Denuology: The Observation and Observations of Denuo. » Sports

MLB Hits a Home Run with Twitter (Get it!?!?!)

jdurbin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 20:18:36 +0000

Twitter and pro sports have had a tumultuous love affair. On one hand, leagues have benefitted from players and fans connecting directly. On the other hand, Larry Johnson.

At one point in 2009, it looked like Twitter and professional sports would never get along. Teams and media properties were heavily regulating content of tweets or banning it altogether.

Thankfully, we’re to a point now where enough people in decision-making positions understand how Twitter works. Teams are able to give players social media training. They have gone from blanket banning to friendly warning if a player gets a little liberal with their tweets. The change has been great for fans as we can get news and insider views like no other generation of sports fan before us.

Tonight will hopefully be the next step in the evolution of how we view sports.

Major League Baseball has empowered players at tonight’s Home Run Derby to tweet their brains out during the event (but just this event). They will aggregate the content on MLB.com as well as other social channels or you can follow your favorite player who will be tweeting.

While the idea of players tweeting could never work during games (due to media commitments and you shouldn’t tweet during your homerun trot, amongst other things), it raises a question: Why not have someone doing this for every team for every game?

Players can’t do it, but a team employee can. Someone integrated with the team, on the bench, in the dugout, on the sideline with enough savvy to know what to tweet and what not to tweet that he/she overhears or sees. And honestly, if a player is injured or not playing that night, what reason is there not to let them tweet?

Twitter offers an opportunity that television and radio can’t replicate by allowing a series of Twitter handles that can each have a unique voice. A TV broadcast has to appeal to as many people as possible. Therefore, oftentimes you won’t get real in-depth analysis and only hear what teams are willing to tell a sideline reporter.

With Twitter, a team could create accounts that provide that instant analysis that TV executives think would alienate the casual fan (side note: I disagree with this philosophy. Your audience will be as smart as you empower them to be). They could explain why a pitcher is laying off his cutter that particular day. Or why the two tight end set is killing a defense. Or why a team that tends to rely on the three pointer is suddenly driving to the hoop.

It seems like a natural progression of where analysis and sports coverage is heading. Sportswriters and fans are starting to provide analysis during games. Better for teams to get in front of the trend and potentially create a property they can monetize along with their broadcast streams.

Watching the games is why we follow the athletes or executives. It’s like the opening credits to a movie. Following them tells us who or what we expect to see. But without the film (or game), then we just looked at a bunch of words. Yet the crux of their business, the games, is the one place that is going untouched. Here’s hoping that soon after tonight’s Tater Contest, that stops being the case.

Putting the N-E-R-D back in Sports

jdurbin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:57:05 +0000

As the coolest guy at Denuo, I have some shocking news that will likely upset you. I have a super huge nerdy side. I know. You thought I was different. You thought I would never get locked in a debate between who is better, Thor or Longshot. Don’t worry, that’s still true. But the nerd side does exist. And he exists for sports analytics. While I won’t debate blonde dudes in comic books, I will get into a debate about whether Adam Dunn was more valuable to the Nationals than Derek Jeter was to the Yankees in 2010 (Hint: Dunn’s WAR was 1.4 points higher than Jeter’s).

And with that, I shall be releasing Nerd Durbin (Nerbin for short) at the Sloan Sports Analytics conference this weekend in Boston. It’s a great event put on the by the MIT Sloan School of Management. It’s not just for people who love sports analytics, but also want an inside view into the world of sports business.

I will be on the Twitters, tweetering during the conference (@jdurbin and #ssac). If you want to follow along, they will be streaming the panels here. For the agenda click here.

Don’t know what panels to check out? Well lucky you. Here are my recommendations (note that I did not list everything):

“Birth to Stardom: Developing the Modern Athlete in 10,000 hours?”

Why it will be interesting: The opening panel. Usually a good way to start the day. There’s a lot of debate about putting kids into too many activities and over committing to one sport too early. Will be interesting to hear the different takes.

Added Bonus: When else will you be able to see Justin Tuck and Malcolm Gladwell have a conversation?

“The Coming War: Sports Labor Relations”

Why it will be interesting: Mostly relevance. The current NFL CBA expires at Midnight tonight. The NBA’s expires this summer. The thing I will enjoy is the complexity of these things. While the owners seem to have all leverage in the NFL negotiations, the players could disband the union and sue the NFL under anti-trust law like they did in 1993. More tidbits like that will make my brain happy.

Added Bonus: The palpable awkwardness for the rest of the conference when someone says something inappropriate about the owners.

“Sports Gambling: The Source of Sports Innovation?”

Why it will be interesting: I love betting on sports. But aside from that, it will be interesting to see how this panel meshes with the rest of the conference. Leagues are openly and vehemently anti-gambling so it will be interesting to see how much credit the industry is given for fan interest.

