Sport information and modern technology
Sport information is accessible to sports fans through an increasing number of technology devices such as mobile phones and virtual reality (VR). The competition for the attention of sports fans is increasing due to more content, mobile phone devices and time spent using digital technology. Teens are among the most active sports fans relying upon mobile phones for sport information.
Mark Craig of Cisco Systems Sports & Entertainment Group reports that 70 percent of fans bring a mobile device to the stadium or arena and expect to use it while watching the game.
Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at CEA says, “The experience of being a sports fan has never been better thanks to the vast array of technologies and platforms delivering sports content today. Sports fans not only enjoy watching games via mobile platforms, they say they’re willing to pay for more dynamic, mobile accessible sports content.”
“The reason why baseball is skewing so young today and getting so big today is our fans are enjoying their game on a phone, on a mobile device,” said MLB’s president of business and media, Bob Bowman. “That’s where all the eyeballs are. That’s what advertisers know.”
Major League Baseball (MLB) offers a live sports streaming video app that’s separated from the TV bundle to millennial audience that loves to use their mobile phones to watch sporting events. Fans can pay about $85 each year to watch all their favorite baseball team’s games. Alternatively, they can pay $110 annually for a league wide package. Subscribers can use a broadband connection to watch these events on their Smartphone or on television through Roku.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) streams live sports on virtual reality (VR) and mobile phones to broadcast basketball games to a larger audience. Fans have many choices when it comes to viewing their favorite teams and players.
For those without VR-optimized equipment, fans can view games wherever they are on their mobile phones. According to NBA Digital, people access 70 percent of their games through mobile phones. Today, more people view NBA games on mobile devices than they do on television.
The mobile sports stream is available to subscribers of the NBA League Pass, Team Pass and the single-game viewers. To use mobile live sports streaming, locate the “Mobile View” feature on the settings. The feature improves the stream on mobile phone devices, so that fans can concentrate on watching the game without technical interference.
Sport information technology trends that will influence sports viewing
Virtual Reality (VR) – Both professional athletes and sports fans benefit from VR technology. Sports players use VR to fine tool their skills and athletic ability. Sports fans use the virtual technology to immerse themselves in the action on the playing field. It will be as if they are sitting in the stands watching the game.
Live Video Streaming – Sports teams are starting to use this technology to expand globally reaching out to sports fans all around the world. Major League Baseball (MLB) has created a mobile app called At the Ballpark. This app provides real time video highlights from every baseball game, so that fans can have the same experience away from the stadium as those fans that watch the game from their seats in the stadium. Twitter collaborated with the National Football League (NFL) to stream some live Thursday night football matches. Other VR experiences include pre or post race strategies at the cycling velodrome or the pre-event music in the gymnastics arena.
Live sports streaming is a popular way teen sports fans use their mobile phone devices. A mobile phone can easily access hundreds of sports streaming sites available on the Internet. Live sports streaming is a popular way teen sports fans use their mobile phone devices.
Data Visualization – Several American sports have created data visualization dashboards that provide sports information to fans and help them learn more about their favorite team’s players. NBA Pulse uses social media to provide information about the more popular players to eager fans always wanting to know more about their favorite sports stars. The NBA has also created a dedicated statistics website. Fans and media can engage with basketball in new ways. Basketball managers can also use this data to analyze game plays and make important coaching decisions. Data visualization may also play a larger role in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo providing new and meaningful insights to viewers around the world.
Connected Stadiums – Real time sport information may be delivered to fans based on their stadium location at individual sporting events. For example, wireless transmitters such as iBeacons and NFC tags provide sports information to fans based upon their surroundings while in attendance at the game. Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco was one of the early pioneers of connected stadium technology. Many stadiums have or will soon have this capability for fans expecting information about food lines or souvenirs for eager fans to take home after the game.
How Tiger Woods Helps Others With Their Golf Swings
Tiger Woods uses mobile phone technology to help others improve their golf game. The Tiger Woods Foundation and mobile platform developer Shotzoom developed and application to help golfers improve their golf swings. The software app is called "Tiger Woods: My Swing". Teens might be interested in learning more about this sport information application.
The software app uses video analysis to analyze a person's golf swing. Then Tiger Woods provides instruction that will help improve each individual's golf swing. According to Tiger, “Everything about this app is based on how I practice. I've rebuilt my swing a number of times over the years and use this technology to get my development and help with my swing transitions. ”
Golfing students of Tiger Woods can compare their golf swings with those of the master golfer through a video capture system. The golf master will analyze his student’s golf swing and present how-to demonstrations to help improve the swings of the student golfer. According to Tiger Woods, “It allows a player to use the same technology I use on a daily basis.”
The video capture system app lets users capture their own swing on video. Then they can study Tiger’s golf swings while watching a video of Tiger Woods demonstrate how he swings his golf club to hit winning golf shots. Tiger shows golfers how to use angle lines to ensure that their golf swing is in the right place. The expert golfing coach answers sport information questions from his fans about golf through personalized videos.
According to Tiger Woods, the app is based on how it practices its own golf swings. “I've rebuilt my swing with number of times over the years and use this development and help with my swing transitions. I'm excited that, though this app,
Tiger Woods summed up the main sport information benefits for his golfing app. “The ability to compare and contrast is so important, whether it's with my swing or their own swings if they make a change. Everything about this app is based on how I practice. I've rebuilt my swing with number of times and used this technology to gauge my development and help with my swing transitions. ”
The master golfer's goal was to make the app easy to understand and fun to use. “Most amateur golfers have an idea what they are doing with their golf swing. What I want to learn is to try and get to feel the same thing. What you are feeling a lot of times is not exactly what you are doing. We're trying to get that to marry up. ”
People love to get involved in the action of any sports game and are always in search of sport information.
More sport information choices for sports fans
Chris Kluwe, National Football League (NFL) punter, explains, “People will now have another way to watch the game from the athlete’s perspective. From there, it leads to people becoming more comfortable with the idea of things like augmented reality and virtual reality, which leads into that being adopted more and more into everyday life. In the sporting world, that means augmented reality being adopted into the actual sports themselves.”
“Sports is a people business, so we’re looking for ways to use technology to further engage with people,” said John Abbamondi, vice president of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Team Marketing & Business Operations division. Scanning a ticket on the mobile phone to enter the stadium or arena is an example of the use of this technology. “Each arena is like a lab,” Mr. Abbamondi continued. Sports businesses are always trying out new programs to learn what is successful in deepening fan engagement through sport information and building new revenue streams.
The merging of digital and physical environments changes the way fans watch sports. Digital technology has changed and enhanced the live sporting event viewing experience that takes watching a favorite game to a new level. The Pokemon Go app uses digital technology that complements a physical environment. Sport information innovation is changing the sports viewing landscape rapidly with the merging of digital and physical environments. Sports fans will have more choices in the future when it comes to enjoying their favorite sporting event.
Historical websites accessible with a mobile phone
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC
Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia
National Women's History Alliance
History Today
History News Network
Colonial Williamsburg
