From the miraculous 2013 World Series Championship run by the Boston Red Sox to the three Super Bowl victories that cemented the New England Patriots’ dominance in the 2010s, sports were always intertwined with memories of my high school and undergraduate years at Boston College. As a diehard baseball fan, my growing interest in baseball statistics beyond peripheral metrics became an impetus to pursue a master’s degree in business analytics at Duke. The MQM program not only enhanced my technical skills and comparative advantage in today’s data-driven business world, but also allowed me to delve deeper into the latest sabermetrics trends and development.

Blending Sports With Academics at Duke

Throughout my year in Durham, sports events continued to shape and enhance my academic journey and my experience at Fuqua. From a program-sponsored golf outing at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club to attending numerous Duke sporting events, axe-throwing with my MQM Strategy cohort, and a university-wide pickleball tournament during Graduate Student Campout, I embraced every opportunity to engage in the electric gameday atmosphere and bond with classmates outside the classroom. My routine of tuning into every Red Sox game — no matter how disappointing the 2024 season was — became a way to unwind from academic pressures and connect with fellow New Englanders at Duke.

Among my most memorable experiences were attending Duke baseball and Durham Bulls games, as well as the Duke-UNC tennis matches organized by the Duke Taiwanese Student Association (DTSA). As a passionate baseball fan, I prioritized opportunities to see both the Durham Bulls and Duke baseball in action. The Bulls game against the Nashville Sounds I attended showcased a wide range of talent, from established veteran Brandon Lowe, (who incidentally blasted a grand slam) to the consensus top prospect Junior Caminero. Taiwanese star Yu Chang, playing shortstop that night, also knocked in a run, much to the delight of my Taiwanese classmates and me.

Duke baseball too, though smaller in scale, showcased intense ACC competition. The Duke-Florida State game I attended stood out and featured Friday night starter Jonathan Santucci. It was mesmerizing to observe up close as Santucci skillfully manipulated his fastball-slider-changeup combination to carve up opposing batters, which included 2024 MLB draft first-rounders James Tibbs III and Cam Smith. Two-way threat, pitcher and outfield Kyle Johnson and Fuqua’s own third baseman Ben Miller were also impressive, though Duke ultimately fell to FSU.

Building a Community With Sports

Beyond spectating, I made tennis a regular part of my routine, both for exercise and to connect with the wider Duke community. Early in the year, I joined a group of Taiwanese students through the DTSA and regularly played tennis with other graduate students and Ph.D. candidates studying various disciplines from Information Sciences to Molecular Genetics. The marquee event was the Duke-UNC matches that DTSA organizes every two years. Representing Duke was a highlight of my Fuqua experience, pushing my tennis skills to the limit in the scorching Carolina summer heat while allowing me to me network off the court with data science professionals and MQM alumni who returned for the event. As an added bonus, I even won a raffle for gift cards to local Taiwanese businesses that graciously sponsored the tournament.

Amid the challenges of the MQM program — whether grappling with various machine learning methods or mastering the design of data visualization dashboards — I could always rely on the abundance of sporting events throughout the year as a welcome reprieve. These events, along with the close-knit community of friends and athletes I developed, opened doors to meaningful professional relationships and unexpected lifelong friendships, enriching my year at Duke University in ways I could never have imagined.