What Were MIT, ESPN and Obama Hiding?

Nothing, as it turns out. Why an off-the-record ask at a sports conference was a blunder for everyone involved.

Over its 12-year history, the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference has evolved into a sort of merry Comic-Con for the growing sports analytics business. It’s a place where smart people talk about new ways to interpret the games they love – there are panel discussions, papers presented … and a lot of nerding out about data.

But I was surprised when I saw that Obama’s on-stage interview with Sloan co-founders Jessica Gelman and Daryl Morey (the latter the GM of the Houston Rockets) would be off the record—its contents not for public dissemination.

Sloan underlined the policy with the following ask: “During President Obama’s panel, the following will not be permitted, without exception: photography, video recording, streaming, and social media posting – including the use of Twitter , Facebook , Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms.”

Sloan wasn’t done: “Following the panel, the sharing or reporting of its contents on public platforms, including social media, will not be permitted. Those who fail to adhere to this policy will be subjected to removal from the conference and denied tickets to future SSAC conferences.”

It’s true that former Presidents and CEO types do give private, paid speeches that are closed to the press – Sloan is not that type of clambake. Obama’s speech was paid … and it was indeed a big deal—the former President spoke to a packed room of 3,500 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. But Sloan has a clear affiliation with a university. The President was introduced Friday by Sloan’s Dean, David Schmittlein.

Sloan’s also a major, unabashed media-fest. Though it’s understood ESPN had no hand in planning the Obama conversation, Sloan’s list of 2018 attendees includes 50 names alone from ESPN, and at least 20 more ESPN people were listed as moderators or panelists. Numerous other media organizations and personalities were also in attendance.

“Our initial understanding was that reporters wouldn’t be attending the Q-and-A,” the Obama source said of the Sloan appearance. “But subsequently, we were informed that they’d been invited and had agreed to the off-record nature of the event.”

Clearly, something got lost in translation. And now there are lingering, weird vibes.

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):