berlin for providing us the opportunity to attend the MIT Sloan Sport Analytics Conference and hope that future classes will enjoy similar opportunities!鈥�
