SSAC

Olav Aleksander Bu - Co-Founder, Head of Performance for Norway Triathlon, Santara Technology Chris Cassidy - Retired NASA Astronaut & NAVY Seal, President and CEO, National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation Roberta Groner - Professional Runner, USATF and RRCA Coach Steve Magness (moderator) - Performance Coach, Author   What do space flight and endurance sports have in common? Both demand the highest level of physical and mental performance, requiring astronauts and athletes alike to push their limits and strive for peak performance. Achieving this goal requires a comprehensive approach that integrates training, recovery, nutrition, and perhaps most important of all mental toughness. This panel will explore what peak human performance means and whether or not it is attainable, drawing on the insights and expertise of Olav Aleksander Bu (coach of Ironman World Champions Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden), Chris Cassidy (former Navy Seal and NASA Astronaut), and Roberta Gronder (American Distance Runner). Join Author and Performance Coach, Steve Magness as he leans on his experience to sift through the complexities and understand what matters most in the pursuit for peak human performance.

Experts from Sony Sports, LA Dodgers, and Second Spectrum discuss the impact of advanced data capture in sports, enhancing player evaluation, game strategy, and officiating. They explore the use of technology for data collection, challenges and innovations in sports technology, and the evolution of analytics in sports. The podcast highlights the collaborative approach in data analysis for improved performance and the challenges of implementing biomechanics technologies in sports.

Steve Palazzolo - Head of Product for the Football Division, Pro Football Focus (PFF) Thomas Dimitroff - CEO, SumerSports Kevin Demoff - Chief Operating Officer, Los Angeles Rams Jacqueline Davidson - Senior Director of Football Research, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Seth Walder (moderator) - Analytics Writer, ESPN   Football teams across the NFL are using analytics to build an edge over their competition, with improved roster construction being a chief use case. This has also created numerous opportunities for companies to build solutions that provide teams with the data and analytics they need to truly create an edge. Super Bowl winning executives and leaders from SumerSports and PFF convene on this panel to discuss how teams are currently using analytics to build that edge. Potential areas of discussion include how teams are building through the draft, how to prioritize cap allocation to the correct players and positions, approaches to free agency, and the handling of all the variables that come with trading. Panelists will touch on how teams are deploying analytics today, what has and hasn’t worked well in the league thus far, and where teams will be putting more of their analytics focus in the coming years.

Omar Chaudhuri - Chief Intelligence Officer, Twenty First Group Sarah Rudd - Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, src | ftbl Mladen Sormaz - Director of Football Analytics, 777 Partners Football Group John Muller (moderator) - Senior Writer, The Athletic   Soccer is both perhaps the most "unsolvable" major sport and earlier in the analytics adoption curve at the club level, making it an extremely exciting time for the global leaders pushing the boundaries of soccer analytics. The beautiful game's analytics research grows more fascinating by the year, with concepts like expected possession value models, pitch control, talent development, set piece optimization, and more gaining more traction. Meanwhile, clubs have become massive businesses, spending hundreds of millions of pounds on individual players while still unsure of how to integrate even basic analytical insights into their decision-making processes. This panel gathers the sport's brightest minds from the world's leading clubs, analytics consultancies, data providers, and researchers to truly dig into soccer's analytics frontier.

Join basketball analytics leaders Mike Zarren, Shane Battier, and Katherine Evans as they delve into the fascinating world of player development through data. They highlight how analytics has transformed training approaches and roster construction, making teams more competitive. Discover the evolution of player engagement with data, the rise of technology in performance analysis, and how personal analytics can enhance individual player growth. The dynamic interplay between soft skills and data insights is reshaping the future of basketball!

Seth Walder - Analytics Writer, ESPN Brian Burke - Data Scientist, ESPN Allison Loucks (moderator) - Director, Business Development & Innovation, ESPN   ESPN Analytics will take a deep dive into what the team has done to tell differentiating stories with player tracking data, using the prism of Receiver Tracking Metrics, its newest offering using NFL Next Gen Stats data.

Join Jonathan Kraft, President of The Kraft Group, Amy Howe, CEO of FanDuel, and Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars, as they delve into the booming sports betting industry. They discuss how legalization, especially in Massachusetts, is transforming markets and partnerships. Hear about the evolution from taboo gambling to a reputable industry and the critical role of technology in personalizing customer experiences. The panel also tackles the importance of responsible gaming, emerging competition, and innovative strategies that aim to enhance fan engagement.

Molly Pendleton - Head of Touring, NHL and MLS, Eventellect Ryan Tanke - COO, Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx Brian Lafemina - Chief Business Officer, LA28 Sezin Aksoy - Senior Vice President, Global Data Strategy & Analytics, AXS Shira Springer (moderator) - MIT Sloan Lecturer and Journalist, MIT Sloan   While companies are pouring billions of dollars into media and streaming rights to bring events to the masses, there is nothing that can replicate a live viewing experience: the sights, smells, sounds, and energy of a stadium is so unique. The stakes are only amplified when the events and experiences are big - fan expectations skyrocket in parallel with ticket prices. This panel convenes leading executives from ticketing companies, teams, and major events to discuss how to price the biggest tickets and deliver the boldest experiences all in the name providing fans an unforgettable live experience.

Jon Patricof - CEO and Co-Founder, Athletes Unlimited Katlyn Gao - Co-Founder and CEO, LOVB Andrew Sinnenberg - Chief Operating Officer, Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) Johanna Boynton - Chair and Principal Owner, Toronto Six (PHF) Shira Springer (moderator) - MIT Sloan Lecturer and Journalist, MIT Sloan   Amid seemingly endless opportunities for entertainment, the drama and excitement of sports remains a core part of our culture and continues to capture our attention. Shifting participation trends in youth and high school sports will shape the fans of the future. For example, volleyball - with over 450,000 participants in 2022 - is poised to overtake track and field as the most popular high school girls sport in the US. Amid these changes, we have seen a wave of new leagues - outside the Big 4 sports - pushing the boundaries of traditional league operations through unique approaches to fan engagement, team structure, player empowerment, and gameplay. This panel will dive into the strategies and tactics of innovative leagues like Athletes Unlimited, League One Volleyball, Premier League Lacrosse, and Premier Hockey Federation and outline what's in store for the exciting next chapter of professional sports.

Paul Caine - President, Endeavor’s IMG Events and On Location John Sheeran - Senior Commercial Director, FanDuel Elizabeth Lindsey - President, Brands and Properties, Wasserman Jeff Price - Chief Commercial Officer, PGA of America Abe Madkour (moderator) - Publisher & Executive Editor, Sports Business Journal, Sports Business Daily/Global   In the last decade, traditional sponsorships have evolved into broader partnerships with deeper integrations and expectations. The current age of data and digitization has also fundamentally impacted sports partnerships in recent years: we are getting close to the "holy grail" of determining the value behind partnerships. On this panel, we combine holistic perspectives from the PGA of America, Wasserman, Endeavor, and FanDuel to provide insights into how data analytics has revolutionized sports partnerships and allowed both the brands and talent to calculate successes and failures.