Moneyball FLEX 

Developed by Wharton Professor Adi Wyner and the Wharton Sports Analytics Journal, Moneyball FLEX is a four-week online program which introduces statistics and coding through a sports lens. The program serves as an entrée into the sports statistics world as it is not heavily focused on computing, but the fundamental principles of sports statistics.    

The program welcomes talented students intrigued by statistics, though no formal background in statistics is required. However, applicants should have strong math skills and an interest in sports.  

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.  

Students participating in this program will have: 

• Live contact with Professor Wyner
• Access to Teaching Assistants and office hours with Penn undergraduates
• Optional live guest lectures in conjunction with Moneyball Academy and Moneyball Training Camp
• An opportunity for select students to publish in the Sports Analytics Student Research Journal

Following the completion of the Moneyball FLEX, students may go on to apply for the next 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. 

Interested in further exploring the world of sports analytics? Learn more about the Wharton High School Data Science Competition, an immersive, free competition for high school students to sharpen their data science skills, apply analytics to sports data, and collaborate with peers. The online competition is open to all high school students (ages 14-18) and team registration opens on January 6, 2025. 

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. 

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.