Sloan is in effect, and sadly Patrick and I won't be in attendance. That means if you see Arturo you owe him three drinks instead of the requisite one! There is a YouTube Channel up so those of us at home can kind of follow along. While every year I get hopeful Sloan will provide the platform for quant thinking to break through, I often end up discouraged. It turns out there's a dance to doing "mainstream analytics." Here's a recipe I've cooked up should you ever need to do a speech on analytics that appeals to the masses.

First, accept that stats have a problem.

This means you'll use some variant of the phrase "Numbers are great, but they can't explain everything, for instance..."

Use "Data" to back your claim.

Use a single player as an example. Preferably use a single play in a single game to "prove" your point. e.g. "I know three pointers are good, but in game five of the playoffs there were ten seconds on the clock when Ray Allen got the ball and ..."

Make sure to get a crack in at nerds.

Make sure you insult the nerds who think their spreadsheets can solve everything. Bonus points if you compare it to a game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Make sure we all know how new everything is.

Make sure you explain how new the field of analytics is in sports. Explain how we have a long way to go. We're getting there, but it's foolhardy to think we know everything just yet.

Reaffirm human intuition.

End by explaining that numbers and stats are great, but they will always just be tools to help in the process. We can't replace human intuition anytime soon. Then wait for applause!

Hope this was helpful, and I look forward to all of the great sports talks I'll hear from you in the future!