Sports TV News
Celtics To Add Advanced Stats To TV Broadcasts
Published
9 years agoon
The science and stats side of Mike Gorman’s brain could use a special app when he’s out to breakfast with Brian Scalabrine.
The Celtics TV announcer hears a fount of advanced analytical jargon when his Comcast partner builds steam. Out pour the numbers, categories and above all the philosophy, lots of emerging philosophy.
Even someone as connected to the sport for as long as Gorman admits that you have to start thinking a little differently under the circumstances.
“It’s hard to have breakfast with Scal without hearing it,” Gorman said recently. “He really believes in this, and a lot of people believe in it.”
Count the Celtics of coach Brad Stevens and assistant general manager Michael Zarren, who heads the team’s blooming analytical wing, in that group. Comcast, with an offer of help from the team, is delving deeper into advanced stats analysis this season.
Scalabrine tapped into a handful of popular categories during the C’s preseason trip through Milan and Madrid. Offensive and defensive rating (both measuring points per 100 possessions) were his two main reference points. Comcast also plans to draw from the categories of rebound percentage and pace (possessions per game).
For now the truly deep stuff — exotic numbers like player efficiency rating and usage rate — will be left alone. But Scalabrine, in particular, has been flashed a green light that used to be yellow on the broadcast.
“I did it all a bit last year, and they didn’t really want to do it,” he said. “They wanted me to dumb it down a bit.
“But now the stats I’m using, I’m going to use all year long. I’ll really get into points per possession. It’s the most relevant stat. It gives me a chance to illustrate just how effective Isaiah Thomas is on the pick-and-roll, for example. But that’s the extent of it,” he said. “Maybe as we move on we’ll use more (advanced statistics), but for the layman it also has to be clear enough to be understood.”
The Celtics have held at least two meetings with Comcast to discuss what will and what won’t work, with Zarren the sounding board. He’s one of the better-versed executives in the league in advanced stats, to the point where his reputation has spread beyond the NBA. He’s one of the annual stars at MIT’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.
He considers it natural to share that knowledge with the C’s broadcast partner.
“We won’t do stats research for them, but if they want to run things by us, we’re happy to work with them,” Zarren said. “But I can’t see them getting into something their viewers can’t latch onto.”
At dinner in a restaurant near the Milan Central Train Station last week, Zarren, director of player personnel Austin Ainge, Gorman and Scalabrine were in deep conversation. This time even Scal asked questions, because wherever Zarren goes, so does his classroom.
“Sure. It’s a way to help our broadcast team,” Zarren said. “But we also have to keep it on a certain level. I don’t want to minimize any of it, but at the same time it’s still basketball.
“But if you’re going to talk about the best team in the league, then you have to go to points per possession.”
That’s points per 100 possessions, to be precise. For example, the NBA champion Golden State Warriors topped the offensive and defensive ratings last season. Their defensive excellence to the contrary, the Warriors finished in the middle of the league in scoring defense, with opponents scoring an average of 99.6 points per game. An utterly useless stat, as far as Ainge is concerned. The better number is possessions per game, which measures pace.
“If you score more, because of your pace you’re going to give up more,” Ainge said, also skewering another traditional stat for its inability to reflect 3-point shooting in a league that has gone downtown. “Field goal percentage is one of the most irrelevant stats there is.”
Gorman, though, knows that modern statistics can be equally irrelevant, simply because they don’t translate.
“We still have to communicate with the average guy,” Gorman said. “It’s a good thing, though, and it reflects what’s changing. You can’t watch a game now without seeing an ad for a place like DraftKings.”
Scalabrine, in the meantime, is looking for new and accessible ways to introduce the numbers.
“When the Celtics started talking to us about it, it was right up my alley,” he said. “You never move away from the traditional stuff. You just add more.”
Scalabrine’s analytics education was like that — a matter of radically adding more.
