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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.
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Professor David Henkin, a historian of American culture and author of Out of the Ballpark, joins the Wharton Moneyball team to examine how baseball’s history, statistical evolution, and fan engagement reveal a complex, ever-changing sport that defies any single interpretation. Cade, Eric, Shane, and Adi also discuss early data and strategy implications of the automated ball-strike system in Major League Baseball while also analyzing tournament dynamics and competitive balance in NCAA March Madness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eric Tulski, Head of Hockey Operations for the Carolina Hurricanes, joins the Moneyball team to explains how analytics, roster construction, and organizational philosophy influence performance, player evaluation, and playoff outcomes in the NHL. Cade, Shane, and Adi also discuss the dominance of teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the debate over salary caps and spending floors, and how analytics and labor negotiations may shape the future of Major League Baseball. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brandt Tilis, Executive Vice President for Football Operations for the Carolina Panthers, joins the show to break down NFL roster construction, draft strategy, and the economics of quarterback contracts. He explains how teams balance analytics, film evaluation, and salary cap constraints. In the second half, the hosts discuss the intensity of the World Baseball Classic, automated strike zones, and surprising NHL playoff races. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ken Pomeroy, college basketball statistician and founder of KenPom, joins Wharton Moneyball to break down tempo-free efficiency ratings, the four factors (shooting, turnovers, rebounding, and free throws), and how he evaluates prediction accuracy and calibration across a full season. Plus, Eric, Shane, and Adi discuss what caught their eye in sports — from World Baseball Classic odds and preseason workload questions to tennis dominance and what makes today’s stars so statistically extraordinary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Theo Epstein, Senior Advisor and part owner of Fenway Sports Group and former executive with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, explains how integrating analytics with scouting built championship organizations, how reforms like the pitch timer reshaped the pace of play, and how Major League Baseball can reenergize its national appeal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, joins Eric, Shane, and Cade to explore how Cooperstown preserves baseball history, adapts to analytics and evolving standards of excellence, and prepares for America’s 250th anniversary while shaping the future of the game’s most iconic institution. Plus, the Moneyball team analyzes standout moments from the Winter Olympics—including three-on-three hockey and mixed doubles curling—while also examining NHL goaltending streaks and Major League Baseball preseason projections that raise broader questions about league parity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ben Alamar—former NBA analytics executive with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, and author of Sports Analytics: A Guide for Coaches, Managers, and Other Decision Makers—joins Wharton Moneyball to break down emerging NBA storylines, the unintended consequences of draft lottery reform, bold alternatives to tanking, and the case for analytics trailblazer Dean Oliver’s induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Cade, Eric, and Adi also explore statistical evidence of Olympic figure skating bias, debate event proliferation in skiing and speed skating, unpack the Los Angeles Lakers’ Pythagorean paradox, and assess historic performance runs by athletes such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Scottie Scheffler. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Craig O'Shannessy, tennis strategist, analyst for multiple Grand Slams, and New York Times contributor, joins the show to discusses how data-driven decision-making, underused tactics like serve-and-volley, and coachability separate today’s champions from the rest of the field. Cade, Eric, and Shane also analyze Seattle’s defensive-driven win in Super Bowl LX, reassess quarterback ceilings under pressure, and connect those insights to Olympic tournament design and the role of randomness in elite sports outcomes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Michael Lopez, Senior Director of Football Data and Analytics at the NFL, joins the Moneyball team to explain the use of causal inference and drive simulations in shaping the modern game of football. Plus, Eric and Adi explore the mathematical phenomenon of regression to the mean and how it applies to the unprecedented career trajectories of athletes like Carlos Alcaraz and Shohei Ohtani. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rufus Peabody, professional sports bettor and quantitative analyst, discusses the rise of prediction markets, comparing them to traditional sportsbooks while exploring liquidity, market-making, automation, and the evolving edge for sophisticated bettors. Plus, the Moneyball team has a wide-ranging sports analytics discussion covering Super Bowl matchup expectations, controversial coaching decisions, quarterback perception biases, and key storylines shaping the Australian Open. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ty Hildenbrandt, co-host of The Solid Verbal college football podcast, joins Cade, Adi, and Eric to explore how sports analytics—from evaluating Indiana’s national championship run to in-game decision-making, quarterback development, coaching philosophy, and the transfer portal—are reshaping the future of college football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neil Payne, sports analytics writer and creator of a leading sports Substack, discusses playoff parity, coaching impact, home-field advantage, and how analytics can—and can’t—explain who ultimately wins in today’s NFL and college football postseason. Cade, Eric, Shane & Adi also analyze hockey plus-minus limitations, Grand Slam betting dominance, Baseball Hall of Fame probabilities, and how NIL deals and the transfer portal are transforming competitive balance in college football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
ESPN National Football Analyst Seth Walder, and Steven Godfrey, college football writer for Yahoo Sports and The Washington Post and co-host of the College Football Enquirer podcast, join Cade and Shane to examine the NFL playoff landscape through advanced metrics and unpack the College Football Playoff’s surprises, transfer portal strategy, and evolving SEC–Big Ten balance of power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, and Adi Wyner examine how AI-driven metrics, model calibration, and Bayesian approaches inform quarterback evaluation, team upsets, and the evolving limits of sports analytics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aaron Schatz, Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy and founder of Football Outsiders, joins Eric Bradlow to explore how DVOA and play-by-play analytics challenge conventional narratives about the 2025 NFL season, conference strength, playoff probabilities, and the growing influence of data in awards voting. Plus, Eric walks through real-world examples of using generative AI to forecast NBA win totals, college football playoff probabilities, and NFL Super Bowl odds, highlighting how modern models apply Bayesian reasoning, betting markets, and simulation-based analytics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bill Connelly, ESPN college football analyst and creator of SP+, Bill Connelly, joins Cade, Eric, Shane, and Adi to break down first-round playoff games, assess championship probabilities, and explain how analytics shape expectations in the expanded College Football Playoff. The Moneyball team also discusses the end of AFC quarterback dominance, and what today’s parity means for teams, windows, and dynasties across football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this “Best of 2025” compilation, Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, and Adi Wyner revisit top moments with Google Sports Trends Fanalyst Annanya Raghavan, NFL veteran and Athletes.org founder Brandon Copeland, bestselling baseball biographer Jane Leavy, and ESPN analyst Dean Oliver, showcasing their insights on search-driven fan engagement, athlete empowerment, the future of baseball, and analytics’ growing influence across the NBA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kevin Cole, proprietor of the Unexpected Points newsletter and former Pro Football Focus analyst, joins Eric Bradlow and Cade Massey, to explain how predictive modeling, adjusted scores, and power rankings reveal deeper insights into team performance amid one of the NFL’s most unpredictable seasons. Eric and Cade also break down college football playoff scenarios, potential conference shakeups, and remarkable early-season performances in both the NHL and NBA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Eric Bradlow and Adi Wyner examine surprising NBA and NFL performance patterns while highlighting the innovative sports analytics research conducted by students—including advancements in expected-goals modeling, rugby decision analytics, and tennis serve evaluation—showcasing how data science and AI are reshaping modern sports analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neil Payne, freelance data journalist, analyst, joins Cade Massey, Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, and Adi Wyner to discuss current debates in baseball WAR, surprising developments in the NBA, the evolution of quantitative storytelling, and how emerging stars like Connor Bedard and innovative teams such as the Los Angeles Rams illustrate shifting dynamics across major sports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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