There’s an NFL competition that nobody really knows about, but “anyone who knows the ball or knows how to program has a chance,” says Mike Lopez, senior director of football data and analytics on the NFL. said CNBC.
The league announced Wednesday that it “Big Data Bowl“, a statistics-generating competition during which participants analyze football data to generate metrics that would help teams on the sector, is in its seventh 12 months. The competition began on Monday and final submissions are due January 6, 2025.
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In addition to the prize money (the highest five entries receive $12,500, the winner receives an extra $12,500, and No. 6 through No. 10 each receive $5,000) and naturally the bragging rights, loads of competitors were also hired by the NFL and their teams. More than 75 participants now work in data and evaluation functions in sports, with greater than 50 joining NFL clubs and providers. in response to an NFL press release.
“Not only do we get the ideas, but we also get a pipeline of talented analytics people who can work for teams,” Lopez said. “Because it’s not just the league office that wants these ideas, but also the teams.”
“It’s almost like a science fair,” Lopez added.
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Previous contests analyzed various positions on the sector, from running back to defensive end, and generated metrics utilized by NFL teams that were “integrated into live games,” in response to the press release.
This 12 months’s competition offers three submission options: an “undergraduate track” open to undergraduate students, a “metrics track” that uses pre-snap data to guage team or player performance, and a “coach -Presentation Track” that analyzes data designed for trainers.
Tips for the NFL’s Big Data Bowl
The winner of the 2024 competition, Matt Chang, wrote about how he and his team took home the highest prize on Medium and gave quite a few suggestions, including checking your ends in two alternative ways and “Make sure your article answers the question “So what?” Question.” His report also includes examples of the specific slides his team used to achieve victory.
The competition is operated by Amazon Web Services. Further information about the Big Data Bowl can be found at Click here.
