Arvik Shah is a Master’s student in Computer Science at Arizona State University and a Sports and Globalization Research Aide at the Great Game Lab. His work focuses on analyzing how technology and data can provide insights into the global sports industry, from studying economic patterns during major tournaments to understanding audience behavior and mobility at sporting events.
Originally from Gujarat, India, Arvik earned his Bachelor of Technology in Computer Engineering from Pandit Deendayal Energy University, where he was involved in research, student publications, and technical competitions. He has published research on machine learning applications in biomedical and feature selection problems, but sports have always been a key interest—both as a player and as an area of study. He competed in track and field throughout high school and has always been drawn to the way sports bring people together, both on and off the field.
Much of this passion was shaped by his family, particularly his grandmother, who always encouraged him to play as many sports as possible. What started as a simple push to stay active became a lasting interest in both the competitive and cultural aspects of sports. Now, he spends his time exploring these questions at the intersection of sports and technology, whether through data analysis, research, or just watching a good game.
Favorite sports memory?
April 2, 2011—India wins the ICC Cricket World Cup after 28 years. Dhoni’s six was unforgettable, but the real magic was in the celebration that followed. Fireworks lit up the sky, streets overflowed with cheering crowds, and strangers embraced like old friends. I stood in the middle of it all, swept up in a moment where nothing else mattered—just pure, unfiltered joy.
Your global sports Mount Rushmore?
Sachin Tendulkar, Lionel Messi, Usain Bolt, Roger Federer
Which world leader would you put in goal?
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He unified India with strategic leadership and a steady hand. In goal, he’d do the same: stay calm under pressure, organize his defense, and make sure nothing gets past him.
Which athlete would you want to be world leader?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His calmness under pressure, tactical brilliance, and team-first mentality would translate perfectly into global leadership.
Best rivalry?
India vs. Pakistan in cricket. Few rivalries carry the weight of history, national pride, and sheer sporting intensity quite like this one. The stakes are always high, emotions run deep, and every match feels like more than just a game. It’s an event that brings almost two billion people to a standstill, creating moments that live on far beyond the final ball.
A sign that the world of sport is shrinking?
Sports don’t feel confined by borders anymore. The IPL brings cricketers from rival nations onto the same team, European football clubs are owned by people from different continents, and emerging talent is being discovered in places that were once overlooked. Streaming services let fans follow teams from anywhere in the world, and with each passing year, the lines between local and global sports become blurrier. More than ever, sport feels like one big shared stage.
Where would the Great Game Lab find the quintessence of global sport?
It can be found anywhere the game is played purely for the love of it. On a street in Rio, a dusty cricket field in India, or a university field with teammates from different corners of the world, the boundaries of nationality fade, and competition becomes a shared language. It’s in these everyday moments, where the game is played freely and instinctively, that sport feels the most universal.
Question you'd most want to ask other fellows?
If you could change one rule in your favorite sport to make it even more exciting, what would it be?