Short-Term Ph.D. Research Goals:
Growing up, I was always fascinated by numbers, data, and algorithms, and was always incredibly competitive, which led me to play many sports as a kid, with football being by far my favorite. I always considered myself to have a “math brain,” and in my junior year of high school at Shady Side Academy, I had the opportunity to take an Introduction to Computer Science course, followed by AP Computer Science B, where I discovered my lifelong academic home. Ever since I wrote my first Hello, World! program, my desire to connect the broad field of CS to my favorite sport has only grown.
One area of CS that I’ve always been drawn to is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with Big Data. I recently concluded a 300-level AI course, with two of my favorite topics being neural networks and genetic algorithms. While I always knew I wanted to work in the sports industry doing something with computers and data, taking this course led me to identify a specific area of study that has significant real-world implications beyond athletics. My overall career goal has solidified: I want to use my studies to help improve player safety at all levels of football. The next step in this journey is to develop a rigorous AI and ML background with a focus on healthcare. I expect my graduate research to have a broader focus than just football but hope to study intersections of CS and healthcare that would provide me with a relevant knowledge base for a potential future job in professional football. As such, I have thought of two specific research areas that are broadly beneficial and could be connected to all levels of football. My first idea involves applying deep learning models to help predict and reduce cases of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is currently not possible to definitively diagnose without an autopsy and leads to potentially deadly mental health deterioration. Another potential idea is finding ways to incorporate AI and modeling into medical imaging of damaged connective tissue. This can help better evaluate injuries, inform surgical methods, and improve rehabilitation processes.
Expanding on the two ideas listed above, the National Football League (NFL) is attempting to harness data to improve player safety. Players wear RFID and GPS monitors that produce hundreds of data points every second of every play of every game. The most dangerous and widely-discussed player safety topic is concussions. Violent collisions and recurring head trauma cause the CTE rate of former NFL players to be potentially as high as 90%, compared to less than 1% in the general population. Despite this, research into CTE in general, including football connections, is in its infancy. Due to a lack of general understanding rooted in the complicated nature of the disease, the emerging study of CTE is well-suited for AI techniques. Another dangerous and ongoing topic of discussion in the NFL is artificial turf playing surfaces, which have been linked to higher rates of serious ligament and tendon tears. Data analytics and neural networks could be applied to create models to predict the likelihood of major injuries, such as ACL or Achilles tears, that sideline players for entire seasons and can ruin careers. Additionally, AI-incorporated medical imaging could be used to judge initial damage and inform post-op re-strengthening measures to help return player performance to pre-injury levels and prevent re-injury.
One day in the near future, I know I will step off a football field for the final time as a player, unlacing my cleats and taking my jersey off forever. While I won’t achieve my childhood dream of playing professional football, a Ph.D. would allow me to satisfy my academic and professional objectives and reach the NFL in a far more beneficial and meaningful role. I’ve spent my entire undergraduate experience working hard to excel in academics, athletics, and extracurriculars, developing as strong of a background as possible in preparation for a rigorous graduate education. Along the way, I’ve learned many valuable lessons in time management, helping and working with others, and navigating complexity and ambiguity. Taking the next step in my journey and getting my Ph.D. would allow me to undertake research with a wide range of important applications, whether in sports, healthcare, or elsewhere in industry. At the end of my professional career, I hope to have had the opportunity to give back to those who have helped me along my journey, to support my family, and to make an impact on the world, no matter how small.
Long-Term Career Exploration:
Ever since I was young, I shared a dream with thousands of other young boys: to play in the National Football League. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to terms with my continually dwindling chances of finding my way onto the field as an athlete. However, my dream is still alive, albeit in a different form. As a Computer Science and Business major, my new dream is to eventually become the General Manager of a professional sports team, fulfilling my NFL dreams in a way I couldn’t have possibly fathomed as a young child running around at the park. While that is the eventual goal, I know I want to start my career in the sports industry, combining my passion for athletics with my academic abilities in computer science and analytics.
My biggest want from a future job is to be working in the professional sports industry. I’ve always loved playing, learning, and watching as many sports as possible, which has led me to be a two-sport, year-round collegiate athlete, playing football as well as running track and field. Sports has always been my life outside of school and, once my playing days are over, I hope to stay connected with athletics however possible. The next desire I have for a future job is the ability to progress in the company or industry. I recognize that I might start in an entry-level analytics or computer science-related job, but want to be able to progress from there. As mentioned, I eventually hope to reach the highest level in the front office of a professional sports organization. As a result of this goal of upwards mobility, I have chosen to major in business in addition to my computer science major and analytics minor. I expect that I initially will have to switch between organizations or leagues to progress my career, but I would want to stay within one sport in the future, building my expertise and becoming recognized in the league. The third, and final, significant want I have from a future job is eventual time flexibility and autonomy in my work. While I won’t have much scheduling flexibility as a new hire in an entry-level job, I hope to be able to progress to a point in my career where I have time to coach my children’s sports teams and be there for my family. I know that some business and computer science jobs involve very long hours, but to me, the time with my future family or for my interests is more important than additional pay.
My ultimate career goal is to be an NFL General Manager. From looking at the career paths of current GMs, many of them were former players at some level and worked their way up internally in the organization before being hired as GM. Many GMs start as scouts, which gives them valuable talent recognition skills and industry connections. More recently, there has been a push for using data analytics to help player scouting efforts, both in looking at free agent and collegiate players. An entry-level position as a data analyst would likely give me the start that I want. Over time, I would anticipate future positions such as the head of scouting or analytics, or other front office positions such as vice president of football operations, before eventually being hired as the general manager.
I will be qualified for a position in analytics upon graduation, especially with a Ph.D., and have spoken with a recent Muhlenberg graduate who currently works in analytics for the New York Giants. Obviously, this would align with my goal of staying connected to sports, and there is significant room to progress within professional sports from there. Finally, I know that GMs do not have a large amount of time flexibility, but I would hopefully earn a good enough living to be able to retire early and have financial stability while I pursued high school coaching or some other, more fun job. Also, if I were to make it as an NFL GM, I would be more than willing to sacrifice free time for the amazing benefits that come with the position.
For a “Day in the Life” perspective, I found an interview with Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane in which he detailed what a weekend during the NFL season looks like for him. He was a high school football player who graduated college with a degree in communications. From there, he started as an intern with the Carolina Panthers and progressed in the organization eventually becoming their assistant general manager. He was then hired by the Buffalo Bills to be their new general manager in 2017. Especially during the season, he has a very busy life. He mentions scouting college players and reading reports on them, going to a college game on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, and then his own game on Sunday. He also talks about the people skills and interactions that you have to have. As a general manager, you should be visible and around the team as much as possible, which leads him to have a lot of interactions with hundreds of individuals in the organization. The amount of flying and late nights/early mornings seems like a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. The hardest thing for me would likely be the people skills and interacting with so many people, especially because I consider myself more of an introvert. However, I’m sure I would develop this skill set as I progress in the organization and interact with more and more people.
Overall, I hope to live out my professional sports dream in the corporate world instead of on a playing field. I think that I am on a great track to do just this, and have already begun aligning my studies and extracurricular activities and pursuits with this goal.
