From Sports to Science: Using Basketball Analytics to Broaden the Appeal of Math and Science Among Youth

The fusion of sports and analytics has not only revolutionized the way professional basketball is played, coached, and managed; it also has the potential to revolutionize the way we educate the next generation. Sports analytics can provide a rigorous, yet tangible application of math and statistics in which youth perform data gathering and analysis directly linked to their own improved on-court performance. This allows students who are not traditionally engaged in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to be intrinsically motivated to use STEM concepts as a tool for basketball training. We hypothesized that once STEM has shown applicability towards improving their own basketball skills, it would also become more attractive as a career path. Here we provide preliminary data consistent with that hypothesis that shows that these clinics increase athletes selfperception of knowledge and interest in STEM. This approach can be integrated within the sports organization's existing youth programs to promote STEM education as a public good, and can be replicated in other educational communities, both formal and informal.