SportsBall

? MLB is testing autocorrect for umpires. In baseball, the strike zone is an invisible box where pitches inside count as strikes and those outside are balls. But since there’s no physical marker, umpires make these calls in real time - and while they’re highly skilled, mistakes happen. In 2024, umpires called an average of 151 pitches per game across 2,400+ games. Their accuracy? 94%. Impressive, but still not perfect. Every single game had at least one missed call, and in 8.5% of games, incorrect calls had a calculated influence on the final score by at least one run. That’s why Major League Baseball (MLB) is testing an automated strike zone. The system uses precise measurements to ensure fairness, adjusting based on a batter’s height and stance. It’s currently being tested in spring training, where teams can challenge two calls per game. If successful, we could see it in regular-season action as early as 2026. This shift represents more than just an upgrade to umpiring, it’s part of a broader movement toward technology-driven fairness in sports. Follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations #MLB #Baseball #SportsTech #DataAnalytics #Innovation

Bridging the Research Gap in Women’s Football. Did you know that female footballers suffer non-contact ACL injuries 2.5 times more often than their male counterparts? While no single cause has been pinpointed, this underscores the urgent need for women-specific research and training. Yet, despite clear developmental differences, like how girls hit their adolescent height spike about two years earlier than boys, sports science research remains largely male-focused. A review of 5,000+ sports science studies found that: ?? 31% studied only male participants ?? 63% included both men and women ?? Only 6% focused exclusively on women This lack of dedicated research means that many training protocols and products for women are simply scaled-down versions of those designed for men. At Catapult, we’re addressing this disparity by working with institutions like Loughborough University and West Ham United FC Women’s team to develop women-specific performance pathways. Our latest Women’s Football Benchmark Report, built on match data from the 2023 Women’s World Cup, establishes position-specific benchmarks for distance, speed, and intensity based on real elite scenarios. This is just the beginning of a data-driven revolution in women’s football. By tailoring training and performance standards to the unique demands of the women's game, we can improve safety, enhance performance, and drive the sport forward. ?? Access the full report to start building better training programs today. https://bit.ly/4i7CbCd @SportsBall #SportsDataDecoded #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction #UnleashPotential

Some NFL teams are basically using credit to buy players ?? ?? Every football team has to fit all player salaries within the salary cap. Last year, that cap was $255.4M, so for example, on the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes took up 14.5% of that cap, while Travis Kelce accounted for 7.7%. Most teams try to maximize talent while staying within budget—but no one pushes the boundaries these days like the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles. Their secret? Void years. This strategy spreads out a contract's salary cap "hit" into the future, freeing up cap space today to spend on more good players. Take Jalen Hurts: his 5-year, $255M contract should theoretically cost $51M per year through 2028. But instead, the Eagles use void years to extend his financial hit until 2032—four years after the deal ends. While Hurts still gets paid on schedule, this structure lowers the yearly cap hit, allowing them to sign more talent now. By 2030, 23 NFL teams will have $0 in committed payments. The Eagles? They already owe $129M—nearly half of today’s cap. But with the cap rising 6.7% annually, these payments could shrink as a percentage of total spending. It's certainly risky to push off the cap hit like this, but it can also allow for near term flexibility, which certainly paid off for the Eagles this year ?? Follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations #NFL #SalaryCap #SportsBusiness #sportsball #accounting #datastorytelling

