Ricardo Valerdi Creates, Teaches Online Sports Analytics Course Based on "Science of Baseball"

Engineering professor Ricardo Valerdi has created MGMT 359 Sports Analytics, an online course modeled after his popular “Science of Baseball” program, with the hope his students can gain a new appreciation for the relationship of statistics in sports.

“Even if you’re not an athlete or going into professional sports, you can sharpen your saw with statistical tools that apply to business,” Valerdi said in a recent interview with the Arizona Daily Star.

Valerdi's five-week, nine-segment (Valerdi calls them "innings") course is designed to give students a foundation on which to build an interest in data analysis, which has has become essential in the business end of major sport, and as Valerdi points out, "There are a lot of jobs in data science and analytics where you can make some good money.”

Though the initial class was only open to 25 students, it has since grown to accommodate 38.