The main goal of this project is to assess how data science tools and insights are strategically applied in the sports industry to improve athletic performance, enhance fan experience, and drive commercial growth. The students will explore how sports franchises, leagues, or athletic institutions use analytics to make better decisions related to player recruitment, sponsorship value assessment, fan engagement, ticket pricing, and merchandise planning. The problem being addressed is the underutilization or inconsistent application of data analytics in sports business management. The outcome of the project is to deliver a business-oriented framework that shows how stakeholders can leverage data science insights for smarter planning and long-term sustainability in the sports ecosystem, without requiring technical skills or programming.
To successfully complete this project, students will carry out a wide range of strategic, analytical, and managerial tasks. First, they will conduct a literature review and secondary research on the use of analytics in sports, covering areas such as player performance tracking, injury prevention, fan behavior analysis, and digital marketing. Students will analyze case studies of successful teams or leagues that have implemented sports analytics from a business lens. They will conduct stakeholder interviews (e.g., team managers, marketing directors, or event planners) to understand decision-making influenced by analytics. Further tasks include mapping data use across various functional domains such as operations, sponsorship, human resources, and sales and identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) used in the industry. Students will prepare a strategic report outlining data-driven business decisions in sports, a comparative analysis between traditional and analytics-driven approaches, and a proposed model for non-technical teams to effectively interpret and act on data science insights. The final output will be a business report and a presentation designed for executive stakeholders.
