Best MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference Podcasts (2024)

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63. The state of female athlete health & performance 45:35

11d ago45:35

45:35

Anterior cruciate ligament injury, menstrual cycle tracking, and relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (or RED-S). Whilst there is still so much more to be done, the increase in public awareness of these terms is at least a small sign that female athletes are starting to get the attention they deserve in terms of research and funding. But what exactl…

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62. The future of concussion management 46:43

1M ago46:43

46:43

On Part 2 of the series into Concussion Management, Sam & David are joined by Lead of FIFA’s Heading Expert Group, A/Prof Kerry Peek, to look into the future of this space. Kerry is a physiotherapist with a PhD in behavioural science who currently works as a research and teaching academic within the Discipline of Physiotherapy at The University of …

1
61. The state of concussion management 50:02

2M ago50:02

50:02

Concussion is one of the hottest current topics in sport, impacting medical, safety, training and even adjudication discussions. But is there even consensus on the definition of concussion? Are current assessment protocols aligned with this definition? How effective are current management processes in accelerating speed of return to play? Professor…

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60. The future of talent identification in sport 53:37

2M ago53:37

53:37

This episode welcomes back to One Track Mind the renowned sports science and talent researcher Dr Joe Baker. Building on the previous episode, Joe, Sam and David discuss current research, practices, challenges and opportunities for talent identification along with some of the commonly used terminology and definitions. Joe and colleague's paper refe…

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59. The state of Talent Identification in Sport 45:37

3M ago45:37

45:37

Episode 59 marks the first in a new format for the show, moving to dual episodes examining the current 'state' and 'future' of some of sports biggest issues. On this show, Sam and David discuss current research, practices, challenges and opportunities for talent identification along with some of the commonly used terminology and definitions. Episod…

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58. MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference: 2024 Recap 39:29

3M ago39:29

39:29

The annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference in Boston, USA is one of the biggest conferences on the sports calendar. Bringing together thousands of analysts, executives and leading researchers to discuss the increasing role of analytics in the sports industry, the conference covers everything from social media to high performance, to athlete e…

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57. Ten big opportunities & challenges for sport in 2024 39:29

3M ago39:29

39:29

Episode 57 marks two major changes for One Track Mind. David Joyce joins the show as host for the coming season. It also signals the start of a variety of new formats for the show. This episode sets the scene for the 2024 season, providing a snapshot of the ten big opportunities and challenges for sports in 2024. What do you think? Tell us on our s…

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56. Leveraging the power of sports data 38:26

4M ago38:26

38:26

Its often been said that sport is a mirror to society. And never has that adage been more true than when talking about data. But just how valuable is data really, particularly without context or a specific end goal in mind? On this episode, Sam sits down with Sportradar's Senior Vice President of Automated Content, Luka Pataky, where he discusses f…

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55. Designing learning environments 37:20

5M ago37:20

37:20

How hard should training be? How much variety should athletes experience? How does one balance quantity vs quality of practice? Many of these types of questions which have fascinated coaches for years are presently being reinvigorated, fuelled by new data sources and a growing access to the expertise of applied practitioners from motor learning, ps…

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54. Performing under pressure 36:40

5M ago36:40

36:40

Whether it’s nailing the perfect routine, taking a winning penalty or making that championship winning putt - we all have our favourite example of an athlete performing under pressure. On this episode host Sam Robertson is joined by Davie Gray from Flow State and Hurricanes. They take a closer look at the characteristics of high-performing pressure…

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53. The importance of creativity in sport 39:25

6M ago39:25

39:25

Creative athletes have always captured the imagination of the sports fan. We each have our own ideas about what creativity means us in the sporting context, whether it is dancing with grace and flow, a new skateboarding trick or that almost inconceivable incisive pass to break open a defensive line. Globally in many sports there is a growing recogn…

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52. Maximising impact as a sports performance practitioner 47:25

7M ago47:25

47:25

The characteristics of high performing athletes are relatively constant. Skill, endurance, power, resilience, dedication are all traits that will never go out of fashion. But the environment around high performance sport has arguably never been more fluid than it is right now. With more touch points to the athlete and more ways in which to measure …

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51. The future sports coach 57:39

10M ago57:39

57:39

The sports coach of 2023 sure has a lot on their plate. They’re required to be an expert leader, tactician, communicator, relationship builder, media personality, as well as in many cases a spouse and parent. At the same time, they’re also expected to manage the ever-expanding needs of athletes, staff, media, owners and boards along with the changi…

