Megan Wheeler and Sports Analytics Secrets

by minton on May 15, 2021

Megan Wheeler is the first person to graduate Roanoke College with a concentration in Sports Analytics. The concentration is an interdisciplinary mix of sports management (Megan’s major), statistics (another concentration for Megan), and computer science. The concentration provides a background for students who might want to pursue a career in sports analytics.

For more information about the Sports Analytics concentration, follow this link. One of the requirements for the Sports Analytics concentration is connected to Stat Crew. You can find information about Stat Crew and an interview with Megan at this link.

Megan has been a member of Stat Crew all four years, collecting data for RC athletics in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse (and only missing baseball due to the covid shutdown). She has presented research at Furman University’s Carolina Sports Analytics Meeting and James Madison University’s SUMS conference. Her enthusiasm, dedication, and recruiting ability have been essential to the success and growth of the group. Megan is a definite Stat Crew Hall of Famer!

If you are interested in Sports Analytics as a career, there are several good podcasts to listen to. Three that I can recommend that feature interviews with people working in the field are Measurables, Expected Value, and Sports Analytics. Most interviews conclude with the host asking for advice for college students interested in the field. What is the secret to getting a job in sports analytics? Here are a couple of quotes from Measurables.

“There’s no excuse for not having some kind of public presence, maybe not a full portfolio but at least a presence. Prove that you’re interested in how the different companies talk about themselves.” Simon Banoub, CMO of StatsBomb, Measurable 1-25-21.

“Resumes are nothing. I’ve seen a thousand resumes and I don’t care about your resume. I care about what you can do, what kind of creative thinker you are. The only way I can measure that is by looking at your prior work.” Brian Burke, Analytics Specialist at ESPN

Sports analytics is a possible career choice for Megan, and she has created a strong research record to impress potential employers. You can see some of Megan’s research at this link. Her presentation includes a nice shout out to Stat Crew. Thanks, Megan!