Wharton Moneyball

By Wharton Podcast Network

Sports is a game of numbers. Wharton experts Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, Cade Massey, and Adi Wyner team up to tackle the world of sports, from current events to longstanding issues such as: What sports streaks are the most impressive? How do you rank the best players? Can athletes be compared across sports? Moneyball explains how decision-makers in the game can avoid the common mistakes and embrace the data. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School.<hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

21 episodes

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Basketball Analytics Reveal Independence of Core Performance Factors

Basketball Analytics Reveal Independence of Core Performance Factors

Mar 11, 2026

Basketball's core metrics are surprisingly independent, revealing diverse paths to success beyond conventional wisdom. Understand these hidden statistical relationships to gain a competitive edge.

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Organizational Culture Drives Baseball Success Beyond Analytics

Organizational Culture Drives Baseball Success Beyond Analytics

Mar 04, 2026

Build championship organizations not by chasing wins, but by embracing difficult, long-term investments and the complex interplay of data and intuition.

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Hall of Fame Balances Tradition, Relevance for New Generations

Hall of Fame Balances Tradition, Relevance for New Generations

Feb 25, 2026

The Baseball Hall of Fame actively connects past and future generations by embracing interactive exhibits and evolving metrics, ensuring its legacy endures.

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NBA Draft Lottery Incentivizes Tanking Over True Competition

NBA Draft Lottery Incentivizes Tanking Over True Competition

Feb 18, 2026

The NBA draft lottery, designed for parity, incentivizes "tanking" and strategic underperformance, distorting competition and obscuring true team strength.

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Tennis's Short Points Blueprint: Business's Overlooked High-Impact Actions

Tennis's Short Points Blueprint: Business's Overlooked High-Impact Actions

Feb 11, 2026

Most tennis points, and business initiatives, are decided within four shots. Focus on immediate, high-impact actions instead of lengthy, complex projects to gain a competitive edge.

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NFL Leverages Data Simulation for Strategic Advantage

NFL Leverages Data Simulation for Strategic Advantage

Feb 04, 2026

The NFL leverages advanced data and simulation to uncover hidden consequences of rules and player movements, building a more competitive, safer, and engaging game by anticipating downstream effects.

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Prediction Markets Offer Durable Edge Beyond Opaque Sportsbooks

Prediction Markets Offer Durable Edge Beyond Opaque Sportsbooks

Jan 28, 2026

Prediction markets offer a durable edge by revealing market mechanics and rewarding adept trading, not just event prediction. Master liquidity, order books, and bot behavior to gain a competitive advantage.

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Analytics and Transfer Portal Reshape College Football Strategy and Stability

Analytics and Transfer Portal Reshape College Football Strategy and Stability

Jan 21, 2026

College football analytics now predicts future success and drives in-game decisions, transforming strategy. This data-driven evolution, however, introduces instability through a "non-stop free agency" environment and widening financial gaps.

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Playoff Randomness Obscures Best Team, Transforms College Football

Playoff Randomness Obscures Best Team, Transforms College Football

Jan 14, 2026

Expanded college football playoffs and player transfers increase randomness, making it harder to identify the "best" team and transforming traditional team-building strategies.

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NFL Parity and College Football's Transfer Portal Shift Dynamics

NFL Parity and College Football's Transfer Portal Shift Dynamics

Jan 07, 2026

The NFL playoff race lacks dominant teams, creating an unusually open contest. College football sees new power dynamics emerge from the transfer portal, challenging traditional recruiting advantages.

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Interpreting Advanced Sports Analytics: Limitations and Uncertainties

Interpreting Advanced Sports Analytics: Limitations and Uncertainties

Dec 31, 2025

Advanced sports analytics reveal surprising truths, challenging traditional stats and market perceptions to uncover true team and player strength.

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Advanced Analytics Reveal NFL Discrepancies in Team Strength and Awards

Advanced Analytics Reveal NFL Discrepancies in Team Strength and Awards

Dec 24, 2025

Advanced analytics reveal NFL teams like Seattle and the Rams are historically elite, challenging conventional models and suggesting a significant shift in how team strength and Super Bowl chances are assessed.

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College Football Playoff Structure Creates Competitive Imbalance and Unpredictable Outcomes

College Football Playoff Structure Creates Competitive Imbalance and Unpredictable Outcomes

Dec 17, 2025

College football's playoff format amplifies home-field advantage and rematches, creating unpredictable outcomes. Baseball contracts should value future performance, not past, as marginal gains define championship probability.

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Analytics Transform Sports While Balancing Optimization and Appeal

Analytics Transform Sports While Balancing Optimization and Appeal

Dec 09, 2025

Google search data reveals surging WNBA fan interest, fueling business investment. College athletes now demand fair representation and compensation in multi-billion dollar sports negotiations.

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Analyzing NFL Team Strength Beyond Win-Loss Records

Analyzing NFL Team Strength Beyond Win-Loss Records

Dec 03, 2025

NFL power rankings reveal a surprising disconnect between team wins and true strength, challenging common perceptions of team performance and leading to unexpected rankings.

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Bayesian Stats Temper Thunder's Historic Pace

Bayesian Stats Temper Thunder's Historic Pace

Nov 26, 2025

Analyze NBA, NFL, and baseball analytics, exploring how Bayesian updating, advanced metrics, and student research uncover hidden performance insights and challenge conventional wisdom.

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Baseball's WAR Evolution and the Rarity of 10-Win Seasons

Baseball's WAR Evolution and the Rarity of 10-Win Seasons

Nov 19, 2025

Baseball's WAR metric shifts, NBA teams diverge wildly, Rams rebuild astoundingly, and evaluating young stars requires a defining age-20 performance surge.

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Sports Analytics: Diminishing Home-Field Advantage, Evolving Awards

Sports Analytics: Diminishing Home-Field Advantage, Evolving Awards

Nov 12, 2025

Home-field advantage shrinks, analytics challenge traditional awards, and the expanded college football playoff creates more meaningful games, reshaping how we predict sports outcomes.

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Wemby's Defense Rewrites NBA Offensive Game Theory

Wemby's Defense Rewrites NBA Offensive Game Theory

Nov 05, 2025

Victor Wembanyama's historic defense redefines offensive strategy, while rookie development and the evolving role of analytics challenge traditional NBA front office thinking.

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College Football's Chaos Superfecta: Uncertainty Reigns Supreme

College Football's Chaos Superfecta: Uncertainty Reigns Supreme

Oct 29, 2025

College football's "Chaos Superfecta" illustrates inherent uncertainty; NIL, transfers, and realignment amplify volatility, forcing coaches to weigh salaries against talent acquisition for program success.

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Analytics Stole Baseball's Soul, But It Can Be Restored

Analytics Stole Baseball's Soul, But It Can Be Restored

Oct 22, 2025

Analytics have stripped baseball of its compelling narratives and fan engagement by prioritizing predictable outcomes over strategic play, demanding a radical overhaul to restore the game's soul.

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