University of the Pacific has announced the launch of a new focus in sports analytics and a new collaboration with data integration and visualization pioneer SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT).
Starting in August at the Eberhardt School of Business, the unique multidisciplinary program will act as a sports technology testbed for SMT and one of the few of its kind in the country.
Key Takeaways:
- University of the Pacific has established a new sports analytics program and a new partnership with SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT).
- SMT will use Pacific’s unique multidisciplinary program as a sports technology testbed.
- Because of Pacific’s agreement with SMT, students will access cutting-edge sports analytics technologies.
SMT was formed in 1991 by CEO Gerard J. Hall, who invented the first electronic scoring and data transmission system for the PGA Tour, replacing the outdated hand-held walkie-talkie system.
The electronic scoreboard and serve speed system for tennis, the virtual yellow first down line for the NFL, and virtual strike zone graphics for MLB are just a few of SMT’s innovations.
In recent years, SMT has created sports technology that includes biometrics, telemetry, augmented reality, and player and object tracking.
According to Research and Markets, a Dublin-based multinational research group, the worldwide sports analytics market will reach $3.4 billion by 2028. Thanks to its partnership with SMT, Pacific’s students will have access to cutting-edge sports analytics tools.
SMT will install tracking hardware, software, and a camera array at Klein Family Field, Pacific’s baseball stadium, to measure pitches, batted balls, and fielding.
Other Pacific athletic arenas will be used as beta-testing grounds for the tech company’s current and forthcoming technology.
Faculty from SMT and Pacific will collaborate to develop sports analytics lessons that can be utilized as a model by colleges and universities across the country.
Sports analytics will be added to the Eberhardt School’s other specializations, such as sports management and business analytics.
Students in the sports analytics track will take a combination of business, math, and computer science courses to learn how to use analytical abilities to assess and predict individual and team performance.
In addition to internships with professional teams, sports analytics students will participate in a practicum with one of the university’s Division I teams, concentrating on real-time data collecting and analysis.
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