Big Data Bowl Mentorship Program

NFL’s Big Data Bowl

As part of the NFL’s annual Big Data Bowl, NFL Football Operations is offering a mentorship program to increase diversity within sports analytics by connecting experienced NFL analytics experts with individuals who are quantitatively prepared but new to the field of sports analytics. Mentors and mentees will work one-on-one to contribute to the football analytics community. Participants whose work stands out could gain an opportunity to present it at conferences or contribute to our NFL Football Operations data blog posts. Groups underrepresented in sports analytics/STEM will receive priority in the application process.

 

Individual mentorship
Mentors and mentees are matched by the NFL Football Operations team based on their knowledge, skills and location. Mentors are expected to provide encouragement and advice, both in and around data science. Mentors and mentees will virtually meet at least once a month during the program that runs from September 2024 through February 2025. It is expected that all mentees will complete a public submission to the 2025 Big Data Bowl.

 

Group training seminars

The program includes both individual meetings and monthly group training sessions. These seminars will cover football analytics topics, including:

  • Life with an NFL team
  • Working as a league vendor in data science
  • Media or business analytics
  • Graduate school

Each training session will consist of a presentation, Q&A and an open forum.

 

Final presentation
All mentees will have the opportunity to present at a virtual forum open to analysts from all 32 NFL teams. This event will be held in January or February.

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