Using proprietary data from Relo Metrics, students evaluated sponsorship performance across leagues, including Formula 1, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the National Football League and NCAA Division I football.
Sport management students earned multiple top honors at the 2026 Elon Datafest Data Challenge, delivering award-winning, data-driven analyses of sport sponsorship strategy.
Hosted by Data Nexus from April 9–13 and open to students across the university, the annual competition challenges participants to analyze complex datasets and present actionable insights. This year’s case centered on sport sponsorship media value across major leagues, asking students to recommend how a financial services brand should allocate its sponsorship budget to maximize exposure, audience reach and return on investment.
Working with proprietary data provided by Relo Metrics, a leading sports analytics firm, students evaluated sponsorship performance across leagues, including Formula 1, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the National Football League and NCAA Division I football. The collaboration was supported by Elon alumnus Ryan Meizinger ’17, director of insights and strategic services at Relo Metrics, who supplied the dataset and offered students an industry-informed overview of the current sport sponsorship landscape.
Two sport management teams stood out among the competition.
One team – Maddy Baird, a sport management and data analytics major; Skylar Cook, a sport management major; and Shelby Keel, a sport management and media analytics major – earned honors for Best Pitch and Best Data Visualization.
A second team – Seth Cushinsky, a sport management and statistics major; Oliver Jaffe and Colin Chisholm, both sport management and data analytics majors; and Amelia Weaver, a sport management and media analytics major – was recognized for Best Use of an External Source.
“Through this year’s Data Challenge, sport management students gained a deeper understanding of how data informs strategic decision-making in the context of sport sponsorship,” said Young Do Kim, associate professor of sport management. “They developed analytical modeling skills, evaluated key performance metrics and learned how to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights.”
Participants analyzed a range of sponsorship variables – including exposures, impressions, engagement and placement types such as courtside signage, uniforms and broadcast-visible branding – to assess how different strategies contribute to overall media value.
“The Department of Sport Management continues to demonstrate its commitment to data competencies by equipping students with the analytical skills needed to succeed in today’s evolving sport industry,” Kim said.
Sport management students engage in data-intensive courses such as sport finance, applied sport analytics, and sport data and research, while also competing in events like DataFest, the SMT Data Challenge and other national analytics competitions.