Obama to speak at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference

BOSTON — Former President Barack Obama will speak at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Feb. 23 to discuss his time in office and the next chapter in his life. The conference announced Friday night on Twitter that Obama, an avid sports fan, would make an appearance. MIT has held the conference annually since 2007, hosting industry professionals to discuss the role of analytics in sports. This year, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman are scheduled to speak. Also on the list of speakers — retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez, FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver and Los Angeles Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Obama routinely filled out NCAA Tournament brackets on ESPN during his presidency. His White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, once said Obama would consider being part of the ownership group for an NBA franchise.