Sporting technology is changing constantly based on the wants and desires of the fans. We can now see the location and speed of Major League baseball’s fastest pitchers. You can watch the countdown of seconds for the shot clock in basketball. Football now utilizes headsets to report plays from the coaches to the quarterback. There are a number of advances in sports medicine technology. My favorite has to be the ability to show replays right after the play has taken place.
With all of the advancements, organizations are trying to increase the fan experience and technology is the way to do it. In the article “More than a game: 4 ways sports teams are adapting to changing fan preferences”, Mike Chahamernik discusses ways that organizations are utilizing technology for the fans. Chahamernik mentions the increase in Wi-Fi capability in arenas. “They [fans] rely on their phones and tablets throughout the game to watch video clips, share photos on social media, monitor other games, check their fantasy league scores, and kill time in between game action.” Therefore, organizations are now having to assure that they have Wi-Fi that is strong enough to hold all of the users inside of the arena.
In this article, the author also discusses the scoreboards. You can now go to games and not only see the score, but you could also be interactive through live tweets or by catching a glimpse of your family during the kisscam. The scoreboards are getting bigger and better. They are a great way to keep track of the score but also to watch replays.
Another article for this subject matter I “How technology puts fans in the game, measures enjoyment”. Bill Sutton notes that University of South Florida is launching an app to enhance the fan experience in their arena. This app will include “game presentation, delivery and evaluation of the experience”. Many fans now are staying at home in order to catch the best views of the game. Sporting industries are having to be creative on how to get the fans to the game and technology is making this happen.
Technology in sports has made its even made its way down to little league. Currently, our little league organization uses the app Game Changer to send updates on scores to parents that aren’t able to attend the game. You can also listen in live to the game or watch an interactive screen that shows live game details. We also have an app to use to keep pitch count of our young pitchers.
Who knows what will be next.
KB Sports 