“I first got into it (playing) in Chicago,” he said. “If I wanted to have a conversation with (coach) Tom Thibodeau, then I had to know what he was talking about.”
To read the rest of the article visit the Boston Herald where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the owner and operator of Barrett Sports Media. Prior to launching BSM he served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He has also produced national shows for ESPN Radio including GameNight and the Dan Patrick Show. You can find him on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or reach him by email at [email protected].
Sports TV News
NBC Adds Jimmie Johnson as Racing Analyst for Four Races in 2024
“Any time you can add one of the greatest drivers of all time and an icon of the sport, you jump at the opportunity,”
Published
44 mins agoon
May 14, 2024By
BSM Staff
In 2024, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will be joining NBC Sports as a part of their motorsports coverage for four races. He will be involved in both pre-race and race coverage of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, which will air on both NBC and Peacock. This addition further enhances NBC Sports’ already comprehensive presentation of this historic event. Johnson had previously contributed to the studio coverage of the event back in 2021.
Johnson will also provide analysis for NBC Sports during their coverage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Superspeedway on August 24th and the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 6th, which are two of the three playoff races in the Round of 12. Additionally, Johnson will provide insights for select NASCAR events in which he is racing this year, including the highly-anticipated NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 10th.
“To have the opportunity to experience ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ once again is such an honor,” said Johnson in a release. “I was part of the NBC broadcast team in 2021 and it just fueled the fire I needed to make my childhood dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 one day a reality. Competing in this race as a driver was a chance of a lifetime, so to be able to experience the pageantry again is just so special. Even though I’ve never been able to do the ‘double’ as a driver, May 26th is going to be a very busy day. After the broadcast, I’ll fly to Charlotte Motor Speedway and drive in the Coca-Cola 600. I’m so thankful to NBC for the opportunity and continued partnership.”
“Any time you can add one of the greatest drivers of all time and an icon of the sport, you jump at the opportunity,” said Sam Flood, lead producer for NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage. “We are thrilled to be working with Jimmie and adding his unique perspective on every race he covers, as well as having him become the first person ever to do the ‘double’ – history awaits.”
Peacock will again be the home of Indy 500 practice and qualifying providing more than 50 hours of coverage. The NBC broadcast network will air three hours of Indy 500 qualifying coverage on Sunday, May 19, at 3 p.m. ET to determine the starting grid for the race. Peacock will simulstream all qualifying coverage on NBC.
Sports TV News
Five Marquee NFL Games Released; Jets and 49ers Get Week 1 Monday Night Football on ESPN
Sunday of Week 1 will see the Dallas Cowboys travel to take on the Cleveland Browns. This game will be carried by FOX and will feature the debut of Tom Brady as an analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt.
Published
3 hours agoon
May 14, 2024By
BSM Staff
With the official release of the NFL schedule set for Wednesday May 15 at 8 p.m. ET news is starting to leak out on some of the marquee early season matchups. ESPN announced their first Monday Night Football game, which will feature Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets traveling to San Francisco to take on the defending NFC Champion 49ers.
Other games which have been announced include a week one AFC Championship rematch between the Ravens and the Chiefs, which will be carried on Thursday night by NBC. The next day, on Friday, the Eagles and Packers will battle in Sao Paulo, Brazil in a game which will be exclusively streamed by Peacock.
Sunday of Week 1 will see the Dallas Cowboys travel to take on the Cleveland Browns. This game will be carried by FOX and will feature the debut of Tom Brady as an analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt.
One other game has been announced, which is a Week 2 game that will feature Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the 2-time defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs. That game will be carried by CBS.
JUST ANNOUNCED – Week 1 of Monday Night Football🏈
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 14, 2024
Aaron Rodgers & the @nyjets will travel to the City by the Bay to take on Brock Purdy & the defending #NFC Champion @49ers pic.twitter.com/Ig1aDKd65L
Sports TV News
Prime Video Renews ‘Coach Prime’ for Third Season, Reveals Four New Sports Documentaries at 2024 Amazon Upfront
The company revealed these new documentaries and the renewal of “Coach Prime” at its inaugural Upfront from Pier 36 in New York City.
