There's one NFL competition that nobody really knows about, but “anyone who knows the ball or can code has a chance,” Mike Lopez, senior director of football data and analytics for the NFL. told CNBC.
The league announced Wednesday that “Big bowl of data“A statistics generation competition, where competitors analyze football data to generate metrics that can help teams on the field, is back for its seventh year. The competition started on Monday and final submissions will be made on January 6, 2025.
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In addition to prize money (the top five finishes receive $12,500, with the winner receiving an additional $12,500, and No. 6 through No. 10 earning $5,000 each) and, of course, bragging rights, there were also a host of competitors employed by the NFL and its teams. More than 75 participants are now working in sports data and analytics roles, with more than 50 NFL club members and vendors, according to an NFL press release.
“Not only do we get the ideas, but we also get a pipeline of talented analytics workers who can come to work for teams,” Lopez said. “Because not only does the league office want these ideas, the teams want them too.”
“It's almost like a science fair,” Lopez added.
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Previous contests have analyzed various positions on the field, from running back to defensive end, and have generated metrics used by NFL teams that have been “incorporated into live games,” according to the release.
This year's competition has three submission options: A “college track” open to undergraduate students, a “metrics track” that uses preliminary data to evaluate team or player performance, and a “coach presentation conqueror” that analyzes data generated 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 won the top prize at Medium and offered plenty of advice, including double-checking your results and “making sure your writing answers the 'so what?' question.” His write-up also includes examples of the specific slides his team used to win it all.
Contest powered by Amazon Web Services. For more information about the Big Data Bowl, click here.