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Bringing Broadcast-Quality Analytics to Community Esports Events
For The Ascension Protocol 1v1 tournament, DataCoach partnered with Jamesbot to elevate the broadcast experience through custom Player Cards that brought analytical depth to every matchup. Beyond traditional stats, we developed visual storytelling assets that gave the broadcast narrative hooks and provided viewers with ESPN-level insight into player styles, strengths, and tournament performance.
This case study demonstrates how DataCoach transforms raw gameplay data into polished, broadcast-ready graphics that enhance viewer engagement and professionalize community-driven esports events.
Example of the broadcast graphics & narrative support:
/01 The Brief: Supporting Jamesbot's Production Vision
Jamesbot approached DataCoach with a clear goal: elevate his 1v1 Rocket League tournament to match the production quality of major RLCS broadcasts. Unlike 3v3 matches where team dynamics drive narratives, 1v1 tournaments require player-focused storytelling that highlights individual playstyles, mechanics, and decision-making. We coupled that some inspiration from FIFA cards, and gave each player a rating based on their gameplay, normalised out of 100.
/02 Creative Production: Designing Player Cards for On-Air Use
We wanted to arm Jamesbot with more than just stats, we wanted to help the event with true broadcasting storylines. DataCoach worked with Jamesbot's production team to create Player Cards that functioned as visual storytelling tools, not just data dumps. Each component was designed with broadcast clarity and narrative potential in mind.
Player Rating: Making Analytics Accessible
Drawing inspiration from FIFA Ultimate Team cards, we gave each player a normalized rating out of 100 based on comprehensive gameplay analytics. This wasn't arbitrary—the rating synthesized 80+ tracked in-game events into a single, familiar number that casual and hardcore viewers could instantly understand.
Broadcast Value:
- Commentators could reference ratings during matchups: "We've got a 94-rated Joreuz facing an 89-rated FirstKiller—this should be interesting."
- Created instant "upset" narratives when lower-rated players won
- Provided visual hierarchy for tournament seeding discussions
Performance Graph: Visualizing Playstyle Differences
We rated each player across 5 key categories—Offensive, Defensive, Positional, Mechanics, and Kickoffs—creating radar charts that enabled instant visual comparison between players.
We started tracking 1v1 specific kickoffs and the impact they have on gaining/conceding possession and kickoff goals. We’re continuously working to refine it further, and fwiw “Regular” is currently a catch all for kickoffs that don’t fit the defined categories.
Broadcast Value:
- Pre-match analysis: Commentators could preview stylistic matchups ("Joreuz dominates mechanically, but FirstKiller's positional awareness could neutralize that advantage.")
- Side-by-side graphics: Production overlaid competing players' graphs during intros to show contrasting strengths
- Post-match validation: Graphs confirmed or contradicted "eye test" observations
Kickoff Style: 1v1-Specific Insight
For Ascension Protocol, we introduced 1v1 kickoff tracking—a first for Rocket League analytics. We classified kickoff approaches (Speed Flip, Delayed, Fast, Regular) and measured their impact on possession wins and kickoff goals.
In 1v1, kickoffs are critical. Unlike 3v3 where kickoffs are often standardized, 1v1 players use kickoffs as strategic weapons. Our data made those strategies visible to the audience.
Tournament Ranks:
These are how each player ranked vs the other players who participated in the LAN. Seeing how stats like player speed, distance to ball and possession correlate (or are uncorrelated) with performance was really interesting.
Broadcast Value:
- Emerging narratives: As rankings shifted between matches, commentators could identify trends ("Joreuz has climbed to #1 in speed after adjusting his playstyle.")
- Statistical heroes: Highlighted players dominating specific categories even if they weren't winning matches
- On-screen graphics: Production inserted leaderboards during downtime to maintain viewer engagement
Expected Goals (xG) Per Game:
Similar to our 3v3 analysis, every shot taken in game has a probability of a goal being scored. This translates to a player’s expected goals & conversion metrics on offense and defense. Our goal is to bring more analytics to the conversation in Rocket League. We’re actively working on creating Player Cards for 3v3 as well, to help with player evaluation & roster formation in the future (at all levels of RL). We’re always looking for feedback so drop us a line if you’d be interested in connecting / contributing.
Broadcast Value:
- Efficiency narratives: "FirstKiller is converting at 40% above his expected goals—he's clinical in front of net."
- Defensive excellence: "Joreuz is conceding 30% fewer goals than expected—his defensive reads are elite."
- Upset explanations: When underdogs won, xG showed whether it was sustainable dominance or lucky finishing
/03 Event Support: Real-Time Analytics for Commentary
DataCoach didn't just deliver graphics and walk away. We provided live analytical support throughout the event to ensure data remained relevant and responsive to how the tournament unfolded.
/04 The Outcome: Professional-Grade Broadcast for Community Esports
The Impact:
For viewers, the Player Cards transformed the watching experience and provided instant context on player strengths, real-time storylines as rankings shifted, and post-match validation of what they'd just witnessed.
For Jamesbot's production, DataCoach served as the analytical backbone that enabled ESPN-quality storytelling for a grassroots tournament.
For the esports community, it demonstrated that data-driven broadcasts aren't just for major leagues, and communities can expect professional-grade storytelling with the right analytics partner.
Full Ascension Protocol broadcast here: Twitch Stream by Jamesbot
What We're Building Next:
We're actively developing 3v3 Player Cards to bring the same broadcast storytelling capabilities to team-based Rocket League. These cards will support player evaluation, roster formation, and broadcast storytelling at all competitive levels.
Interested in partnering with DataCoach for your next event?
We'd love to help you bring data-driven storytelling to your broadcast. Contact us here to discuss how we can support your production.