Published
5 hours agoon
May 14, 2024By
BSM Staff
Amazon’s Prime Video has announced that it will be renewing the third season of Coach Prime, which will premiere exclusively on the Prime Video platform. The series will give fans access to the locker room and action on the field of the University of Colorado Boulder football program within the upcoming season. The Emmy-nominated docufollow series is produced by Constance Schwartz-Morini, Michael Strahan, FredAnthony Smith and Jamie Elias of SMAC Productions, a division of SMAC Entertainment. In addition to the renewal of Coach Prime, the company also announced four new sports documentaries at the inaugural Amazon Upfront presentation from Pier 36 in New York City.
A four-part documentary centered on legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. has been greenlit by Prime Video. For two decades, Earnhardt soared to mainstream notoriety, earning lucrative endorsement deals and appearing in daytime and late-night television. The documentary will grant viewers an account of a historic American family and how it conquered what was not always a facile path.
The documentary will be produced by Imagine Documentaries, NASCAR Studios and Everyone Else, in association with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media. Earnhardt Jr. will also serve as an analyst for NASCAR races on Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports starting in 2025. Brian Glazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes of Imagine Entertainment will serve as executive producers for the documentary, along with Matt Summers and Tim Clark of NASCAR Studios and TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Tony Mayhoff.
Prime Video has also greenlit a four-part documentary about the story behind the Madden NFL video game franchise. The untitled documentary reveals how the iconic video game was created, including revealing never-before-seen footage and allowing cameras to follow them as they complete the next iteration of the game. The project is presented by Prime Video and A+E Factual Studio Groups, the latter of which is also producing the series with SMAC Productions, Misher Films and MTP.
Executive producers on the series include Kevin Misher and Andy Berman of Misher Films; Michael Strahan, Constance Schwartz-Morini and FredAnthony Smith of SMAC Entertainment and Mike Tollin of MTP. Sandy Montag of The Montag Group; Steve Ascher, Kristy Sabat and Jessica Conway of A+E Factual Studios; Daryl Holt, Seann Graddy and Julie Foster of EA Sports; and Nathan Caswell, Jeremiah Zagar and Jeremy Yaches of Public Record will also executive produce the venture.
A new five-part anthology series will showcase teams that attained thrilling Game 7 victories during the playoffs, facing immense pressure and intensity in an effort to attain the ultimate glory. The Chicago Cubs, who snapped a 108-year championship drought when the team won the World Series title in 2016, will be featured as part of the series. Additionally, the 1994 New York Rangers will also be highlighted and how the team won back-to-back seventh games to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years.
Titled Game 7, the docuseries is produced by Words + Pictures and directed by Daniel Amigone. Executive producers on the project include Connor Schell, Aaron Cohen and Anneka Jones of Words + Pictures; Mark Messier, Mat Vlasic and Isaac Chera of Game 7; and Danny DeVito, Jake DeVito and Lucy DeVito of Jersey Films 2nd Avenue.
Prime Video has also greenlit a true-crime documentary about Kansas City Chiefs superfan and serial bank robber Xaviar Babudar. Known as the “ChiefsAHolic” and recognized for his wolf costume and presence on social media, Babudar gained notoriety as a loyal and dedicated fan to the team. Yet he was arrested in Bixby, Okla. in December 2022 after police discovered a string of bank robberies and pleaded guilty to three charges in connection with those robberies or attempted robberies in federal court this past February.
The documentary, titled ChiefsAholic: A Wolf in Chiefs Clothing and directed by Dylan Sires, contains interviews granted by Babudar himself and looks at his journey. Canadian hip-hop artist Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham of DreamCrew Entertainment is an executive producer on the project, along with Andrew Renzi of North of Now and Douglas Banner of Five All in the Fifth Entertainment.
