Coming soon · Book Profile
Football Analytics with Python R
A practical guide to applying statistical modeling and data science techniques using Python and R to analyze American football data for purposes ranging from team analysis to sports betting and fantasy football.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Are you a football fan wanting to gain a competitive edge in your fantasy league, interested in sports betting, or aspiring to become a professional analyst? 'Football Analytics with Python & R' provides a clear, hands-on introduction to using statistical models to analyze football data. Authors Eric Eager and Richard Erickson guide you through real-world case studies, teaching you how to obtain, visualize, and model NFL data using both Python and R. You'll learn to build metrics like Rushing Yards Over Expected (RYOE) and Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE), evaluate draft picks, and even apply data science to sports betting. This book is your starting place for transforming complex football data into accessible wisdom, whether your goal is to dominate your league or simply learn data science with fun, practical examples.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- An aspiring football analyst, a savvy fantasy football player, or a curious sports fan who wants to go beyond surface-level statistics and use data to gain a deeper, more objective understanding of the game.
- The problem
- They rely on traditional, often misleading, raw statistics (like total yards or completion percentage) which don't account for crucial game context, leading to flawed player evaluations and poor predictions. They feel frustrated and overwhelmed by the complexity of football analytics, and unsure how to start using programming and statistics to answer their own questions about the game.
- The plan
- Learn to obtain and wrangle real NFL data using Python and R.
- Master exploratory data analysis to visualize and understand key football metrics.
- Apply regression models to create context-adjusted performance metrics like RYOE and CPOE.
- Extend your skills to sports betting, draft analysis, and player attribute classification.
- Discover advanced tools and next steps to continue your analytics journey.
- The payoff
- Becoming empowered to answer their own questions about football using data. · Gaining a significant edge in their fantasy football leagues and sports betting. · Developing a foundational skill set for a career in sports analytics.
See our guide
Additional reading
- Professional Practice in Sport Performance Analysis · Andrew D. Butterworth (Editor)
Cited frequently as a key resource for understanding the role of the analyst within interdisciplinary teams, career development, and the application of emerging technologies like multimedia profiles.
- Qualitative Diagnosis of Human Movement · Duane V. Knudson
Presented as the foundational text for the four-phase process of analyzing and coaching technique, a key component of performance analysis.
- Various works on coach recall and notational analysis · Ian M. Franks (often with M. Hughes or G. Miller)
The work of Franks is cited throughout as providing the original rationale for performance analysis (e.g., poor coach recall) and for foundational concepts in notational system design.
- The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball · Tango, T. M., Lichtman, M. G., and Dolphin, A. E.
Cited as a detailed treatment of how analytic methods can be used to answer specific questions about baseball strategy, representing a deep application of the book's principles.
- Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won · Moskowitz, T. J., and Wertheim, L. J.
Recommended for showing how analytic methods can be used to address a wide range of sports issues, similar to the scope of the author's own book.
- Mathletics: How Gamblers, Managers, and Sports Enthusiasts Use Mathematics in Baseball, Basketball, and Football · Winston, W. L.
Referenced for its applications of analytic methods to a variety of sports, including football-specific examples like expected points.
- The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives · Mlodinow, L.
Suggested for its excellent non-technical description of the intuition behind probability and randomness, which is a foundational concept of the book.
- Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences · Agresti, A., and Finlay, B.
The author's favorite introductory statistics text, recommended for its wide range of topics and emphasis on applications closely related to those in sports.
- Baseball between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong · Keri, J. (Ed.)
Mentioned as a collection of interesting essays where analytic methods are used to study specific sports issues, such as comparing players from different eras.
- The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action · Donald A. Schon
Provides the foundational theory for experiential learning and reflective practice, which is presented in Chapter 5 as a crucial method for coaches to develop their knowledge.