Tag: Fan Experience

Back in 1994, we marveled at coaches being able to communicate with their quarterbacks through headsets embedded in helmets. By 2012, fans and players expected helmets to use technological advances to provide better injury protection. At the same time, new materials couldwithstand a one hundred MPH beanball, and embedded sensors were sending signal warnings based on the force of a collision.  This followed the trajectory of sports technology, a burgeoning sector that even today, merits major-league attention. Sports tech has captured the imaginations of Michael Jordan and Mark Cuban, both of whom participated in a recent $44 million funding round for Sportradar, a sports data science company that has contracts with three major sports leagues as well as Google and Yahoo Sports. Advances in sensor technology, nanotechnology, imaging technology, as well as the cloud and communication tools that fuel the Internet of Things, are being put to service in sports to prevent and treat injury, improve training and performance, and enhance the fan experience. Wearables Sports wearables generally fall into two categories: devices and materials. Fitbit is the most well-known fitness wearable,...