MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — In almost every sport, coaches and teams look for a competitive advantage over their rivals. Technology has made that a little bit easier if you know what to look for.
A professor at UNC Charlotte is teaching his students how to run the numbers to win the game, not just on the court, but in the game of life also.
"All throughout other leagues and every league they're using it to get a one-up on their competition, " Darren Blackmond, a student in Professor John Tobias's Sports Analytics Program, told WCNC Charlotte.
With the advancement of technology, sports has become a whole new arena. These students are at the cross-section of sports and data that drives decisions on courts and fields across the globe.
"The thirst is out there for the intersection of sports and data when it comes to these college students," Tobias said.
Tobias said the popularity of his sports program has exploded. For the last 4 semesters, he's been whipping up an NBA draft and press conference to run an ever-growing population of UNC Charlotte students through the preverbal ringer.
Tobias adds that the industry has expanded exponentially with only MLB teams utilizing deeper stats decades ago, but now each team in each league has their own analytics department.
In the last few years, a number of graduates have started working in professional sports.
They are working for teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, Nashville FC and even for teams in the NFL. Even Professor Tobias travels with ESPN as a statistician, to help teams and the media make more sense of the game.
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.