The Sloan Sports Analytics Conference showcases cutting-edge research that is frequently featured in top media outlets throughout the world and has even changed the way sports are analyzed. The competition is an ideal way to build your reputation within the field of sports analytics.
This year’s competition will feature six sports tracks – Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Football, Business of Sports, and Other Sports. In addition, all submissions that include code and data will be considered for the Best Open Source paper award.
Invitations to submit a full manuscript have already been sent out. If you have received an invitation, you must submit your research paper by December 13, 2020.
Abstracts will be selected based on the novelty, academic rigor and impact of the research.
Please refer to our Research Papers Rules page for full details on the submission and evaluation process. We look forward to reading your contribution!
You can see the 9 research papers and 13 posters presented at SSAC20 here.
The competition consists of the following phases:
Authors submit abstracts. Based on the judged merits of their abstract submissions, a select group of authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts.
Invited authors submit full manuscripts. Referees will evaluate every manuscript, and authors of the best submissions will be invited to give a presentation on their findings at the conference. The referees will also select a separate set of authors who will be invited to present their work during a poster session.
a. Presentations
Invited authors will present their findings during the first day of the conference. Based on the quality of the presentation and manuscript, one paper per sports track (see tracks below) will be selected to advance to the finals, with a potential wild card spot for the next best paper.
b. Poster Competition
All posters selected for the conference will be entered into a competition for Best Poster, determined by a combination of a fan and judges vote during the weekend of the conference.
Note: this competition is independent of the presentation finals, and none of the posters will advance to the presentation finals.
Finalists will present again during day two of the conference in front of a panel of industry experts.
Abstract submission due - 9/20 11:59 p.m. EST
Full paper requests submitted - Early October 2020
Full paper submissions due (if selected) - 12/13 11:59 p.m. EST
Finalists and posters announced - End of January 2021
Submission of poster (if selected) - Mid-February 2021
Submission of presentation (if selected) - Mid-February 2021
Conference presentations (if selected) - March/April 2021
Based on abstract content, all submissions will be entered into one of the following Sports Tracks:
Additionally, there will be a fifth track that all submissions can jointly qualify for:
considered in this category.
Abstract Guidelines
Abstract submissions should be submitted online, and must use the following guidelines:
Evaluation of Submissions
The conference seeks submissions that report research pertaining to the use of analytics in the sports industry. We are open to contributions ranging from evaluating players and game strategies, to examining the success factors for sports business. In the abstract and full paper submission process, research will be evaluated on, but not necessarily limited to, the following criteria:
In evaluating presentation finalists at the 2021 SSAC, the above factors will be supplemented by the following criteria, as judged by a panel of academics
and industry executives from team management and sports business operations:
The Research Papers team will review all abstracts. The Review Committee will evaluate all manuscript submissions. The Review Committee consists of the Research Papers team, as well as academic professors and experts from top universities in fields including statistics, information sciences, and economics. The industry panel that makes the final winner selection will decide on the basis of the paper and the presentation at the 2021 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. In these final evaluations, more weight will be given to the final presentation, specifically the highlighted application and impact of the research.
Conflict of Interest Policy
Our objective is to ensure an unbiased evaluation of submissions throughout the process. We are aware that members of the evaluation committee may have had relationships with authors who have submitted papers. When possible, potential conflicts of interest are avoided by minimizing the review of research by the following:
All potential conflicts of interest will be managed as best as possible while still maintaining the quality of the review process. Final reviews will occur without knowledge of the names of the authors.
Rights and Permissions
All authors retain ownership rights to the research and the right to publish the research after the conference. Upon submission, authors grant access to 42 Analytics to make their research available for public viewing online and in print, for conference use for the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from third parties to reprint copyrighted information such as data, tables, or figures that may be protected by copyright.