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50. Computer vision in sport 53:16

10M ago53:16

53:16

Over the past three years, One Track Mind has been fortunate enough to host some of sport’s leading practitioners, academics, executives and entrepreneurs. To celebrate the 50th episode, this show was recorded live on the 29th June 2023 onsite at the Queensland University of Technology, as part of the Queensland Academy of Sport IGNITE 2032 Deep Di…

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49. What does 'good' technology look like? 45:19

11M ago45:19

45:19

In 2022, a global network of like-minded individuals came together to develop a standardized, evidence-based framework which could be adopted by any sports stakeholder to assess the value, usability, and quality of technology. The Framework consists of 25 measurable features grouped under five quality “pillars”: Quality Assurance & Measurement, Est…

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48. How could Artificial Intelligence impact sports? 48:21

1y ago48:21

48:21

Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest current hot topics. Two and a half years on from our first ever episode of One Track Mind, where we discussed whether sports should even adopt AI, and the landscape is now completely different. So different in fact that we’re no longer asking questions relating to if and when for AI,…

1
47. The importance of science communication in sport 37:51

1y ago37:51

37:51

In the age of social media and around the clock content accessibility, we’ve never had more quality information at our fingertips. But the same can also be said for misinformation. Extracting real signal from the noise has become one of contemporary science’s great challenges - not only in preventing negative impact through debunking potentially da…

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46. Can subject matter experts make good leaders? 1:02:52

1+ y ago1:02:52

1:02:52

On this episode of One Track Mind, host Sam Robertson is joined by regular guest of the show, David Joyce, to discuss: What makes a good leader? Why do subject matter experts so often end up in leadership roles? Whether it’s possible to be an expert and a good leader at the same time? What are the best tools that individuals and organisations can a…

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45. How does environment impact athlete development? 44:54

1+ y ago44:54

44:54

It’s often said that a champion team will beat a team of champions. But what is it about a team's culture, habits, levels of support, that makes them successful? And how can it be developed sustainably? To kick off 2023, host Sam Robertson sits down with the NBA's Elite Basketball Performance & Operations Advisor, Dr Jon Bartlett to discuss current…

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44. Creating safe sporting environments for junior participants 35:21

1+ y ago35:21

35:21

Every child should have the opportunity to participate in sport without being subjected to violence. However, research has shown that in reality the opposite is true, with more junior participants experiencing psychological, physical or sexual violence in sporting environments, than not. Join host Sam Robertson as he speaks with researcher Dr Mary …

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43. Seven musings & observations from 2022 24:46

1+ y ago24:46

24:46

What’s the latest training product or method taking the sporting world by storm? On which problems should organisations be trying to get ahead of their competition now? Join host Sam Robertson as he provides his observations on seven of the most common themes that have emerged on his journeys and interactions in 2022. Topic 1: Learning: the next co…

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42. What's next in football (soccer) performance? (Part 2) 32:17

1+ y ago32:17

32:17

Football (soccer) is making a change. Long criticized for being slower to innovate in performance practice than other sports, the emergence of new data sources is leading to the creation of new roles and responsibilities in the game. These roles, combined with an influx of staff talent from other sports is helping to break down silos between coachi…

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41. What's next in football (soccer) performance? (Part 1) 36:37

1+ y ago36:37

36:37

Football (soccer) is making a change. Long criticized for being slower to innovate in performance practice than other sports, the emergence of new data sources is leading to the creation of new roles and responsibilities in the game. These roles, combined with an influx of staff talent from other sports is helping to break down silos between coachi…

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40. What's next in Australian football performance? 35:07

2y ago35:07

35:07

Australian football has a long-standing reputation as a leader in high performance. So which new areas are clubs focusing on in order to drive performance to never before seen heights? And with increased challenges to resourcing in the wake of a global pandemic, how exactly will they bring new ideas to fruition? To find out, host Sam Robertson sits…

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39. Sport & the Entrepreneur (Part 2: Ventures) 42:36

2y ago42:36

42:36

When it comes to successful sports start ups, we’ve probably all got our favourite example or story. But for each one of these successes, there are many more examples of companies not thriving or even surviving. So what is it about a start up that signals this potential reward is high enough to warrant the significant risk? Is it the idea, the foun…

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38. Sport & the Entrepreneur (Part 1: Founders) 36:54