1,000,000/100: Ben Hildred’s MTB Challenge ?? Right now in Queenstown, New Zealand, we’re witnessing one of the most mind-blowing endurance feats in cycling history. Ben Hildred is on a mission to climb 1 million vertical feet on a mountain bike in just 100 days—a challenge that pushes both body and mind to their absolute limits. To put that into perspective, imagine riding up 10 Eiffel Towers every single day for over three months—on rugged mountain trails, in scorching summer heat, all while running a business. Sounds impossible, right? How does it compare to other amazing feats? ?? Swimming Across the Atlantic – 3,700 miles, 0 vertical feet ?? Rocket Launch to the ISS – 1.3 million vertical feet ?? Tour de France – 2,063 miles, 169,000 feet climbed ?? Pacific Crest Trail – 2,653 miles, 489,000 feet climbed ?? Ben’s Challenge – 3,000 miles, 1 million feet climbed Let's look at Ben's daily grind. To stay on track he must: ?? Climb 10,000 feet per day (10x the Eiffel Tower) ?? Tackle trails with up to a 16.4% grade (steeper than what’s safe for parked cars) ? Start at 4:00 AM to beat the New Zealand summer heat ?? Spend 4.5 hours climbing and 1.5 hours descending—every day The Wildest Part? Ben has spent more time on his bike than sleeping during the effort. Follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations #sportsball #datastorytelling #mtb #sram #rockshox #linkedinsports

Did you know that nearly 10 million people watch Jeopardy! every week? The quiz show that’s been a staple of American television for over 40 years is now adopting a playoff structure similar to major sports leagues—making it a perfect fit for SportsBall breakdown. For years, contestants were capped at five-game winning streaks. Then came Ken Jennings’ legendary 74-game run, proving that superchampions could redefine the game. Now, Jeopardy! has introduced a postseason to match this elite level of competition. Here’s how it works: ?? ?? Second Chance Tournament (Weeks 1-2): Two winners emerge from a field of strong players who lost their first game. ?? Champions Wildcard Tournament (Weeks 3-4): The two Second Chance winners join 13 champions (each with at least one win) in a 15-player tournament. One moves on. ?? Tournament of Champions (Weeks 5-7): The Champions Wildcard winner joins contestants who won 3+ games in the eligibility period. The victor advances. ?? Jeopardy! Invitational Tournament (Week 8-10): A special event featuring past champions and fan favorites. One winner is crowned. All of that leads up to Jeopardy! Masters in May which includes the ToC winner, Invitational winner, top 3 finishers from last year’s Masters, and a producer’s pick compete for the title of Jeopardy! champion of champions. Follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations #sportsball #linkedinsports #datavisualization #datastorytelling

The NHL is proving it's the perfect league for international competition with the 4 Nations Face-Off You see, in most major U.S. sports leagues, the majority of players are American-born—95% in the NFL, 75% in the NBA and MLB. But the NHL is a bit different. ? Canada: 40% of NHL players ? USA: 30% ? Sweden & Finland: 9% and 5%, respectively Since 1980, Canada’s dominance has declined (from 80% to 40%), while the U.S. and European nations have surged. This split makes the NHL perfect for a high-stakes international tournament. Enter the 4 Nations Faceoff—the first best-on-best showdown since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey as players haven't played in the Olympics since 2014. And the rosters are Stacked. ???? Canada: Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon—six MVPs between them. ???? USA: Auston Matthews, the Tkachuk brothers, and Connor Hellebuyck in net. ???? Sweden: William Nylander and Victor Hedman leading a deep squad. ???? Finland: Aleksander Barkov and Mikko Rantanen—two elite two-way threats. And for what you could call an exhibition tournament, rivalries are heating up. USA vs. Canada saw three fights in the first nine seconds last Saturday, plus 50% more hits than an average NHL game. This tournament means something. With the Championship set for Thursday and USA already securing a spot, hockey fans are in for must-see TV. Follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations. #Hockey #4NationsFaceoff #NHL #USA #Canada #Sweden #Finland

