Wharton Moneyball

The Wharton School

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Play

Open in

27 episodes
weekly
Avg 1 hr 3 min
English

Episodes 27

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Wednesday · 57 min
The Limits of Prediction in Sports and Elections
Eric Bradlow, Adi Wyner, and Shane Jensen explore election forecasts, MLB roster building, NFL parity, and more.
October 28 · 1 hr 2 min
The Social Power of Sports Fandom
Todd Rogers, Weatherhead Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, explores how sports fandom can build connection, reduce loneliness, and strengthen communities.
October 21 · 1 hr
Inside MLB's New Strike Challenge System
Joe Martinez, MLB Vice President of On-Field Strategy, explains how the automated ball-strike challenge system balances accuracy, pace, and player strategy.
October 14 · 53 min
The Analytics Behind Baseball's Small-Market Success
Mike Petriello, Major League Baseball's Director of Stats and Research, explains the swing data, player development, and matchup decisions changing how teams compete.
October 7 · 1 hr 9 min
The Data Behind College Football's New Era
Ron Yurko, Director of the Carnegie Mellon Sports Analytics Center, explains how data is reshaping the Heisman race, college football forecasting, and sports betting.
September 30 · 1 hr 7 min
The NHL Salary Cap Surge Is Changing Team Building
Samuel Ventura, Vice President of Hockey Strategy and Research for the Buffalo Sabres, explores how a rapidly rising salary cap is changing roster construction, contracts, and player valuation.
September 23 · 1 hr 4 min
Why NFL Teams Need a Better Backup Plan
Neil Paine, sports writer and data analyst, examines how NFL teams can withstand quarterback injuries, why MLB playoff seeding is misaligned, and what it takes for an injured champion to return to form.
September 16 · 1 hr 14 min
The Signals That Matter After NFL Week 1
Tej Seth, data scientist, explains how to separate meaningful NFL Week 1 trends from the noise behind early results.
September 9 · 58 min
Is this NFL season more wide open than it appears?
Brian Burke, Sports Data Scientist at ESPN, and Kevin Cole, Data Scientist at PFF, examine pass-rush metrics, quarterback projections, and the NFL teams with the most upside.
September 2 · 1 hr 6 min
What Analytics Reveal About College Football's Top Teams
Bill Connelly, ESPN staff writer and creator of SP+, previews the college football season through playoff odds, schedule strength, roster stability, and conference depth.
August 26 · 1 hr 6 min
College Football's New Power Structure
Steven Godfrey, college football journalist and co-host of Yahoo's College Football Enquirer, examines NIL, eligibility, conference power, and the sport's evolving postseason.
August 19 · 1 hr 8 min
How Data Changed MLB Pitching
Adam Ottavino, former 15-year MLB reliever and current ESPN analyst, explains how data and technology transformed pitch design, scouting, and in-game strategy.
August 12 · 1 hr 9 min
The NFL's Biggest 2026 Questions
Aaron Schatz, National NFL Analyst at ESPN and Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy, breaks down 2026 NFL projections, the teams poised to rise, and the factors that shape a season forecast.
August 5 · 1 hr 2 min
Why Pitch Counts Are Failing Baseball
Travis Sawchik, baseball analytics writer and author, explains why pitch counts miss the full picture of pitcher workload and fatigue.
July 29 · 1 hr 2 min
Can the Sixers’ New Superteam Work?
Dean Oliver analyzes Philadelphia’s star-heavy roster, player fit, chemistry, defense, and championship potential.
July 22 · 1 hr
How Constraints Shape Creativity and Athletic Development
Author David Epstein discusses creativity, performance, and the value of broad athletic development.
July 15 · 1 hr 1 min
Breaking Down Randomness, Win Probability, and Competitive Balance Across Sports
Eric Eager explores randomness, competitive balance, and what sports analytics reveals about winning.
July 8 · 57 min
Rethinking How We Measure Soccer Performance
Jonathan Pipping explains how XG+ captures the scoring opportunities traditional soccer analytics can miss.
July 1 · 1 hr 7 min
Breaking Down the World Cup with Soccer Analytics Insights
Analytics leader from a Major League Soccer club examines the expanded World Cup format, standout teams, tournament surprises, and how data shapes soccer decision-making.
June 17 · 50 min
What Unexpected Champions Teach Us About Sports
Leading sports data journalist explores how analytics, team chemistry, and randomness shaped recent championship runs and major international tournaments.

Showing 1–20 of 27 episodes