Net Gains Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution

An in-depth examination of the rise of analytics in soccer and the wild experiments unfolding around the world in the beautiful game from ESPN staff writer and Infinite Football podcast host Ryan O'Hanlon. Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution takes readers on a tour across the world and throughout soccer history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer--a sport where tradition reigns supreme--shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open. By exploring how massive institutions built on billions of dollars can function for so long without any kind of introspection--and what happens when people from the outside attempt to question the status quo--author Ryan O'Hanlon shows how time and again experts, managers, coaches, players, and fans feel they know th