Added Bonus: You might get a hot gambling tip.

“The Decision: How Players and Teams Will Choose in the Future”

Why it will be interesting: Was Lebron a one time thing? Is it something we will become immune to? Will be good to hear from the industry folks on what their fears might be.

Added Bonus: Brian Burke is a part of this panel. He’s awesome and by far my favorite sports executive. If you had any doubt about my sports nerdery, I think the fact I have a favorite executive should put those questions to rest.

“Basketball Analytics”

Why it will be interesting: Basketball seems to be where baseball analytics were about 15 years ago. A lot of new and interesting ways to measure performance are being figured out. As with baseball there should be a few good head slap moments that make you say “of course! It’s so obvious!”

Added Bonus: You might get some hot tips for your NCAA bracket (but probably not).

“Referee Analytics”

Why it will be interesting: The topic is fascinating. There only recently seems to be a mainstream acceptance of Referees as inputs when evaluating performance of a team or a player. Mark Cuban talking about refs? Yes. And. Please.

Added Bonus: My favorite NFL referee is on the panel. Yup, even have a favorite NFL ref.

“Gut vs Data: How Coaches Make Decisions”

Why it will be interesting: The coaching panel last year was incredibly insightful. You learn so much and gain an appreciation for how much goes into coaching. Two members of last year’s panel (Avery Johnson and Buck Showalter) were hired and are back to coaching this year. It’s cool to get that kind of candid exposure to how they think and view things.

Added Bonus: Mike Leach is on the panel. Charlie Sheen is the only person on the planet better at making awesome quotes.

“New Owners: Challenges and Opportunities”

Why it will be interesting: You can learn an insane amount from talking to someone who has owned a business (assuming you never have). Put that business in one of the most visible and highly criticized industries, and you get an even more fertile ground for learning.

Added Bonus: Figuring out which owner clearly has no idea what he is doing based on how confused he is by the conversation. There might not be one. But more importantly, there might be.

“Business of Sports”

Why it will be interesting: I just find the business of sports interesting. Sunil Gulati and Darren Rovell (great Twitter account @darrenrovell) should have some great insight.

Added Bonus: You might get a hot tip on what franchise is failing.

“The Future of the Game Day Experience: HDTV vs Live Events”

Why it will be interesting: In my mind there is no bigger issue in sports. Ticket prices go up while at home viewing options increase. Owners need to balance the cost of running a team with at what point they price out fans. I am really interested to hear what plans there are to address this need because I would like to go to games but can’t justify the expense more than once or twice a year.

Added Bonus: This is a reverse bonus. This will be the last panel of the conference, and I’ll have to put Nerbin back in his cage. Frown.

Well, until my fantasy baseball draft that is.

PLAYED – January 2011

Eric Bee — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:18:04 +0000

….and we’re back! Last year saw the gaming industry grow in unexpected ways, from social gaming to the rise of digital distribution. 2011 looks to be another year of innovation, business development, and, of course, great games. That said, this issue of PLAYED takes 2011 to task, asking both how and where we’ll all be gaming over the next year, while also recapping and prognosticating about the ever-shifting social gaming space. Also, since the year is getting off to a splendid start for blockbuster titles, we look at how gamers are utilizing unique and innovative ways to try games before plunking down their hard-earned cash well beyond the video store shelf.

Remember, every article contains links to videos, supplemental information, and other digital goodies, so click on the red text for more PLAYED goodness online. Also, back issues and even more gaming insight is available up above you by clicking on the “PLAYED” tab.

Feel free to e-mail us with any questions or comments on this, or any other month’s, issue.

Download it here! Have a fun! Enjoy!

REFLECTEUR – Issue 69

Eric Bee — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:05:03 +0000

Whether its how many friends our brain can process on Facebook, or pulling a “Being John Malkovich” and living vicariously through someone else’s Twitter feed, this week’s Reflecteur is socially aware of all the nutty things our favorite social networks can do to one’s mind. Also, see how mapping APIs are being used to reflect racial issues in urban environments and The Pool’s latest research results for short-form online video.

All this, plus making fun of hipsters, in this week’s Reflecteur.

Download it here!

Denuo U – Sneakerhead 101

Matt Story — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 22:06:30 +0000

A sneakerhead, as defined by Mr. Matt Story, is “a person who owns multiple pairs of shoes as a form of collection and fashion.”

How can you become a sneakerhead, you ask? Well simple, check out the presentation after the jump. You’ll learn some sneaker history, find out what Uptowns and Js are, and get up-to-date on the latest in sneaker geekery.

Class is in session – just don’t scuff the kicks on your way in.

Sneakers

View more presentations from denuology.