We are witnessing the world of sports change right in front of our eyes. Teams around the world, across a number of different sports, are changing how they do things.

American sports have taken the lead somewhat in this, with the National Hockey League in the USA and Canada for example, being a hotbed for budding analytics experts to get places alongside scouts and coaching staff on the office teams.

This is spreading around the globe, and with teams paying so much for players in certain sports such as football, it makes sense that the teams would want people in place to judge and offer an opinion in every possible way.

The move looks strong and using analytics to judge players, potentially to be the deciding factor in bringing them onto a team, looks set to stay. Not only that, but it looks set to grow.

The Decisions Being Made by Analytics

Not too many, but some teams around the globe in different sports are using varieties of people analytics to determine which their best players are, and which players they want to bring in and play.

Just as there are a small number of clubs out there solely using this, there are a number of teams who don't yet use analytics at all. The majority of teams though, regardless of the sport and quality of league involved, are using analytics in some way as part of their decision-making process.

In boardrooms around the globe, it could be that analytics is what pushes a deal forward and is the final seal of approval for a team before they potentially spend millions of pounds on someone to join them.

How Fans Can Use Analytics Themselves

One of the great changes we have seen in sports thanks to analytics has been the availability of data, both general stats and really in-depth analytical lines for fans of the sport to evaluate themselves.

This is perfect for those who want to go in-depth on their own team or opponents, while gamblers are also able to make use of this. Whether you are new to gambling and taking betting offers that allows new customers to activate a £40 free bet or you are experienced, analytics can help your gambling.

This should allow you to read a game better and also work out what players have been standing out individually, especially if they have been held back by playing on a poor team. All of this can be used as a pointer towards working out what your team needs, or betting on the right outcome when you are next wagering on a game.

What Does the Future Hold?

It is going to be incredibly interesting to see what happens in the future. This is difficult to predict when you consider where we could end up, but it is almost certain that the use of analytics is only going to grow over the next decade and beyond.

It is a stretch to think that teams in one specific sport will ever get into a situation where analytics is solely used in their decision-making process, but the more teams use this, the more that others will have to follow suit.

What is more likely is that analytics will go alongside regular scouting and be equal. This will lead to chief analytics personnel being employed by clubs, just like we see chief scouts in place at the moment.

There was a little trepidation when analytics burst onto the scene, but now the world seems to have accepted that this works, expect to see and hear a lot more.