Huffington Post: Davidsonians Redefine Football’s 'Red Zone'

An essay by Davidson mathematicians offers a new means of using sports analytics to calculate a team's chances for success. Associate Professor of Math and Computer Science Tim Chartier and student Tyler Hickey '16 contend that the traditional use of the "red zone" (area from the 20 yard line to the goal line) to analyze chances of a team scoring doesn't paint the whole picture.

Using charts, graphs and formulae, the authors propose a new measure of potential success. They replace the red zone with two new zones. Their orange zone is the area from midfield to the 15 yard line, and their "hot zone" is a first down between the 15 and the goal line. They contend that the new approach allows analysts to create models that quantify and determine success, measurement of explosiveness, and fresh characterizations of teams and players.

Read the full story at the Huffington Post.

Additional Media Coverage

Detroit Radio Interview on Frank Beckman Show, Jan. 11, 2016: Prof. Tim Chartier and Tyler Hickey '16 talk sports analytics and football

Interview with Samuel Hensen, host of "Relatively Prime" mathematics podcast: Prof. Tim Chartier explains how he uses his "MimeMatics" show to get people excited about mathematics