Net Gains, Ryan OHanlon
Net Gains, Ryan OHanlon
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Net Gains
Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution

Author: Ryan O'Hanlon

Narrator: George Newbern

Unabridged: 10 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/18/2022

Synopsis

"This in-depth examination of soccer takes listeners on a tour across the world and throughout history, introducing the many people who have attempted to shine a light onto and innovate a sport that, in many ways, is still stuck in the Dark Ages. This deep dive into the rise of analytics in soccer—a sport where tradition reigns supreme—shows how revolutionary tactics and underexplored metrics are breaking the beautiful game wide open. By exploring how massive institutions built on billions of dollars can function for so long without any kind of introspection—and what happens when people from the outside attempt to question the status quo—author Ryan O'Hanlon, a staff writer at ESPN, shows how time and again experts, managers, coaches, players, and fans feel they know the best approach for any given team or player and yet get undermined by the complexity of the game—and human behavior. To tell this globe-trekking story, O'Hanlon takes listeners inside the front offices and analytics departments of the top professional leagues’ most cutting-edge clubs and profiles a misfit cast of number-crunchers, behavioral economists, tech insiders, and managers all working to move beyond the philosophical side of soccer and uncover the hard truths behind possession, goals, and developing talent."

About Ryan O'Hanlon

Ryan O'Hanlon is a staff writer at ESPN. He has contributed to FiveThirtyEight, The New York Times, and GQ, among other publications. His newsletter, No Grass in the Clouds, examines the unknown, analytical side of soccer. He previously served as a senior editor at The Ringer.

About George Newbern

George Newbern has appeared in Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride II, Evening Star, Adventures in Babysitting, and many other films. On television, he has had roles on Scandal, Friends, Nip/Tuck, Hot in Cleveland, CSI, and more. He is also known for providing the voice of Superman in Justice League and for narrating audiobooks.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jesse on February 23, 2025

Very likable, but it raises a metaphysical question. Let's posit a) that Moneyball is the most successful rise-of-analytics book, commercially and culturally (disappointingly, "Soccernomics" has not yet inflated itself into a trope) b) because its argument is emotionally appealing but at best semi-tr......more

Goodreads review by Sebastian on December 24, 2023

It was much more interesting than "Zonal Marking" - more practical and informative. Instead of focusing on nostalgia, it traverses the topic of "measuring" football - how to tell which team/player/tactic is more effective in a particular context or in general. A lot of space is dedicated to explainin......more

Goodreads review by Nick on November 06, 2022

This book was interesting. I really liked learning about the different ways that analytics has had an impact on soccer.......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on December 31, 2022

Back in 2016 or 2017, I listened to O'Hanlon on a podcast and found him annoying. He was a Liverpool fan, and I felt that his insistence that Liverpool was good (despite being in 6th or 7th in the league) to be clear homerism. Then, over the next 5 years, I watched Liverpool become one of the 2 or 3......more

Goodreads review by Michael on January 21, 2023

I'm a big baseball fan who has bought into the value of analytics in the national pastime. I've always had an interest in soccer, attending a college powerhouse in the St. Louis area way back when the city was the epicenter of the sport in this country. During the pandemic and the following years my......more

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