Former NFL slot receiver David Anderson joins Alex Smith, Shane Battier, and Ravi Gupta to discuss his journey from Colorado State to six NFL seasons, and his transition into sports data analytics. Anderson shares insights on the mental toughness required to play slot receiver, the physicality of professional football, and his work with Second Spectrum revolutionizing basketball analytics. Now founder of Breakaway Data, Anderson advocates for athlete data ownership rights, explaining why players should control their own performance metrics. The conversation covers the intersection of sports and technology, the importance of team chemistry, and what it means to be a "glue guy" in professional sports and business.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Show Notes:

(00:00:00) Welcome to Glue Guys

(00:01:58) The Life of an NFL Slot Receiver

(00:02:38) High School and College Football Journey

(00:04:16) Transition to Professional Football

(00:05:38) The Reality of NFL Life

(00:17:05) Friendship and Pool Parties

(00:19:15) From NFL to Data Analytics

(00:24:07) Revolutionizing Sports with Data

(00:3629) The Value of Data in Sports

(00:37:09) Ownership of Player Data

(00:39:40) Impact of Data on Athletic Performance

(00:45:54) Data Collection and Legal Challenges

(00:56:01) Mental Health and Data Privacy

(00:59:02) Lessons from Sports to Business

(01:07:00) The Role of Glue Guys