Data Journalism
Our Data Journalism team aims to write short articles each quarter that are driven by data science and statistics. Through meaningful visualizations and analysis, these pieces take a quick dive into contemporary sports topics. We look into all sports, from gymnastics and horse racing to the NFL and NBA.
Are the "Uncs" Holding Back the NBA?
An analysis of how roster age relates to NBA team performance, using recent seasons to compare average team age with winning and shooting indicators.
NBA roster dataTeam ageWin percentage
Which Quarterbacks have been Historically Great against the Blitz?
The Credit Goes to the Wrong People
As the Bar Rises, Scores Fall: Inside the New Normal of Olympic Gymnastics
Why are the NBA ratings down?
Why Anthony Davis and the Pelicans Failed
A diagnosis of the Anthony Davis-era Pelicans, tying New Orleans' struggles to injuries, roster construction, lost shooting, cap decisions, clutch failures, and the looming need to maximize a trade return.
NBA.comNet ratingESPN BPI
Goalkeeper Passing: What's been done so far
A proposal for evaluating goalkeeper distribution beyond completion rate, accounting for team shape, pressure, pass direction, pitch zones, punts, and manually tagged video context through an R Shiny tool.
R ShinyStatsBombOpta
Relievers in Today's MLB
An evaluation of modern MLB reliever spending and usage, comparing 2008 and 2018 innings, wins, ERA spread, salary growth, and the weak relationship between workload and effectiveness.
FanGraphsSpotracCorrelation
How Effective is a Possession-Based Play Style in the UEFA Champions League?
A 2017-18 Champions League analysis testing whether possession-based play predicts success, finding that possession helps in the group stage but does not explain knockout-round outcomes on its own.
UCL statisticsPossession analysisComparative charts
Defense in the Modern NFL (or Lack Thereof)
A data-backed essay on the NFL's 2018 scoring surge, connecting record offensive output to rule emphasis, defensive pass-interference trends, tackling issues, and the league's long-term shift toward passing.
NFL scoring dataPenalty ratesNext Gen Stats
Can Summer Ball Indicate Professional Success?
A Cape Cod Baseball League study using OPS and RBI production to ask whether summer-ball batting performance can signal future professional success.
Cape Cod LeagueOPS/RBI regressionFanGraphs
Keys to Success for the Young Lakers Core
A player-by-player model of the young Lakers core, using Basketball-Reference game logs and Game Score regression to identify the statistical keys for Hart, Kuzma, Ingram, and Ball.
Basketball ReferenceGame ScoreRegression
Do Summary Statistics Really Mean Anything in Tennis?
A U.S. Open 2018 study of whether match-summary statistics point toward winners, finding that winners usually lead across summary categories and that receiving points won is especially informative.
IBM SlamTrackerMatch statsBar charts
2018 Ballon d'Or: A Look at the Contenders and their Numbers
A statistical preview of the 2018 Ballon d'Or race, comparing Modric, France's World Cup stars, Ronaldo, Messi, and Salah across goals, assists, passing, defensive context, and competition timing.
Soccer statsWorld Cup dataComparative charts
Bust to Beast: The Jared Goff Story
A breakdown of Jared Goff's jump from struggling rookie to MVP candidate, separating supporting talent, Sean McVay's system, offensive-line protection, and Goff's own improvements in aggressiveness and efficiency.
PFFNext Gen StatsDVOA/QBR
Can the Toronto Maple Leafs Pay Up?
A contract-value analysis of William Nylander's holdout, comparing young NHL forwards by age, production, possession impact, average annual value, and Toronto's cap constraints.
CapFriendlyNHL statsRegression
The NBA's 'Perfect Game' by One of Basketball's Rising Superstars
An analysis of Nikola Jokic's perfect 31-point triple-double against Phoenix and the broader case for his value as Denver's passing hub, improving defender, and underused scoring option.
Basketball ReferenceNBA.comESPN
BSA Exclusive: Our Journey Through Research
A behind-the-scenes research checkpoint on predicting NBA free-agent salaries, covering data cleaning, rookie-contract exclusions, salary brackets, K-means performance clusters, ANOVA tests, and multiple linear regression modeling.
Basketball ReferenceSpotracRegression
Early Overachievers: The 2018 Oakland Athletics
A snapshot of Oakland's surprising 2018 start, weighing the Athletics' low-payroll offense, improved defense, and pitching performance against preseason expectations and the realities of a long AL West race.
Baseball ReferenceBaseball ProspectusMLB stats
Why Has Alexander Zverev Failed to Deliver at Grand Slams?
A look at Alexander Zverev's gap between best-of-three dominance and Grand Slam underperformance, using opponent Elo, win percentage, pace, and style-profile comparisons to explain why his major results lagged his ranking.
ATP dataElo ratingsMatch stats
NFL Draft 2018: Bruin Prospects
A draft preview of UCLA's top 2018 NFL prospects, comparing Josh Rosen, Kolton Miller, Jordan Lasley, Scott Quessenberry, and Kenny Young against positional peers through college production, combine measures, and draft projection context.
Sports ReferenceNFL.comnjsavant