On November 3, middle school students gathered in room 232 in Riley Hall. All the students share a common interest in analyzing sports. Moneyball happens for three weeks on Fridays during the Community Block period. The micro-course, “ Moneyball” happened through the month of November on the 3rd, 10th, and 17th. Malvern has been introducing these micro-courses to allow students to learn about different topics.
Michael Waugh, who is in the class of 2025, led the micro-course “Moneyball”. I was lucky enough to interview Michael about his journey to becoming the leader of Moneyball. Michael hasn’t always been on the sidelines doing statistics, I asked Michael what got him into analyzing sports in the first place, and he said, “My sports analytics journey started with an injury. Long story short, I have tendonitis in my right shoulder that was made worse by rehab. As a quarterback, I felt [there was] no point in continuing my playing career and dove into stats and analytics, as I had always been fascinated by the numbers.“
Moneyball will continue to grow, but how did it start in the first place? Michael said, “I was having a successful run with the football team when I was approached by Mrs. V and Mrs. Giordano. They suggested turning my new idea into an independent study, which birthed the idea of moneyball.” Michael wants to keep expanding Moneyball by including more sports for students because “[he does] not have the required knowledge of every sport. This year we potentially will do hockey and are looking to get baseball and lacrosse involved.”
Ryan Colcaser, who is currently 8th grade, participated in the microcourse Moneyball. It was a pleasure to have a talk with him about Moneyball in which he mentioned that he would definitely participate in Moneyball again. He said, “I really enjoyed learning about recording and analyzing stats. I had a lot of fun participating in this micro-course.”
Michael, along with running Moneyball, does work with the Malvern Prep football team. Michael will provide scouting reports on each week’s opponents. He provides data on the other team’s defense to help the coaches know what decisions are best. Michael also researches the amount of plays that happen on offense to show how many yards, what type of play, or pass/run.
Overall, Moneyball was a great success that many students enjoyed. Michael Waugh is continuing to work on bringing back Moneyball. Students will have the opportunity to participate next time Moneyball comes around, and the microcourse was a great learning opportunity for all.
