Course Overview
Housed within the Department of Sport Management that offers the first undergraduate major in Sport Analytics, The Berlin Sport Analytics Academy at Syracuse University will provide students the opportunity to explore data’s powerful role in understanding and prioritizing information to maintain a competitive advantage in the sports industry.
The program will give an overview of the analytics that are being used in a variety of sports and the students will have the opportunity to investigate more on their own during the duration of the academy. The program will offer the ability to learn valuable skills in various applications that are currently being used in Sport Analytics courses at SU and in the sport industry, including R, Tableau and more.
You will have the opportunity to listen to, and interact with, speakers from the sports analytics industry. You will also have the opportunity to interact with current Sport Analytics students, who will offer their guidance and advice throughout the duration of the academy.
Careers in Sport Analytics can include:
- Statistician
- Player Evaluation
- Economist
- Computer Programmer
- Sports Analyst
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University noncredit transcript.
Learning Objectives
The primary objectives are to provide the student with a basic understanding of the role of analytics in the sport industry and the functions of an analytics professional as they apply to amateur and professional sports. Upon completion of the academy students should be able to identify, analyze, and understand various issues related to the world of sport analytics.
- Interpret and calculate various sport analytics statistics used in a variety of sports in North America and around the world
- Build a fundamental understanding of spreadsheets and databases
- Gain a working knowledge of R so that students can wrangle data, run basic linear regressions, do some simple machine learning techniques, and graph data
- Gain a working knowledge of data visualization of sports data through Tableau
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: SCN 054
Format: On Campus (at Syracuse University)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school sophomore, junior, or senior status – or a 2024 high school graduate.
Credit: Noncredit
Grading: Pass/Fail
Cost:
- Residential: $4,095
- Commuter: $3,166
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Campus: Experience what college is really like: take a college-level course, live in a residence hall, have meals with friends in a dining hall, and participate in activities and events on campus.
“Taking the Sport Analytics course was one of the most interesting and enlightening experiences of my academic career. Over the course, I learned how to use three different programs on the computer to aid in sport data analysis: Excel, R, and Tableau. Learning how to use numbers to tell stories about sports was very interesting, and the three programs provided that ability in different facets. Because of Summer College – Online, I was able to take a more professional step towards a future career in sports and journalism..”
— Natalie W., Summer College – Online Sport Analytics Student, 2020
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Class Time (Eastern Time) | Credit/Noncredit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session I: Monday, July 8 – Friday, July 19, 2024 | MTWThF; 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Noncredit | Open |
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session II: Monday, July 22 – Friday, Aug. 2, 2024 | MTWThF; 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Noncredit | Open |
Course time subject to change.
Course Requirements
Required Textbooks
Students will need the book, “Moneyball,” by Michael Lewis.
Required Supplies
- Students will need to bring a laptop running Windows or Mac software. Tablets, phones or Chromebooks are not supported with software that will be used.
Student Expectations
Students are expected to attend every class session and be engaged during all lectures, guest speakers and group activities. This program will offer the opportunity for academic and experiential learning, and the expectation is that all students come prepared to take full advantage of what is presented.
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
- 9 a.m. – Noon Morning Class – includes lecture and overview of various topics in Sport Analytics
- Noon – 1:30 p.m. Lunch
- 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Guest Speaker and/or continuation of lecture from morning session
- 2:45 – 4:30 p.m. Programming & Group Work
While this is a sample structure, each day may look different and what will be covered could vary day to day.
When class is over, and on weekends, students can look forward to various Summer College – On Campus activities to meet and connect with other students! Check out our On Campus Experience page for more information!
Field Trips
As part of this academy, students will be exposed to industry professionals in the analytics industry at their site of competition. Examples of field trips could include visits to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, professional sports teams (i.e. NHL, MLB, NFL), as well as various minor league sport organizations based in the greater Syracuse area.
Faculty Bios
Jeremy Losak, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
Dr. Losak, a class of 2016 Syracuse University sport management graduate, joined SU’s faculty in Fall 2019. At Syracuse, he teaches courses in sport analytics and sport economics, as well as co-advises the Sport Management Club, Sport Analytics Living Learning Community, Baseball Stats and Sabermetrics Club, and Football Analytics Blitz competition.
Losak’s research covers three pillars: the economics of sport wagering markets, the economics of college athletics, and the business of baseball and other sport labor markets. He has presented his research at each of the past four SABR Analytics Conferences in Phoenix, Arizona, in addition to presentations domestically (Boston, Kansas City, Memphis, NYC, Portland, Washington D.C.), internationally (Finland, Spain, Switzerland), and virtually. His research has been published in journals including the Journal of Sport Economics, International Journal of Sport Finance, Academy of Economics and Finance Journal, Managerial Finance, and Journal of Prediction Markets.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Losak was a Koch Fellow in the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University, completing his Ph.D. in economics. In the sports industry, he was a baseball analytics consultant for Wasserman Media Group, marketing analytics consultant for The Madison Square Garden Company, and analytics intern for the Auburn Doubledays. Losak was the recipient of a Junior Researcher Award for the 2018 Sports, Data and Journalism Conference at the University of Zurich; and the Distinguished Graduate Student Paper Award at the 2018 Missouri Valley Economic Association Conference. He was also the recipient of travel grants from the Institute for Humane Studies Hayek Fund and Clemson Graduate Travel Grant Service.
Losak earned his Ph.D. in economics from Clemson University in 2019. He earned a B.S. in sport management from Syracuse University’s Falk College in 2016. He was named a 2016 Falk College Class Marshal and a Falk College Scholar while at Syracuse University.
Nick Ricardo
Nick Riccardi is currently pursuing is Ph.D. in information science and technology from Syracuse’s School of Information Studies. He has a master’s degree in applied data science from Syracuse and was part of the first class of sport analytics undergraduates that graduated in 2020. He currently teaches Database Administration Concepts and Database Management and used to teach Sport Economics within the sport analytics program.
Riccardi has published research related to sports attendance modeling, player and team performance, and nepotism in sports. His research can be found in the International Journal of Financial Studies, the International Journal of Sport Finance, the New York Economic Review, and the Academy of Economics and Finance Journal. He has presented his research in Rochester, Louisville, Tampa, Orlando, and Charleston. In 2019, his research on player performance of junior hockey players won the Best Undergraduate Paper Competition at the Academy of Economics and Finance Conference and was chosen to represent Syracuse at the Atlantic Coast Conference Meeting of the Minds Conference.
During his time as a sport analytics undergraduate student, Riccardi was a Falk Scholar, a Berlin Scholar, and won the Sport Analytics Research Excellence Award.