You and your students are not the only ones who are back in school in this fall. In late September, Neil and I hit the road and returned to school, specifically our alma mater Syracuse University where we had the pleasure of presenting to five classes at The Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics along with a graduate class in Media Entrepreneurship at the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications.

We had a blast talking about data and the sports business, but the best part of the experience was learning what was on the minds of the students who are studying sports management and sports data analytics. And learning what data and information they needed for their class work and special projects. The students that we met with are dedicated and focused on learning as much as they can during their college experience.

For a day, Neil and I fielded many of the same questions librarians are likely asked on a regular basis.

Here are a few of the most asked questions and our answers on how SBRnet can be a resource.

Q. My assignment topic is vague and daunting. How do I get started?
A. Search the main topic and drill down from there. If your topic is “Minor League Baseball,” enter that phrase into our Super Search feature and you’ll be led to relevant articles, research and directories that will be more than enough to get students started. The broad range of information, particularly with articles will inspire ideas and let students know what is newsworthy and current. Neil is fond of saying “Search the big topic” and “fill the funnel with data and ideas.” Students can distill the info down to what is relevant to their projects from there.

Q. What can Sports Participation Data tell me?
A. Plenty. We encountered several students researching women’s professional sports and our guidance to them was to “go fishing where the fish are” for potential ticket buyers. Women who played hockey, lacrosse and soccer growing up are more likely to attend professional versions of their sports. Students can identify hotbeds of participation, which should give them a stronger prospect for success than the population at large.

Q. Where else do I go for data? What other data is helpful?
Once you have narrowed down your focus, it is then a good idea to check all sorts of different data sources than can provide confirmation or cast doubts into the conclusions you are heading towards. Data points like ticket sales, player salaries and sales revenue information are all available on the Sports Market Analytics platform.

The proprietary Sports Fan Data that is included is a goldmine of potential data points to better create objectives and then build strategies designed to hit your objective targets.

Our day in the classroom left us exhausted, but also exhilarated and better informed. While we spent the day helping students at all levels of their education, Neil and I were flooded with some new ideas and tools that will be integrated into future versions of the platform. Our respect for teachers and librarians grew tenfold in one day. If we can help you answer any questions you’re getting about data and the sports business, please get in touch at mark@sbrnet.com or neil@sbrnet.com.