Discussion Board Question:
Based on all the mobile features that exist today,
what sports organizations or brands are using mobility to engage their audience?
By Debbie Crawford
10/06/2016
Mobile today plays a pivotal role in how some sports teams enhance the performance
of their athletes.
Take the Seattle Sounders, a pro soccer team that has outfitted their
players with wearables to optimize training and keep its players fit and injury free.
Sports teams, are also fully aware their businesses are dependent upon fan engagement,
and have also turned their attention to mobile technologies to change how their fans interact
with them and vice versa.
For example, the NBA’s LA Clippers have implemented a system
that allows fans to use a system that allows fans to use their mobile devices to choose which highlight
plays the arena will show on the in house video board during timeouts. So if Blake Griffon throws
a huge dunk and you, the fan want to see it again, you can! By selecting the dunk via the Clipperton
mobile app and then see it on the stadiums massive video screen. This technology allows Clippers
fans to use mobile as a vehicle to interact with the team, arena and other fans in brand new ways. It's
redefining the fans' relationships with their favorite teams by giving them the power they've never
had before.
The NFL is also placing tags in players uniforms and at the first-down markers to enable
them to track speed, acceleration and distance covered, accurately and in real time. For viewers at
home, this data means better insight and visualization of how players are moving on the field. For
example, fans are able to see how far a linebacker was from the QB before he was sacked, as well as
the route he took, or the crisp right angles of Odell Beckham double-juke move that got him so wide
open for that touchdown. At home, mobile gives “couch coaches” so much insight into the game that
they finally have some legitimacy when they yell "what the hell was that" at the TV screen.
Research shows that 77% of us watch TV with a laptop, phone or tablet nearby, which means
fans are searching more on mobile and are doing so more frequently during games. This new
dynamic of sports watching creates more moments for marketers to reach fans on mobile devices, and
also means fans are able to connect with their teams and other fans during games. All of this results
in a more social sports-viewing experience; fans can, in real time, use mobile to share thoughts about
a specific plays, and pass along relevant links or use video chats to share the experience with family
or friends in different locations.
Mobile is also dramatically changing the design and functionality of sports arenas. Mobile apps
are redefining how fans access food and drink at the game. Apps like Bypass, Snag mobile and
Order allow for mobile food and beverage ordering and point - sale - purchases from anywhere
within the stadium. Smart sports venues are implementing all kinds of mobile strategies.
Levi's Stadium is home to the first mobile app designed to enhance every aspect of a fan's
stadium experience. It can locate parking spots, unearth the least crowded restroom, order food and
drinks from your seats, show instant replays and much more.
The Sacramento Kings built a new arena for the 2016 season centered around mobile
connectivity. Fans in the new arena are able to use their mobile devices to watch plays and replays
from multiple camera angles within seconds of action on the floor and in some instances will dictate
the broadcast.The Kings are also developing an app that will serve as the fan's wallet, ticket and
social media platform to connect with friends in the arena. The team already made mobile news when
it announced it was the first NBA team to accept Bitcoin, and it's currently using Google Glass on the
court and streaming live arial drone video to enhance footage of the game.
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