SE Valley Times

A new initiative at ASU Preparatory Academy is transforming students into budding statisticians by combining sports with data analytics. The program, in collaboration with the Arizona Diamondbacks and faculty from Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business and Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, engages high school students in real-world projects related to baseball and other sports.

Javier Melendez, a physics and math teacher at ASU Prep Phoenix, mentors students in this innovative program. "Data analytics applies to almost anything, and what we’re trying to do is make the subject fun and interesting to students," he said. The program aims to open doors for students, particularly those from underserved communities.

The initiative was developed by Don Gibson over five years. He explained that the Sun Devil Sports Analytics Scholars program seeks to integrate sports content into regular curricula to promote learning among grade school through high school students. "Its principal focus is to introduce the study of analytics (and the career possibilities) to females, minorities and people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are greatly underrepresented in this specialty," Gibson stated.

Initially introduced in 2020, the concept found support at ASU Prep after failing to gain traction elsewhere. "We found the perfect combination of interest at the leadership and faculty levels," Gibson noted.

Students participate in interactive sessions every Friday where they analyze sports data with guidance from ASU professors assisting the Diamondbacks' business operations. Daniel McIntosh emphasized that "at ASU, we believe learning is a lifelong commitment." He highlighted how shifting mathematical concepts into a sports context makes them more relatable for students.

Recently, participants began developing a survey aimed at helping the Diamondbacks market their product to younger audiences. Students like Noelia Morales have found new interests through this experience; she remarked on her newfound appreciation for analytics over marketing.

Keshav Joshi expressed how data can illuminate consumer behavior during games: "Who are they motivated to see? What are they motivated to buy?" Meanwhile, Naioby Sarabia appreciated how baseball fosters family connections.

Jayden Morales described his visit to Chase Field as an “eye-opening” introduction to corporate operations within professional sports. Ryan Goodwin discovered that crafting effective surveys requires significant detail: "Surveys must have a lot of detail."

Melendez mentioned that once completed, students will present their findings and recommendations back to the team in May—a prospect seen as both motivating and potentially career-shaping for participants like McIntosh who view it as transformative educationally: “This program isn’t just about making math — or what we call analytics — fun; it’s about equipping students with analytical skills.”