Bret Myers, PhD

Professor of the Practice, Management & Operations | Villanova School of Business | Villanova University

Villanova, PA, UNITED STATES

Bret Myers, PhD, utilizes analytics to improve decision processes for sports businesses on-field and in the management of operations.

Media

Publications Photos Videos Documents Audio/Podcasts

Publications:

Documents:

Photos:

Videos:

Audio/Podcasts:

Areas of Expertise (6)

Sports Analytics

Soccer Analytics

Business

Management

Business Analytics

Business Operations

Biography

Dr. Myers' area of research is in the use of analytics to improve decision processes for sports businesses, both in the delivery of a product on the field, and the management of operations to meet strategic objectives. Myers is currently an analytics consultant for Major League Soccer's Toronto FC. His research has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated.

Education (3)

Drexel University: PhD

University of Virginia: MS

University of Richmond: BS

Links (1)

Villanova School of Business Inspiring Minds Podcast: Analyzing the Beautiful Game

Select Media Appearances (6)

Down At Halftime In A Soccer Game? Use Your Subs.

FiveThirtyEight

2019-09-18

In 2012, Bret Myers, who works at Villanova University as a professor and works as an analytics consultant for the Columbus Crew of the MLS, published a paper based on an analysis of the top-tier leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and the U.S. along with the 2010 World Cup.

Analytics on offer for World Cup teams with FIFA providing stats tablets

The Canadian Press online

2018-06-14

"It's natural. Analytics is so tied in with technology," said Bret Myers, a Villanova professor who is an analytics consultant with MLS champion Toronto FC. "Why we have that term analytics is because of the data that technology can generate. In sports, in competition you want any kind of edge that you can get."

The beautiful game discovers that algorithms can be beautiful, too

Washington Post online

2018-03-01

Bret Myers’s fascination with soccer analytics took hold some 15 years ago through a frustrating first-hand experience: He was a benchwarmer.

Peyton Closes in on the 59th Most Impressive Record in Sports

The Wall Street Journal

2015-11-09

A study published in October in the “Journal of Sports Analytics” suggests otherwise. The study, by Villanova professors Matthew Liberatore, Bret Myers and Robert Nydick and Temple professor Howard Weiss, attempts to quantify and rank the best MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL records of all time. I

Toronto FC expands analytics department, looks to invest in research

The Globe and Mail

2015-02-19

The team hired Villanova professor Bret Myers as a consultant last year but decided it needed a full-time staffer to help establish its analytics framework.

The Science of Soccer Substitutions

The Wall Street Journal

2015-12-02

The pace and flow of soccer generally make it difficult for managers to affect the outcome of a match once it begins. Since soccer has almost no stoppages for coaches to draw on clipboards or strategize with their players, a manager's most critical in-game decision may be choosing when to utilize his three substitutions. That's where Bret Myers, a professor of management and operations at the Villanova School of Business, comes in. A lifelong soccer player and fan, he sought to help coaches make their subs at exactly the right moment and discovered what he calls the "Decision Rule."

Select Academic Articles (4)

On the Relationship Between Attacking Third Passes and Success in the English Premier League

The Sports Journal

Myers, Bret R. & Coughlin, Brian Q.

2016

Revisiting the Ranking of Outstanding Professional Sports Records

Journal of Sports Analytics

Liberatore, Matt J., Myers, Bret R., Nydick, Robert L., and Weiss, Howard J.