Professional sports are fighting harder than ever for the attention of the next generation. WITH Tick Tock, streaming services and interactive experiences such as video games takes more time young people, some sports organizations are looking to technology to improve the fan experience.
A key technology that could help connect traditional sports with young people is augmented reality. It allows spectators in stadiums to have real-time overlays that offer many intuitively appealing benefits: live statistics to complement the action on the pitch, animated players and mascots, built-in real-time 3D effects (such as team lineups), face filters or even virtual directions around stadium equipment.
Leagues and teams are trying. National Football League teams like the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens have introduced “Mixed Reality” mascots, large virtual representations of their namesake animals that have created spectacular viral footage. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, fans in Qatar could download the FIFA+ app which could project augmented reality team and player data such as heatmaps, lineups and stats.
Sports administrators are interested in combining augmented reality with the fan experience, but the enthusiasm has not been fully reciprocated. Market research shows that spectators tend to try new technologies offered in stadiums, but there is also a lot of resistance.
The power of rebellious fans has historically been strong. American television channel Fox invested over US$2 million in the early 1990s to develop ‘FoxTrax’, an augmented reality technology to help ice hockey fans track the puck during the televised National Hockey Games. Despite the substantial innovation, the gimmick lasted two years, sunk by fan backlash.
In March 2022, the National Basketball Association and ESPN partnered to create a 3D highlight reel of a real game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets. The pixelated blurry footage resembled a dated video game, and the “NBA CourtView” product hasn’t been seen since.
Resistance is multidimensional. Some are shy adopters, holding out until they see others do it. Some will reject innovation no matter how promising the technology looks. The most destructive will rebel against the new technology in stadiums, discourage others from using it, and call for boycotts to force their way back.
Anti-innovation sentiment among sports fans has its own unique drivers. At first glance, opposition to video assistant referee technology might seem puzzling – one would think that sports fans would welcome an innovation that reduces the prospect of a referee error that could affect the outcome of a game. But research has shown that some fans disapprove technology because it robs them of spirited, emotionally driven debates about refereeing decisions with fellow fans instead of a robust, more objectively correct verdict.
And 2022 studies more than 1,000 sports fans in Germany and the UK revealed further concerns they had about the integration of augmented reality technology in the stadium. Some have worried that integrating apps with the stadium experience could damage the atmosphere in the stadium, distract fans from the live action on and off the field, and that the use of augmented reality conflicts with the identity of “good” or “honest”. ‘ sports fan.
Concerns that the live sports experience is based on the holistic interest of fans are spreading across the board other research about sports fans and the use of technology: singing, clapping, cheering, supporting the team and connecting with the surrounding barracks to create a live-action community.
Part of the concern fans have about embracing the data-rich world of augmented reality is the risk of sterilizing emotion-driven entertainment, for example heated discussions between viewers can be cooled by the plethora of statistics available in real-time. Fans polled he tended to enjoy himself emotionally charged conversations with friends, and some have expressed concern that the nature of discussions will shift from pleasantly speculative to objective and data-driven with increased integration of augmented reality.
The research revealed other pragmatic concerns – some fear that the use of augmented reality technology in stadiums can be distracting or quick to criticize nearby spectators while others fear submission of data and the security implications of using such applications.
Such concern does not necessarily mean that sports administrators are misguided in their pursuit of augmented reality. The opportunities are huge and there have been widely praised integrations, especially in broadcast television.
ESPN the ground-breaking virtual first brand down NFL broadcasts have become ubiquitous in all coverage of the sport, while the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers launched an augmented reality-based “ClipperVision” broadcast of their games that uses the technology to display live diagrams, shooting percentages and player details.
However, research suggests that adopters of augmented reality may need to carefully consider how augmented it will be. The initial rollout of augmented reality may be limited – for example, stats may only be available during stoppages to avoid dampening the live atmosphere during a match.
Sports capture a special alchemy for many fans, mixing analytical brilliance with athletic prowess with deep emotional connections. Finding a way to innovate without tossing those romantic bonds aside is a challenge all forward-thinking administrators are staring at.
Sebastian Uhrich is a professor of sports business at the German Sports University in Cologne, Germany. His research focuses on understanding consumer psychology and behaviour, particularly in sporting contexts.
Kim Uhlendorf is a PhD student at the German Sports University in Cologne, Germany, and a researcher at the University of Cologne. Her research focuses on consumer interactions and responses to new technologies in digital marketing.
Ms. Uhlendorf’s research was supported by internal research funds of the German Sports University in Cologne under grant L-11-10011-235-061000.
Originally published under Creative Commons according to 360 info™.
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