Gaining Confidence and Navigating Career Paths through the MSBA-SA Chicago Field Trip Experience

Immersive Learning and Relationship Building

2024 MSBA Cohort

At the end of the first semester, around 35 Notre Dame students in the Master of Science in Business Analytics with a concentration in sports analytics (MSBA-SA) packed a lot of learning into several days in Chicago.

The field trip just before finals included all the students except two Notre Dame football student athletes receiving national athletic awards. They met with executives from pro sports teams and sports networks, as well as touring other businesses and nonprofits.

The trip became a highlight of the year-long masters program student experience as they gained confidence and built relationships not only with experts in the field, but each other. “I think it helped our class in ways that you just can’t get inside a normal classroom,” said David Sobek, a student from Atlanta, Georgia who is earning his MSBA-SA.

Preparing Future Leaders in Sports Analytics

The relatively new Notre Dame program is helping prepare students for jobs in a growing field. South Bend’s proximity to Chicago and Notre Dame alums working in the sports industry made it easy to put together a dynamic learning experience.

Lara Brian – Associate Director of Experiential Learning

Lara Brian, associate director of experiential learning for the Mendoza College of Business, helped design the Grow Irish experience – a signature component of the MBSA-SA program that offers students a unique opportunity to be immersed in the Chicago sports landscape and cultivate both professional and personal growth. By gaining first hand exposure to various sports organizations and engaging with esteemed Notre Dame alumni and industry leaders, students were able to explore potential career paths in sports analytics and expand their network within the sports industry.

In addition to tours and hearing from speakers, the immersion trip to Chicago included a hackathon in which teams of students worked with a data set assessing hamstring injuries. They didn’t have a lot of time and the data was imperfect, but throughout the three days, they met to assess the variables such as speed and flexibility and prepare and present an analysis. Many groups looked for patterns among injured players. The winning team, which included Sobek, Page Freeman, and Carlo Lopez Hernandez, focused on the ones who didn’t get injured and what could be learned from their patterns.

Bridging Classroom Learning with Real-World Applications

The competition provided students with an opportunity to apply the skills they had learned in the classroom while also gaining insights from professionals working in sports teams and networks. Reflecting on the trip, Brian expressed her appreciation for the “unique experience of witnessing the inner workings of these massive powerhouses in sport.” Additionally, the power of the Notre Dame network played a significant role throughout the trip. Students had the chance to meet and interact with Notre Dame alumni working at Stadium, a first-of-its-kind, 24/7, multi-platform sports network, and Marquee, which broadcasts Cubs games both on cable and directly to consumers. The alumni generously shared their knowledge and experiences with the students and gave advice on how to enter the industry.

“I think it was valuable for the students to hear from alumni that passion alone is not enough to stand out and excel in this industry,” Brian said. “Instead, what can truly set you apart is demonstrating the ability to transform rows of data into actionable insights, and being able to effectively communicate those findings to key decision makers.”

Exploring Diverse Career Opportunities in Sports Analytics

Hernandez, a student from Vancouver, British Columbia, was surprised by the range of careers in sports analytics. The tours demonstrated there’s far more than analyzing game stats. The tour at Metrosquash, a nonprofit focused on creating student success using the sport of squash, was a highlight for Hernandez. “I’ve done work with nonprofits in the past, but never one like this,” he said. “Talking to them and seeing all the great work they’re doing just really stuck out to me.”

The students went to Wrigley Field to meet with executives from the Chicago Cubs and Marquee. They visited the United Center, where the Chicago Bulls play home NBA games and the Blackhawks play home NHL games. Two Chicago Bulls executives spoke with them about their work in sports analytics and business analytics for the club. “It was very cool to see different perspectives,” said Freeman, an MSBA student from Ashland, Massachusetts. “They were telling us some really valuable information that made it feel authentic and it was cool to hear their journeys to their careers in the sports industry.”

Empowering Future Leaders in Sports Analytics

Professor Brandon Erlacher – Academic Director of Sports Analytics Program

Brandon Erlacher, academic director of the MSBA Sports Analytics program and an assistant teaching professor, was pleased and proud of students on the trip. “The students were able to apply the skills and techniques they learned in their first two semesters. They demonstrated that creativity, passion and skills are a powerful combination for solving problems. We know they can be leaders in the field of sports analytics as they learn not just how to analyze data, but collaborate and communicate,” he said.

The field trip helped students feel more confident as they seek careers in sports analytics. Freeman said she was apprehensive about finding a career before the field trip, which taught her that “everything that we’ve learned has prepared us to get into that realm and it’s just about working your networks and being able to apply your story and apply the knowledge that you have and what we have learned to to get into that field,” she said.

The group bonded and built a lot of camaraderie during their time together. They were together for several days and learned to know each other and their professors in new ways as they ate together, watched sports together, and even did some karaoke.

“I left Chicago just feeling a lot closer to the cohort,” said Hernandez.

The students also left closer to their dreams of working in the field of sports analytics.

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