Moneyball: Training Camp

Taught by Wharton Professor Adi Wyner and guest lecturers, the Moneyball Training Camp is a one-week introduction to statistics and coding. By the end of the program, students will better understand sports analyses in articles they may read, and will create their own sports analysis project. Students will also learn basics in how to read and write code in R, the advanced statistical programming language used by professional statisticians. Additionally, Moneyball offers the opportunity to learn from and network with other analytically minded people, which can prove extremely valuable as students continue in the sports industry.

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Overview

Wharton Moneyball Training Camp is a one-week, online program broadly introducing students to statistics through a sports lens. Hosted by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative (WSABI), the Wharton Moneyball Training Camp welcomes talented students intrigued by statistics. Students applying to this program should have strong math skills and an interest in sports. 

The summer experience serves as an entrée into the sports statistics world as it is not heavily focused on computing but rather the fundamental principles of sports statistics. By the end of the program, students will better understand sports analyses in articles they may read, and will create their own sports analysis project, which may be featured in the Wharton Sports Analytics Journal. Wharton Professor Adi Wyner and guest faculty in conjunction with PhD students teach the program. 

Key themes and topics: 

  • Fundamentals of Statistics: data wisdom, histograms, box plots, quantiles, contingency tables, confounding factors, and the Empirical Rule. 
  • Regression and Relationships: scatter plots, correlation, regression lines, and avoiding the regression fallacy. 
  • Probability and Decision-Making: probability basics using examples from sports and betting. 

Students finish with hands-on experience using statistics and R programming to analyze sports data and communicate results effectively. 

Following the completion of the Moneyball Academy: Training Camp, many students go on to attend a future session of the three-week Moneyball Academy for a deeper dive into sports analytics.

All participants who successfully complete the program will earn a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.

Schedule

Course Meeting Times

Daily participation and engagement are required Monday through Friday. Each day will include some mixture of live, online class lectures; facilitated, small group discussions; collaborative group work; guest speakers; and independent work, completed within the Wharton Online Learning Platform. Live class sessions will meet as outlined below.

Live Session Schedule

Monday – Friday: tentatively 10:00AM-6:00PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4);
daily specifics may vary, but students should expect a mix of the following:

  • 10:00am-12:30pm: Live Class
  • 12:30pm-1:45pm – Lunch Break; Optional Office Hours/Coffee Chat available
  • 2:00pm-3:00pm – Live Guest Speaker
  • 3:00pm-4:30pm – (Asynchronous) Watch/read R Lectures
  • 4:30pm-5:00pm – Live Review coding Lecture
  • 5:00pm-6:00pm – Live Breakout sessions with TAs/Problem Sets

Technical Requirements

In order to fully participate in this course, you will need a computer that meets minimum system requirements for both Canvas LMS and Zoom Videoconferencing. A camera and microphone are required. Refer to the following links: 

All programming originates from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (Eastern Daylight Time)

Eligibility

Eligibility

High school students currently enrolled in grades 9–12 with strong math skills and an interest in sports. International applicants are welcome.

Admission

Admission to Moneyball Training Camp is selective. Selections are based on a record of academic excellence and a genuine interest in statistics and coding. Interested students are strongly encouraged to submit an application by the priority deadline.

Please note that participation in Wharton's Moneyball Training Camp does not guarantee admission into Penn.

Instructional Team

Faculty Leader: Adi Wyner

Professor Wyner received his Bachelors degrees in Mathematics from Yale University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with distinction in his major. He was the recipient of the Stanley Prize for excellence in Mathematics. His PhD in Statistics is from Stanford University, where he won a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, the Abrams Prize and the Herz Foundation fellowship. After graduating from Stanford, he received the NSF post-graduate fellowship and a visiting Professorship at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Wyner has been a Professor of Statistics at the Wharton School of Business for the last 11 years. He is a tenured Professor and the Chair of the Undergraduate Program in Statistics and Data Science for the University of Pennsylvania.

Additional Instructors

Guest faculty, PhD students, and guest speakers from across industry will also lecture within the program.

Teaching Assistants

Teaching Assistants consist of both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Pennsylvania. TAs facilitate small-group discussions, ensure student understanding, assist with final project development, and hold office hours to answer student questions and share their Penn and Wharton experiences.

FAQs

I heard that Moneyball is known for amazing guest speakers from the best teams in sports. Is this true?

Yes! Within Training Camp there will be several guest speakers from across the industry.

What does the daily schedule look like?

Each day there will include a live lecture given by Dr. Adi Wyner and his staff; this will run from 1–2 hours starting at approximately 10:00AM. Each day will also include live small group coding instruction with teaching staff and afternoon guest lectures.

Will I have the chance to meet other students with interests similar to mine?

Yes! Working in small teams, students will collaborate on a group project. Supervised by a Wharton student as a teaching assistant, participants will be connected and be provided tools for further connection beyond class time. Moneyball Training Camp students will also have access to the Wharton Global Youth Meetup (GYM), an extracurricular programming platform designed to build virtual community.

Dates

  • Jun 22 - Jun 26, 2026
  • Jul 20 - Jul 24, 2026

Location

Online

Request Info

Application Deadlines

Priority deadline:

 

January 28, 2026

 

Final deadline:

 

Rolling admission

Additional Info

Contact

For more information, please contact whartonyouth@wharton.upenn.edu or call +1.516.414.5555.

“This was a great first step into a topic that I didn't really know much about before. I am now incredibly intrigued and interested in learning more about sports statistics and the role that data analysis plays in shaping a better team.” - Moneyball Training Camp student

INCLUDED IN ALL SUMMER ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Wharton Youth Network (WYN)

The Wharton Youth Network (WYN) is an active online community open to all Wharton Global Youth summer students as a way to connect to one another — and Wharton business learning — before, during, and after their programs. Featuring both live and independent programming, the Wharton Youth Network connects ambitious business students worldwide during 10 full weeks of Wharton-powered learning, collaboration, and discovery.

*The Wharton Youth Network is included in all online summer programs.

*In-person students have the chance to join the Wharton Youth Network for $199.

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