Case Competition

Details

The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics case competition is designed to provide all students with a fun, dynamic, and competitive learning experience to gain exposure to sports business issues. Previous editions of the case competition can be viewed on our YouTube page!

This year’s competition will begin in early February when registered teams are provided with the case question. Each team will be asked to submit a written presentation that outlines their proposed solution to the case question. Presentations will be due in mid-February.

This year's theme has not yet been announced.

Three teams will then be selected to present their findings during the Conference on March 7-8 (exact time to be announced). The three finalists will deliver their presentations to a judging panel of esteemed sports industry professionals.

Registration for the 2026 has not yet opened.

Rules

Team Structure

Interested participants must register in teams of up to three students. Each team must consist of students from the same university.

Team Eligibility

To participate in the case competition, teams must meet the following criteria:

All team members must be full-time enrolled students at the time of the conference
All team members must be from the same university
All team members must have never won the SSAC Case Competition before

Competition Logistics

The competition will occur in two rounds. The first round takes place in February ahead of the conference. The final round will be hosted at the 2026 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, taking place on March 6-7 in Boston, MA.

In the first round, registered teams will be asked to submit a written presentation in both PowerPoint and PDF format. The presentation may not exceed 15 slides including introduction, conclusion, and appendices. The SSAC organizing committee will work with the competition sponsors to evaluate all submissions and select three teams to participate in the final round.

In the final round, the three finalists will deliver their presentations live at SSAC to a judging panel of esteemed sports industry professionals. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Case Preparation

In early February, registered teams will be provided with the case question. The case will include an underlying data set that teams must utilize to inform their proposed solution to the case question.

In addition to the provided data set, students are permitted to use any research tools or resources available to them to address the case question. Teams may also leverage external data to support their findings, but citations are required.

All main ideas must be the unique ideas of only the team members involved. Plagiarism will result in disqualification. Team members may not consult with any other individuals (including other students, other teams, or experts in the field).

Ticket Policy

You can register for the case competition even if you do not have a conference ticket. If your team is selected as one of the three finalists, each team member will be required to purchase a ticket at the student price. If you already paid for a ticket to SSAC25, there will be no additional fees to participate in the case competition.