Field of Dreams (and Data): A Conversation with Jonathan Kraft

Join host Jessica Gelman as she connects with former NBA Coach of the Year, Mike D'Antoni! Hear the lessons Mike learned as point guard that translated to coaching, the use of analytics as a tool to inform coaching decisions, and what it means to be a clutch player. Plus, we have an extra special guest host, Nate Silver! Nate is a statistician, author and founder of FiveThirtyEight.

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they connect with Dawn Staley, Hall of Fame basketball player and coach. Dawn is the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks and under her leadership, they have reached many firsts – National Championships (2 wins!), NCAA Final Fours, No. 1 rankings, SEC regular-season and tournament titles, SEC Players of the Year, National Players of the Year, WNBA No. 1 Draft pick and No. 1 recruiting classes – to name the most notable. Dawn is also one of the most decorated players in United States women’s basketball history. Hear Dawn discuss why she leads on societally charged issues, her approach to connecting with players, intricacies of the game, and how analytics has changed coaching and the game.

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they connect with guest Michael Lewis, author and journalist. Michael Lewis has published many New York Times bestselling books on various subjects. His most recent works are The Premonition, The Fifth Risk, The Undoing Project, Flash Boys, and The Big Short. Both of his books about sports, Moneyball and The Blind Side, became movies nominated for Academy Awards. Hear them discuss Michael’s most recent book, The Premonition, his podcast, Against the Rules, and the ability to story tell with different themes.

This special episode of Trash Talking comes to you live from SSAC22! Join hosts and Sloan Sports Analytics Conference founders Daryl Morey and Jessica Gelman as they lead a discussion on demystifying and debunking the myths of analytics in sports, and specifically, the dangers of using trash data to make decisions. Hear from Oracle CMO Ariel Kelman talk about the power of technology in sports, Kathy Carter on how she’s pushing the bounds of innovation with the LA28 Olympics & Paralympics, and Nate Silver on all things prediction, all while bringing the trademark banter from the Trash Talking podcast series.

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they chat with Casey Wasserman, chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic games and CEO of Wasserman. Hear them discuss the importance of analytics when representing athletes, Casey's plans for the 2028 Olympics, and the launch announcement of the SSAC Mentorship Program presented by Wasserman. This mentorship program is designed to assist students and young professionals from underrepresented backgrounds in navigating potential careers in the sports industry. Read more about the program details here and submit your application now!

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they connect with guest Andrew Friedman, President of Baseball Operations for the reigning MLB champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hear them discuss how the Dodgers leverage analytics to customize individual players' development and maximize their likelihood of success, and what Andrew thinks the biggest opportunities for analytics in the MLB are.  

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they catch up with guest Mina Kimes, senior writer for ESPN, analyst for NFL Life, and the host of The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny podcast. Hear them discuss the expanding role of analytics in NFL teams' decision-making, how to design a winning offensive system, and what Mina thinks the most surprising NFL offseason change has been.

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they team up with guest Shane Battier, Vice President of Basketball Development & Analytics, Miami Heat. Hear them discuss how Shane is applying lessons learned as a former player to analytics, quantifying culture and the unique way Coach K influenced it at Duke, and a recap of Shane and Daryl’s legendary karaoke duet at Shane's annual Battioke charity fundraiser for the Battier Take Charge Foundation.

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they geek out with Nate Silver, statistician and founder of the award-winning website FiveThirtyEight.com, and best-selling author. Hear them discuss the future of polling and its impact on market research of fans, the legitimacy of various models to evaluate athletes and teams, as well as, his thoughts on generational players.

Join co-hosts Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey as they connect with Sue Bird, point guard for the Seattle Storm and recent WNBA champion. Hear them discuss the role analytics play in basketball, how to leverage your platform for advocacy, as well as, what her opinion is on 'clutch' players.