MILWAUKEE— Some students in the state now have a way to dig deeper into the science and numbers behind sports.
There are 54 official Sports Analytics Clubs across the United States and Wisconsin got its first two this Thursday.
Golda Meir in Milwaukee and Green Bay East in Green Bay will both participate in the program.
The program was created to address the lack of diversity in data science. The SACP supports clubs at high schools and middle schools across the U.S. by matching them with a STEM advisor and partnering the school with university faculty.
Marquette University will act as Golda Meir's faculty partner, and UW-Green Bay will be Green Bay East's.
“I enjoy doing sports, but also I enjoy breaking down the numbers that go behind everything,” said student Collin Rodriquez. “It's just really exciting that we got the opportunity for this.”
High school teacher David Benz said he’s excited to work with the students interested in the program and there’s lots to learn beyond sports.
“Almost every business moving forward is using analytics,” said Benz. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for the students.”
The MPS Foundation is providing all computing equipment at Golda Meir. Milwaukee Fellows is sponsoring the annual SACP programmatic fee to the national office for club participation.
“It is exciting for me to know that this national program is coming here to Milwaukee,” said John Daniels, the executive director of Milwaukee Fellows. “We are extremely excited to support them on that journey.”
There is no cap on the number of students that can join and many say they are excited to finally be involved.