While he isn’t guaranteeing a Super Bowl victory the way Broadway Joe Namath famously did in 1969, data and analytics executive Iwao Fusillo believes AI can help return the New York Jets to contention by improving the way the franchise makes decisions on and off the field.
That turnaround cannot come soon enough. The Jets finished 3-14 last season, tied for the NFL’s worst record, and have not posted a winning season since 2015.
For Fusillo, the challenge is personal. A lifelong Jets fan, he recently became the franchise’s first chief data and analytics officer, bringing experience from leadership roles at American Express, General Motors, PepsiCo and the NFL. His mission is ambitious: to build what the organization calls the premier AI-driven decision-making infrastructure in professional sports. A former NFL senior vice president of data, analytics and insights, Fusillo spent nearly three years helping the league better understand its audience and strengthen fan engagement efforts.
Sports have long embraced analytics, from Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” revolution in baseball to the data-rich world of modern football. But AI promises to push that evolution even further. The technology can quickly process enormous amounts of information involving player performance, injury risk, scouting reports, salary-cap management, free agency, ticket sales and fan behavior, helping decision-makers spot patterns and opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
According to Fusillo, AI is already becoming embedded throughout the Jets organization. Ahead of this year’s NFL Combine, the team deployed an AI system that analyzed hundreds of pages of medical reports on draft prospects, reducing a process that once required weeks of manual review to about a day. Coaches and scouts are also using AI-enhanced tools to evaluate talent, compare prospects, identify roster needs and surface insights that can help guide personnel decisions before the draft, free agency and game day.
The technology’s role extends beyond football operations. AI systems are helping the Jets analyze customer relationship management data, identify sponsorship opportunities and refine ticket-pricing strategies through large-scale simulations. The team also is combining concessions data, crowd-flow analysis and fan-sentiment monitoring to create a real-time picture of the stadium experience. The goal is to improve everything from concession operations and staffing to entertainment, promotions and fan engagement during games.
In a recent interview with CDO Magazine, Fusillo called the opportunity a “full-circle moment” and said he intends to use data and AI to improve on-field performance, enhance the fan experience and accelerate business growth across the organization. Fusillo is a member of the magazine’s global board.
“I’m so excited to join the organization that I grew up watching in Uniondale, Long Island, particularly at such a pivotal time for club sports,” he said. “I’ll be leading our data and AI deployments to drive performance on the field, enhance fan engagement in the stands, and accelerate business growth across the front office. Here’s to the next chapter!”
Fusillo said three major technology revolutions converged to create the conditions that make AI such a powerful tool in sports. The first was the storage revolution. As hard drives became cheaper and cloud computing emerged, organizations began collecting and retaining enormous amounts of information. The second was the computing revolution. Advances in processing power made it possible to analyze massive datasets in ways that were previously impractical, uncovering patterns and insights hidden within millions of data points. The third was a growing recognition that data itself had value, a concept popularized by the “Moneyball” era.
Now, Fusillo said, AI brings all of those developments together, helping organizations sift through vast amounts of information, identify trends and make better-informed decisions across football and business operations.
The intersection of AI and sports may be a natural fit. Professional teams generate enormous amounts of data from player-tracking systems, game film, scouting evaluations, medical assessments, ticketing platforms and digital interactions. Organizations across the NFL, NBA, MLB and Formula One increasingly are using AI not only to improve performance and gain competitive advantages, but also to deepen fan engagement, grow audiences and create new revenue opportunities. For a Jets franchise seeking a return to relevance, the technology could prove as valuable in the front office as talent is on the field.
