LSS reviewing Research Seminar
On December 15, at 18:00-21:00, the traditional New Year's seminar of LSS will be held, where the laboratory staff will talk about the results of their research projects of 2020. Everyone is welcomed!
The traditional New Year's seminar of LSS is held in a conference format: research assistants will present the results obtained in 2020. As a rule, these are the results of projects that have not yet been completed. The purpose of the seminar is not only to summarize the work for the year but also to identify new possible areas for reflection.
Date and time: December 15, 2020, 18:00-21:15
Link: https://zoom.us/j/94166937778
18:00-18:15 "Dynamic analysis of positions in football"
Speaker: Anastasia Nebolsina
Co-authors: Gleb Vasiliev and Inna Zaitseva
Abstract: With the advent of access to tracking data, a more detailed study of the strategies of the game in football has become possible, in particular through the analysis of the formations used during the game. There are several approaches for identifying and classifying formations and further analyzing the match. In this paper, we are going to study the effect of different formation options in response to a fixed opponent formation on the team's success in a match. We plan to study this effect within the time segments of the game, highlighted by important events for the course of the game (substitution, ejection, goal), to take into account the dynamism of the strategy selection task.
18:20-18:35 "Choosing a venue for large-scale sports competitions: how to ensure rotation"
Speaker: Anastasia Nebolsina
Co-author: Dmitry Dagaev
Abstract: Research shows that the holding of global sports events, such as the Olympic Games or the World Cup, is associated more with economic losses, but at the same time with intangible benefits. Many countries apply and compete for the right to host them. In this regard, the question arises as to how the distribution of the venues of the competitions should be carried out. In this work, we are trying to understand how the venue selection mechanism should be arranged, which would ensure the rotation of the host countries.
18:40-18:55 "Lucky champions: does the match schedule affect the result?"
Speaker: Andrey Parkhomenko
Co-authors: Garik Vardanyan, Stepan Emelianenko, and Arseny Stolyarov
Abstract: Due to the increasing popularity of football in the world, every aspect of the game attracts more and more attention. Large investments, together with the availability of statistical data, provide an opportunity for a more detailed analysis of this sport at the micro-level. To remain competitive, clubs need to receive a certain amount of funds during the season. A more dense calendar partially solves this problem. In our study, we proved that for teams competing for the championship, a balanced calendar is preferable, where strong opponents alternate with weak ones, while teams from the second half of the table are better off playing in series against strong and weak opponents.
19:00-19:15 "Secondary market of sneakers: determinants of pricing"
Speaker: Arina Sokova
Co-authors: Ekaterina Kulinicheva and Anastasia Mityushkina
Abstract: The project is aimed at studying the secondary market of sneakers and the activities of resellers – one of the most important groups of agents working in this market segment. Although the secondary market of sneakers is a large active market, there are very few academic papers devoted to its study. Moreover, most of them are not publications in international peer-reviewed journals. Based on the results of the first preliminary stage of our project, we have compiled a general idea of the research field and outlined several areas for further work. One of them was the study of the determinants of pricing in the secondary market of sneakers; this is what we are going to focus on in this report.
19:20-19:35 "Factors determining the level of players' effort on the field"
Speaker: Maxim Stupin
Co-author: Inna Zaitseva
Abstract: This study examines various factors that affect the physical performance of football players in matches. In particular, the total mileage of the team for the match is analyzed depending on various conditions and external factors of the match. Previous studies have shown that the total distance covered has a positive effect on the chance of a team winning a match, but no significant statistical relationship between the mileage and the salary of a football player has been established. Using the Bundesliga data as an example, the influence of contextual factors on the team's total run per match is analyzed.
19:40-19:55 "Analysis of the impact of transfer policy on the success of football clubs"
Speaker: Anton Manukov
Co-author: Arseny Stolyarov
Abstract: These days, football clubs earn millions and spend millions to achieve success. The financial stability and sporting success of football clubs largely depends on the proper management, including transfer acquisitions. As a result, the impact of various aspects of the transfer policy on the success of the club's performance should be studied, including for the practical application of the results obtained. The purpose of this study is to identify the presence and determine the nature of the influence of certain characteristics of the transfer policy of football clubs on the success of their performances. In particular, we assume that the annual renewal and strengthening of the team through the acquisition of new players has a positive impact on the success of the teams' performances (for example, on the number of points scored at the end of the season). However, presumably, there is an optimal number of players acquired per season, before which each additional transfer has a positive impact on the success of the team's performances, and after it is exceeded, each new signing is characterized by a decreasing effect.
20:00-20:15 "Prove them wrong: Do professional athletes perform better when they face their former clubs?"
Speaker: Igor Tylkin
Co-authors: Artur Assansky, Gleb Vasiliev, and Daniil Shaposhnikov
Abstract: The games of athletes against former teams arouse additional interest from journalists and commentators. Many athletes themselves note that this is a special event for them. But is there a significant effect on the performance of the athlete against their former team? Using data on the performance of players in various seasons of the NBA, NHL, and major European soccer leagues, we built several OLS models to evaluate the effect of playing against a former team. As a result, we found that basketball players, hockey players, and soccer players play better individually, but become more egoistic. In addition, the arena of the match, the time in the former club, and the time after the transition were important factors affecting the performance of athletes.
20:20-20:35 "Sport, Doping, and Politics"
Speaker: Nikita Bukhanchenko
Co-author: Dmitry Dagaev
Abstract: Can politics influence the amount of doping in sports? Of course, it can. But how exactly? In this project, we consider the interaction of the authorities, athletes, and the anti-doping agency on the example of a game-theoretic model. The competition between "our" and "foreign" athletes is modeled. Athletes may use doping, but this may result in disqualification from the competition. A powerful official has the ability to influence the anti-doping agency and force it to hide a positive doping test of "our" athlete. Currently, the model is under active modification, but some interesting results have already been obtained. In particular, it was found that the intervention of an official with a poor control system can not only contribute to an increase in the amount of doping used by "our" athlete but also encourage "foreign" athletes to increase the use of illegal substances.
20:40-20:55 "What is good and what is bad?"
Speaker: Anastasia Mityushkina
Co-authors: Gleb Vasiliev and Artem Gecht
Abstract: The most frequent action with the ball in a football match is a pass. Players can give both a bad pass and a good one. But what does it mean to give a good pass? Recently, a lot of work has been devoted to this issue, and the most successful studies use tracking data. Papers that don't use tracking often provide a set of metrics instead of solving the problem, but not a recipe for a good pass. In our research, we propose a method for evaluating the quality of passes that does not use tracking and, nevertheless, determines the parameters of high-quality passing.