John Molson Sports Business conference

The importance of sports analytics were on full display at this year’s JMSM conference

Advanced statistics and hockey analytics were a hot topic at the John Molson Sports Business conference held on Nov. 4 at Hotel Bonaventure.

A panel, titled “Grit and Character: The Evolution of Analytics,” was moderated by Concordia journalism graduate Salim Valji, and featured four guests well-versed in the sports analytics world.

Panelists included Sportsnet writer Dimitri Filipovic; TSN, Sportsnet and Vice Sports contributor Andrew Berkshire; Stathletes co-founder Meghan Chayka; and hockey analyst Mike Kelly.

The talk began with each panelist discussing how hockey analytics have changed over the last few years. In the past, goals, assists and plus/minus were ways to track whether or not a player was performing well. However, new statistical measurements, such as Corsi, Fenwick and PDO, have created new ways to gauge a player’s effectiveness on the ice. Corsi and Fenwick are similar, as both measure how many shots a player takes in relation to everyone else on the ice, while PDO keeps track of a team’s shooting and save percentage.

However, one of the challenges with advanced stats is properly recording what is happening.

“A lot of it is going to come down to video player tracking,” Filipovic said. “Zone entries and loose pucks aren’t something we can quantify right now.”

Due to advanced stats being relatively new, the panelists said players don’t have much respect for advanced analytics. Valji referenced an article in which Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty said he can’t judge a player based on a pie chart.

Berkshire added that stats like Corsi can make people “roll their eyes,” but that doesn’t mean they should be dismissed. Filipovic agreed, saying a team’s management should care about the new analytics.

“You want to look at it from a manager and coach level,” he said. “Why bring it to the players if they don’t care that much?”

For players to understand their own advanced stats, Chayka suggested the use of visual elements be emphasized rather than the actual numbers.

“Heatmaps and visual maps of the ice are great for showing players their performance,” Chayka said. “You have to know your audience.”

The panel then talked about how a player’s grit and character is different from their stats. Kelly brought up former Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil, and how he isn’t an effective player on the ice, with 112 career goals in 1028 games, but his grit, character and presence in the locker room helped the Senators win games.

Chayka and Berkshire disagreed, with Chayka stating that because the Senators didn’t win the Stanley Cup with Neil on the team, it doesn’t matter that much. Berkshire added: “If character and leadership actually mattered that much, the Habs wouldn’t be terrible right now.”

The panel ended with each member giving some advice to students on how to make it in the industry and how to be effective at delivering analytics to an audience that might not otherwise know what you’re talking about.

“Make what you’re doing as relatable as possible to those consuming the information,” Kelly said. “The ones who are the most successful are the ones who text you at 10 p.m. with fresh ideas.”

Main photo by Alexander Cole

Digital media and the fan experience were the focus of the “4th and Goal” panel

The intricacies of marketing a National Football League (NFL) franchise were on full display at this year’s John Molson Sports Business conference held on Nov. 4.

A panel, titled “4th and Goal,” was moderated by TSN 690’s Joey Alfieri, and featured Tanya Dreesen, the vice-president of partnership activation and special projects for the Minnesota Vikings, and Vincent Pannozzo, the director of digital and social content for the Miami Dolphins.

Alfieri began the talk by asking about hosting a Super Bowl game. Dreesen and the Vikings will host the Super Bowl in 2018, while Pannozzo and the Dolphins will be hosting the game in 2020.

“It’s an interesting dynamic when your team is hosting the game,” Dreesen said. “It’s an incredible opportunity on the hospitality side and on the marketing side.”

Dreesen explained that hosting the Super Bowl is also unique because, as the host, you might not actually play in the game. However, it is still the best time to show off your arena and what kind of fan experience you can offer.

Both Pannozzo and Dreesen said the services offered at the stadiums immerse fans in a new experience, and bring them beyond what’s happening on the field.

“Stadiums are made to enhance the fan experience,” Dreesen said. “We’re the only team with suites down by the field. We want people to be able to be as close to the action as possible.”

Pannozzo echoed this sentiment, adding that the food experience is also an important part of the games. He said the Dolphins don’t just offer the classic sports foods, like hot dogs and burgers, but also fancier foods in certain sections of the stadium.

Pannozzo added that as a social media and digital content manager, he is already planning for the 2020 Super Bowl. He said the team’s marketing strategy will begin right after the 2019 Super Bowl finishes.

Pannozzo explained that social media is the best way to showcase your team’s brand, but in the past, social media was a bit of an enigma for people.

“Social media used to be the stepchild no one knew who it belonged to,” Pannozzo explained. He later added that the Dolphins now spend all of their digital advertising budget on social media rather than television because that’s where the people are.

For Pannozzo and Dreesen, the team’s performance on the field doesn’t affect the organization’s marketing strategy. Pannozzo said fans might not want to hear from the team on social media that much after a loss, but the team is always going to keep creating content for the web, regardless of the team’s performance.

“Only on the actual day of the game does performance dictate what we do on social media,” he said.

To end the panel, Pannozzo and Dreesen explained how their social channels and marketing strategies bring fans closer to the players. For them, it’s a way to extend past typical media coverage, and tell more meaningful stories.

“We’re not in the business of breaking news,” Pannozzo said. “We want to tell the story of our players in the best possible way.”

“You don’t sell wins and losses, you sell hope,” Dreesen added. “Hope is what brings fans through the door.”

Main photo by Alexander Cole