Data Insights
Pulling signal from public data - open methods, novel insights.
Each piece starts from a public dataset, asks a single specific question, and shows how we got there.
Published
World Cup Analytics
July 2026The Continental Divide
Every football bar has argued that South American teams can't win in Europe, and vice versa. We pulled 49,378 men's internationals since 1872. On neutral ground the gap almost disappears - until the World Cup brings it roaring back.
- 49,378 men's internationals, 1872-2026
- -6.2% CONMEBOL goals on neutral European soil
- -20% CONMEBOL goals at European World Cups
World Cup Analytics
July 2026Cooler Heads
Fifty-two years of men's World Cup bookings tested against every grudge the two flags brought with them. The bar bet says historical conflict means hotter matches. Across 764 matches, grudge pairs booked fewer cards, not more.
- -14% cards per grudge match vs baseline
- 764 men's WC matches, 1970-2022
- All 6 decades below baseline
MLB Analytics
July 2026The Cliff That Wasn't
Fans blame September collapses on April rainouts and July doubleheaders. Twenty-two Major League seasons say the standings do not agree. Of the 12 team-seasons most hammered by make-up doubleheaders, 8 finished above .500.
- 8 of 12 heavy-load seasons above .500
- 787 weather PPDs, 22 seasons
- -1.1 pp in 20-in-18-day windows
World Cup Analytics
July 2026Golden Generation
Every major footballing nation believes in one more tournament for its Golden Generation. The data doesn't. Across 14 World Cups and 191 squads, every champion had an average squad age between 25 and 28 years. No winner has ever averaged over 28.
- 0 of 14 winners averaged over 28 years
- 26.4y median age of WC winners
- 2.8× more likely to exit past 28.5
World Cup Analytics
July 2026Nobody Kicks Tenth
The penalty shootout sells itself on the fifth-round hero and the threat of sudden death. Across every men's World Cup shootout since 1982, three in five are settled before the tenth kicker is ever needed - and sudden death arrives about once a generation.
- 60% decided before kicker #10
- 29% end before the fifth kicker
- 32-year sudden-death drought, broken in 2026
NYRA / Horse Racing
June 2026The Winter Track
For 132 winters, while Belmont and Saratoga sat dark, Aqueduct kept New York racing alive in the cold. On June 28, 2026, the Big A ran its last race. We matched 77 years of JFK weather to the racing calendar: the winter meet raced at a 43.7°F average high, and 100% of downstate December-February cards ran at Aqueduct.
- 43.7°F average high, winter race days
- 100% of downstate winter cards at Aqueduct
- +39°F warmer at Saratoga, same circuit
NYC Transit
June 2026Two Subways
Seven charts drawn from MTA open data — on-time performance, borough ridership recovery, ADA accessibility gaps, and the lines that have consistently underperformed since before the pandemic.
- 21.4% B-train riders late at peak
- 58.6% Bronx ridership vs 2019
- 27% of stations ADA-accessible
Test Cricket
June 2026The Oval: England's Best Chasing Ground
At England's seven Test grounds since 2002, batting averages collapse from the 1st innings to the 4th by as much as 14 runs per wicket. At The Oval, they don't.
- 36.03 Oval 4th-innings batting avg
- +0.75 above 1st innings
- #1 of 6 English grounds
2026 World Cup
June 2026The Colonial Reckoning
Across eleven men's World Cup matches between a former colonizer and a 20th-century colony, the underdog wins 57 percent more often than Elo predicts. The pattern is a 20th-century story; the older pairs go the other way.
- +57% colony win rate vs Elo
- 3 wins in 11 modern colonial matches
- France and Spain beaten at the WC
2026 NBA Finals
June 2026The Comeback: The Largest in NBA Finals History
The largest comeback in NBA Finals history used to be 24 points. The Knicks just erased 29 against the Spurs and won 107-106 on an Anunoby tip-in with 1.2 seconds left.
- 29 points overcome
- +5 above the prior record
- 107-106 final on a 1.2-sec tip-in
2026 World Cup
June 2026Welcome to Azteca
Estadio Azteca opens the 2026 World Cup at 2,240 metres. Across 6,346 prior World Cup and qualifier matches, that elevation has been the most reliable home-field advantage in football.
- 2,240 m Estadio Azteca, 2026 opener
- +2.71 Bolivia home-vs-away GD swing
- -1.03 visitor goal diff above 2,000 m
2026 NBA Finals
June 202653 Years, 37 Million Tickets: The Knicks' Historic Wait Comes Down to This
The Knicks haven't won a title since 1973. In that window, 37.2 million fans walked into Madison Square Garden. No title-less franchise in NBA history has drawn more.
- 37.2M announced attendance since 1973
- #1 among title-drought franchises
- +4M ahead of #2 Utah Jazz
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