The big game means big business ?????? The Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest game of the year—it’s the biggest stage for advertisers with last year’s matchup between the Chiefs and 49ers averaging 123.7 million viewers, peaking during Usher’s halftime show. A normal NFL game has 18 commercial breaks, but for the Super Bowl, that jumps to 20—some fixed (like quarter ends and two-minute warnings), others chosen in real-time by networks. Ever noticed someone on the sideline with big orange gloves? That’s how they signal when it’s time to cut to a commercial. And those ads? They don’t come cheap. Last year, a 30-second spot cost ~$7 million, up 218% since 2000, with reports suggesting some brands are paying $8 million this year. With 96 ad spots totaling 60 minutes last year, the total estimated ad revenue for the broadcast was a staggering $800 million. Albeit, that's some simple back-of-the-napkin math that isn't actuals for broadcasters. Which industries bought in last year? ?? Tech brands led the pack at 25% of airtime (likely higher this year as AI companies jump in). ?? Food & beverage took 18%. ?? Movies & shows + Retail & shopping each grabbed 12%. ?? Streaming, auto, alcohol, and betting brands filled the rest. And it isn't just a win for broadcasters and the NFL, brands can make it huge on the big day - here are some metrics on web traffic over the course of the game last year. ?? Poppi’s site skyrocketed 7,329% ?? e.l.f. Cosmetics jumped 8,118% ?? TurboTax surged nearly 24,875% Nothing says "do your taxes" like the Super Bowl. Follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations. Thanks The Social Juice for all the research help! ?? #SuperBowl #Advertising #Marketing #SportsBusiness

We just went through every single NFL contract, and we found something interesting in the running back market ?? Let’s break it down with some weird analogies ???? The NFL salary cap has skyrocketed—up 122% since 2013—which means more money for teams and, theoretically, bigger contracts for players. For some positions, that’s exactly what’s happened: ?? QBs: +217% in team spending ?? Offensive Line: +156% in team spending ?? Wide Receivers: +151% in team spending . . . ?? Running backs: +35%. To put that into perspective: The first RB doesn’t even crack the top 150 highest-paid players. The top 25 RBs make $7.4M per year on average, while the top 50 WRs average $16.7M. There’s an old football saying: A running back is only as good as their offensive line. And the spending trends prove it. Imagine a dog trying to run through a cornfield—the dog is the RB, the O-line is a lawnmower, and the defense is the cornfield. If you had to upgrade one, would you replace the dog with a wolf or swap the mower for a tractor? Well, NFL teams are investing in tractors. But here’s the catch—some wolves (cough Saquon Barkley cough) are absolute game-changers. So why are they still underpaid? Rookie contracts, injuries, replaceability—these factors are always discussed, but do they really explain the gap? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments and follow SportsBall for more sports data visualizations #sportsball #nfl #NFLContracts #datastorytelling #linkedinsports #sportsbiz

?? Rugby is evolving, and the Six Nations is proof of it. For decades, size and speed dictated success. The bigger and faster the player, the greater the advantage. But in the last decade, data and technology have changed that. Analytics now shape strategies, helping teams make smarter decisions both on and off the field. With the Six Nations Rugby around the corner, see how the game has evolved through data. https://bit.ly/4he8nDr #SixNations #SportsDataDecoded SportsBall

Ever wondered how ATP & WTA rankings are determined? ?? The ATP (men’s) and WTA (women’s) tours run nearly year-round, featuring over 50 tournaments. Players earn ranking points based on performance, with the highest point totals coming from the four Grand Slams: ?? Australian Open ?? French Open ?? Wimbledon ?? US Open Winning a Grand Slam earns 2,000 points, while lower rounds receive fewer points. Beyond that, ATP events include: ?? 9 tournaments awarding 1,000 points ?? 16 tournaments awarding 500 points ?? 30 tournaments awarding 250 points Since rankings operate on a rolling 52-week window, players must defend points from the previous year. Take Carlos Alcaraz—currently ranked No. 3 with 7,010 points. He earned 4,000 of those from winning Wimbledon and the French Open last year. If he doesn’t defend those titles, his ranking could drop. This system makes every match crucial. Historically, Novak Djokovic holds the men’s record for most weeks at world No. 1 (428 weeks!), while Steffi Graf leads the women’s side with 377 weeks. With the new season kicking off, these insights will help you follow the action. Follow SportsBall to learn more about sports ???? #Tennis #SportsData #ATP #WTA #GrandSlam