2y ago36:54

36:54

It’s an understatement to say that entrepreneurship in sport is exploding. Franchises across the globe are making considerable investments, the start up scene is burgeoning, university courses have emerged to train the next generation, and even some professional athletes have turned part-time entrepreneur. Of course none of the success of entrepren…

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37. How injury prediction actually could work (Part 2) 29:12

2y ago29:12

29:12

Some of the many issues with injury prediction modelling have been discussed on multiple occasions on One Track Mind. But what if we could reach this 'Holy Grail'? How far away would we be from this scenario eventuating? What would need to happen in order to get there? And is it even a world that athletes want? On Part 2 of this series on injury pr…

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36. How injury prediction actually could work (Part 1) 26:03

2y ago26:03

26:03

Some of the many issues with injury prediction modelling have been discussed on multiple occasions on One Track Mind. But what if we could reach this 'Holy Grail'? How far away would we be from this scenario eventuating? What would need to happen in order to get there? And is it even a world that athletes want? On this first of a two-part episode, …

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35. Genetic testing in sport: science or snake oil? 47:02

2y ago47:02

47:02

Genetic testing in sport has emerged as a cost-effective and accessible tool to identify an individual's potential for sporting performance, trainability, optimal exercise selection, recovery strategies and injury risks. But just how strong is the evidence behind this practice? What are the risks and rewards? And to what extent is this growing indu…

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34. Wearable technology for athlete monitoring 45:44

2y ago45:44

45:44

Wearable technology is proliferating at a rate of knots - from smart watches to heart rate monitors, posture-correcting sensors and even our mobile phones, almost anyone you talk to is using some personal health data from at least one of these devices. But despite the obvious performance benefits, are we creating an over-reliance on the information…

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33. Skill acquisition: sport's untapped performance frontier? 46:02

2y ago46:02

46:02

Skill is the defining feature of a successful athlete in many of the sports we play and love. Yet, it remains one of the most controversial areas of high performance methodology. How much practice is optimal? How variable do we need to make it? How hard should it be? And how do we know when what is learnt in practice has actually transferred to com…

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32. What's next in baseball performance? 1:05:18

2+ y ago1:05:18

1:05:18

Baseball is often viewed as one of the more traditional team sports. However, it’s recently been at the forefront of the analytics revolution in sport and is one of the most data rich, technology adoptive sports out there. This week’s episode has something for everyone – whether they're a baseball fan or not. Host Sam Robertson is joined by New Yor…

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31. Improving the talent pathway 57:50

2+ y ago57:50

57:50

We’re all familiar with examples of child sporting prodigies - social media posts of a four year old footballer masterfully dribbling past opponents or videos of a young Tiger Woods come readily to mind. But the reality is, these examples are anomalies - far from the norm and the pathway to getting there perhaps not desirable even if it was attaina…

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30. Is light the future of fast? 46:01

2+ y ago46:01

46:01

On the last episode of One Track Mind for 2021, host Sam Robertson is joined by New Zealand strength and conditioning legend Professor John Cronin (JC) The topic? Wearable resistance training. Lightweight wearable resistance training involves external micro-loads, sometimes as little as 0.5% of the users body mass, being applied to different segmen…

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29. Developing the high performance coach 47:27

2+ y ago47:27

47:27

On this episode, host Sam Robertson is joined by high-performance coach Neil Craig and skill acquisition expert Professor Damian Farrow in a general discussion covering all things high performance coaching. Topics include: - The new skill sets required by the modern coach - Areas for improvement in training and practice - Structuring coaching depar…

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28. Engaging the sports fan 1:03:19

2+ y ago1:03:19

1:03:19

In the blink of an eye, the volume and type of options available to the sports fan has exploded. The digital age has seen not only the battles for hearts and minds, but also eyeballs on screens, extend to other forms of entertainment, from live streaming to online gaming. The digital age has also meant that it’s a lot easier for sport businesses, b…

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27. Is academic publishing broken? 1:00:08

2+ y ago1:00:08

1:00:08

None of the latest breakthroughs in science come into mainstream practice without academic publishing - submission of a manuscript based on a study or experiment, which is then peer reviewed to assess its quality. Although this might not seem like an issue for sport, much of what goes on in the gymnasiums, playing fields and even front offices of s…

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26. How can we level the playing field? 53:21

2+ y ago53:21

53:21

It is often said that sport is the great leveller - that once participants enter the track, court or field of play, their background, beliefs and even the fiercest conflicts all become temporarily irrelevant. But in many aspects, the gap between the conditions and privileges afforded to certain sports and athletes but not others, is as large as it’…

