#140 NFL Analytics & Teaching Bayesian Stats, with Ron Yurko

#140 NFL Analytics & Teaching Bayesian Stats, with Ron Yurko

1:33:01 Sep 3, 2025
About this episode
Get early access to Alex's next live-cohort courses!Proudly sponsored by PyMC Labs, the Bayesian Consultancy. Book a call, or get in touch!Intro to Bayes Course (first 2 lessons free)Advanced Regression Course (first 2 lessons free)Our theme music is « Good Bayesian », by Baba Brinkman (feat MC Lars and Mega Ran). Check out his awesome work!Visit our Patreon page to unlock exclusive Bayesian swag ;)Takeaways:Teaching students to write out their own models is crucial.Developing a sports analytics portfolio is essential for aspiring analysts.Modeling expectations in sports analytics can be misleading.Tracking data can significantly improve player performance models.Ron encourages students to engage in active learning through projects.The importance of understanding the dependency structure in data is vital.Ron aims to integrate more diverse sports analytics topics into his teaching.Chapters:03:51 The Journey into Sports Analytics15:20 The Evolution of Bayesian Statistics in Sports26:01 Innovations in NFL WAR Modeling39:23 Causal Modeling in Sports Analytics46:29 Defining Replacement Levels in Sports48:26 The Going Deep Framework and Big Data in Football52:47 Modeling Expectations in Football Data55:40 Teaching Statistical Concepts in Sports Analytics01:01:54 The Importance of Model Building in Education01:04:46 Statistical Thinking in Sports Analytics01:10:55 Innovative Research in Player Movement01:15:47 Exploring Data Needs in American Football01:18:43 Building a Sports Analytics PortfolioThank you to my Patrons for making this episode possible!Yusuke Saito, Avi Bryant, Ero Carrera, Giuliano Cru
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