Marquette to the NFL over 60 years later
Malcolm Charles, a second year student in the Sports and Exercise Analytics program in Marquette’s Graduate School, was a football data and analytics intern for the NFL
A Marquette University alumnus has not played in the National Football League in almost 50 years and Marquette University has not fielded a football team in over 60.
Despite that, Marquette students are still finding opportunities in professional football.
Malcolm Charles is in his second year in the Sports and Exercise Analytics program in Marquette’s Graduate School. This past summer, he completed a 10-week internship with the NFL as a football data and analytics intern.
Here in a Q&A, Malcolm talks about his experience as an intern with the NFL, his interest in the analytical side of sports and his football fan loyalties.
What sparked your interest in sports and exercise analytics?
I grew up playing sports and have always been interested by the intricacies of strategy within sports. My older brothers played basketball and soccer (and my dad still plays soccer in his 60s), so just watching their games and observing their styles of play was something that sparked my interest in sports even at a young age. My favorite subject was math growing up and that never really changed, even as the subject became increasingly challenging. My undergraduate degree is in mathematics, and I didn’t come across the field of data/sports analytics until my fourth year in undergrad.
While playing football in high school, I became passionate about weightlifting and that passion has continued to evolve throughout the years. Observance — mostly from a distance — of a collegiate weight training program and an NFL weight-training program have also had a huge influence on my own weight training and interest in movement as well. So, with my weight training interest/background and my interest in mathematics, data analytics in sport seemed to be a great fit.
What is your previous experience with football?
I played peewee football for a year, then got back into playing in eighth grade before playing all four years in high school. I wasn’t the best athlete, but I enjoyed the game of football and the challenges that came with it — mental, physical, all of it.
I’m normally a very quiet person but animated in athletic competition. My love for defense (and football, in general) came about when watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense of the early 2000s. They flew around, they were physical, and they were explosive! It also wasn’t a bad time to be a college football fan in the state of Florida with Florida State, Miami, and Florida as national powerhouses. Up until I got an NFL internship with the Buffalo Bills in 2019, the Bucs were my favorite NFL team and I’ve been a Notre Dame football fan for a while now.
What did your internship entail?
Primarily, I was tasked with identifying trends that impact quality of games through data visualization in RStudio — factors including weather, field surface, day of the week, time of day and others. The other task involved the start of converting dashboard processes from Excel to Power BI (a data visualization program) for reports sent out to clubs on a yearly basis.
Throughout the internship, there was a weekly speaker series in which we learned about different aspects of the NFL through the lens of VPs and directors including sponsorship, next gen stats, media strategy, scheduling, NFL Films, events, and planning and culture. Lastly, also as an intern class, we had the opportunity to have a Q&A with the Commissioner.
Overall, it was a great experience. I was able to make some meaningful connections, increase my skillset (not just professionally, but also personally), and learned a lot about what happens daily at the league office.
What were your favorite experiences from the internship?
I sat in on a few presentations by the football and data analytics team to some of the higher ups in Football Operations and Officiating. One aspect was learning of the different projects that come out of the department, but also observing the ability to effectively communicate the importance of findings to decision makers. I also sat down with the executive vice president of football operations twice to discuss career goals, strategies for improving my confidence and networking skills. Lastly, some interns participated in a Seed Kit Challenge in which they pitched innovative business proposals to senior leadership at the end of the summer regarding different initiatives. It was fascinating and inspiring to tune in to these exceptional presentations.
What was your biggest surprise or takeaway from your experience with the NFL?
I’m generally quite reserved, so I was surprised by the openness of the people I interacted with to, not only make me feel comfortable, but share their own stories and strategies for navigating the sports world. A constant battle for me is to get out of my own head and not put so much pressure on myself or interactions with other people, and this summer was great practice as I was encouraged to keep things simple, step outside of my comfort zone, and stay true to who I am.
I also learned the importance of pushing the boundaries of the job description — this allows for continued growth individually and within the company. At the heart of innovation is hearing new perspectives. This requires engaging with people who have different backgrounds as well as having the confidence to express one’s own ideas because everyone has something to bring to the table. Lastly, repetition is key, apply your skills in ways that interest you, seek guidance, different perspectives and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
How close to graduation are you? What jobs are you hoping to get after graduation?
I am in my second year of the Sports and Exercise Analytics Program and expecting to graduate with a master’s degree in Spring 2022. I hope to one day work in the NFL as a performance analyst, data analyst or football analyst.
For more information on the Master’s in Sports and Exercise Analytics program, visit the Marquette Graduate School website.