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When should we trust our gut? 41:15

2+ y ago41:15

41:15

Intuition, gut instinct, educated hunch. Whether its contemplating who to select in an upcoming football match or hesitating to travel down that inner city, darkened alleyway, we all use our gut instincts every day. But it’s in our workplaces, where we often consider ourselves at our most organised and objective that an over-reliance on intuition h…

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A user's guide to decision-making hygiene 49:23

2+ y ago49:23

49:23

Consider some of the big decisions that you make in your job? Whether it’s setting a yearly plan, deciding what technology or infrastructure to invest in, or even hiring and firing staff, chances are there will be a lot to contemplate before settling on the final choice. Questions like ‘How long do I have to make the decision? How much information …

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Biases: flaws or features? 46:50

2+ y ago46:50

46:50

We all have them and a lot of the time, they’re influence is unavoidable. Biases are quite simply, part of the human condition. But despite considerable exposure in the media, research and even popular culture, much of the discussion has centred on viewing biases as flaws of the human condition. In this second episode of our four part series into d…

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What is a good decision? 53:28

2+ y ago53:28

53:28

Decisions. We all make thousands of them every day. From the once in a lifetime question that we spend weeks, months or years contemplating, to the subconscious choices that we don't even know. On this episode, we present the first of a four-part deep dive into decision-making in high performance sport, all to be released over the next month in the…

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Mini episode: Tokyo 2020 Recap 28:58

2+ y ago28:58

28:58

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were perhaps two of the most different in recent memory, due largely to the required measures that were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For most athletes, this meant interrupted, and/or heavily modified preparation, as well as some never before seen competition conditions. For some insi…

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Mini episode: 10 adaptive tools for the contemporary sport scientist (Pt 2) 38:50

3y ago38:50

38:50

Sport scientists face one of the most rapidly changing roles in all of sport. The second half of this two-part episode proposes 5 further 'adaptive tools' - new types of training, skill sets, operational processes or even mindsets - that sport scientists can call upon to not only help adapt to changing conditions in their workplace, but also to thr…

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Mini episode: 10 Adaptive tools for the contemporary sport scientist (Pt 1) 41:11

3y ago41:11

41:11

Sport scientists face one of the most rapidly changing roles in all of sport. This episode proposes 10 adaptive tools - new types of training, skill sets, operational processes or even mindsets - that sport scientists can call upon to not only help adapt to changing conditions in their workplace, but also to thrive and take advantage of these antic…

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14. Life After Sport – How Can We Help Athletes Transition? 1:02:25

3y ago1:02:25

1:02:25

All good things must come to an end. For athletes, that end can be sudden and far sooner than hoped. After years of intense dedication and sacrifice, the average career of a high performance athlete lasts no more than a few years. So what comes next? And how can we help them prepare for the emotional, physical and financial toll that comes with tha…

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Mini Episode: What Can Coaches Learn From Video Games? 34:01

3y ago34:01

34:01

What does a good video game have to do with improving athlete performance? On the face of it , perhaps not much. But if we dig a little deeper into the science and design behind video games, we can see the incredible power that modern games have in facilitating learning, through engaging the participant in a manner that is enjoyable and interactive…

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13. Why Should Sport Embrace Complexity? 49:33

3y ago49:33

49:33

Just like the economy, the weather, or traffic, sport is deeply complex. And we don't just mean that it has lots of elements or that it's difficult to understand, we're talking specifically about what's called a complex system – have a listen to our mini episode on this topic for a bit of a primer! When you're dealing with a complex system, you've …

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Mini Episode: '5 in 5' 14:57

3y ago14:57

14:57

We’ve had a lot of fantastic guests on the show thus far and now’s your chance to get to know some of them better through a segment we call ‘5 in 5’. In this mini episode, we ask guests to answer five questions about themselves, their career and of course the future of sport - all in less than 5 minutes. Join host Professor Sam Robertson as he spea…

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12. What's Next in Sports Analytics? 1:11:46

3y ago1:11:46

1:11:46

Analytics is arguably one of sport's fastest growing and most exciting fields. It's something people in sport never seem to stop talking about, but do we all agree on what it actually means? To help sift through the mud and understand what we should really be asking of our sports analysts, host Professor Sam Robertson speaks to two industry legends…

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MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference Podcasts

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