THE POWER RANK

Podcast: Jonathan Bales on sports, entrepreneurship and push-ups

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On this episode of The Football Analytics Show, I’m joined by Jonathan Bales, a co-founder of Fantasy Labs and author of multiple books on fantasy sports.

Among other things, we discuss:

  • How he did 2400 push-ups in 12 hours (2:16)
  • The value of Fantasy Labs for daily fantasy sports players (8:13)
  • Why there is still value in getting started with DFS (10:00)
  • Jonathan’s counter intuitive tips for starting a business (12:33)
  • Why this pandemic is a time of great opportunity (18:41)

Jonathan is one of the most interesting people in the sports world, and I think you’ll get a lot out this conversations, sports and otherwise.

To listen here, click on the right pointing triangle.

To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here.

Podcast: Peter Jennings on analytics for Daily Fantasy Sports

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On this episode of The Football Analytics Show, Peter Jennings, two time world champion at Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and cofounder of Fantasy Labs, joins me for a wide ranging discussion on analytics for DFS. Among other topics, we discuss:

  • An advantage his background in poker gave him in DFS
  • The times of year with the most value in DFS versus the times you’re stuck playing other professionals
  • How to use the markets to gain an edge
  • The sport he watches to gain an edge, and the sport he avoids watching
  • Whether strategy or analytics is more important for the beginning player

After listening to the interview, it won’t surprise you how much success Peter has had in playing DFS and starting Fantasy Labs.

After the interview, I discuss my new research on college football bowl pools. Is there value in these contests? Listen at 32:29.

To listen on iTunes, click here.

Podcast: Jonathan Bales and analytics for Daily Fantasy Sports

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On this episode of The Football Analytics Show, I welcome Jonathan Bales, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) player and founder of Fantasy Labs. We have a fascinating conversation on the following:

  • His bold approach to breaking into the DFS world only 5 years ago
  • The unique way in which Fantasy Lab gives you an edge in playing DFS
  • How contrarian thinking applies to both tournaments in DFS and March Madness pools
  • The unexpected product announcement Jonathan makes on the show; it has to do with props
  • How working for free lets you break into a new field

Please go check out Jonathan’s personal site, one of my favorite places on the internet.

After the interview, I do my own segment on some new NFL preseason rankings, which come from market data. The rating on New England is particularly interesting. Listen at 28:10.

Finally, I talk with David Nasternak, the Michigan super fan and sound engineer for this podcast, on the Michigan versus Florida game. Listen at 32:55.

To listen on iTunes, click here.

To listen on the site, click on the right pointing triangle.