Wharton Moneyball

Brian Burke, Sports Data Scientist at ESPN, joins Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, and Shane Jensen to share insights on building advanced football power ranking systems, the role of Bayesian models in balancing priors and new data, and how analytics informs game-day decisions like fourth-down calls and playoff predictions. Cade, Eric, and Shane also analyze standout performances and key narratives from NFL Week One, preview pivotal college football games, examine the growing dominance of Carlos Alcaraz over Jannik Sinner in men’s tennis, and highlight major offensive trends across Major League Baseball. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steven Godfrey, columnist at The Washington Post and cohost of multiple college football podcasts, joins Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, and Adi Wyner to discuss the growing role of analytics in shaping how fans, coaches, and media interpret the sport, offering insights into decision-making, fan culture, and the changing landscape of college football. Cade, Eric, and Adi also explore under-the-radar college football matchups, the evolving storylines of the US Open including Naomi Osaka’s return, rare achievements in Major League Baseball, and the start of the NFL season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Sackmann, founder of Tennis Abstract and expert in tennis analytics, joins the conversation with insights into the power of data in sports. He discusses his predictive models for the U.S. Open and highlights the impressive performances of rising stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Jeff explains how tennis analytics is revolutionizing strategies, including serve variability and real-time match adjustments. The talk also touches on trends in golf and MLB, intertwining the impact of statistics across various sports.

Rick Peterson, longtime MLB pitching coach and author of Crunch Time, joins Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, and Adi Wyner to reflect on his career coaching elite players like Hall of Famer Billy Wagner, share insights on performance under pressure, and discuss how velocity, biomechanics, and training have reshaped the game of baseball. Cade, Eric, and Adi also explore statistical approaches to understanding clubhouse effects in baseball, discuss standout performances in professional golf, and analyze the volatility of college football rankings, blending probability theory, data insights, and real-world sports narratives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly joins Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow and Shane Jensen to share his take on the men’s and women’s tennis tours, the emerging Sinner–Alcaraz rivalry, and the depth of talent in women’s tennis. Bill also dissects the 2025 college football landscape, sharing insights on conference strength, playoff expansion, coaching trajectories, and which teams have the best shot at this season’s national championship. Cade, Eric and Shane keep the conversation going, discussing recent golf highlights, including Justin Rose’s win and Ryder Cup implications, as well as emerging MLB storylines such as the Milwaukee Brewers’ dominance, surging offensive stats, and surprising betting odds for perennial favorites like the Dodgers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wharton's Eric Bradlow and Adi Wyner are joined by Brandon Copeland, NFL veteran and founder of Athletes.org, to discuss his unlikely rise from Ivy League football to a decade-long pro career and his current work empowering college athletes with advocacy, legal support, and financial literacy in a rapidly evolving NCAA landscape. Plus, they explore the analytical dilemmas behind lineup decisions for the Yankees, Hall of Fame projections, and how rest versus readiness affects elite athletes like Novak Djokovic, while also examining NBA and NFL betting odds through a data-driven lens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wharton's Cade Massey and Eric Bradlow are joined by Aaron Schatz, Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy, to discuss how his models forecast the 2025 NFL season—from rising teams like the Ravens and Commanders to quarterback outlooks and evolving coaching impacts. Plus Cade & Eric discuss the MLB Hall of Fame the WNBA’s upcoming free agency shakeup. and the WNBA's rising viewership metrics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wharton's Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, and Shane Jensen speak with Craig O'Shannessy, Director of Brain Game Tennis and tennis strategy advisor, about Novak Djokovic’s narrowing window, Rafael Nadal’s head-to-head dominance in majors, and why Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz may define the next era of tennis through consistency, rivalry, and advanced analytics. They also discuss Scottie Scheffler winning The Open Championship, home run hitters, MLB divisional races, MLB Hall of Fame, and NFL Training Camp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wharton's Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, Adi Wyner, and Shane Jensen speak with Alan Nathan, Professor Emeritus of Physics at University of Illinois about baseball bat construction and the physical factors that impacted the Home Run Derby. They also discuss the possibility of juicing baseballs for the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, Cal Raleigh's batting, MLB expectations post-All Star, and Wimbledon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A highlight of Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, and Adi Wyner's conversation with Seth Partnow—Data Science Manager for the NBA at PENN Interactive, former Director of Basketball Research for the Milwaukee Bucks, and author of The Midrange Theory—discussing what NBA work at PENN Interactive entails, expectations for draft picks and predicting player performance, and how talent distribution across NBA teams is changing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.