Earlier today I had the chance to participate on a panel at the new home of the Atlanta Braves: SunTrust Park. After seeing the stadium progress (very cool!), we talked for 30 minutes about the intersection of sports and technology, especially the innovation opportunities that lie ahead.
Here are a few of the ideas discussed:
- Teams want to use technology to enhance the fan experience, especially the downtime when the game isn’t happening (e.g. between innings, pitcher changeovers, etc.) and the community element
- Bandwidth is no longer a concern at modern stadiums as every fan can stream video real-time, opening up new opportunities (drones? more cameras on wires?)
- Startups play an important role in the sports technology world even though most will fail (it only takes one to change the world)
I’m excited about the future of sports and technology.
What else? What are some more thoughts on the intersection of sports and technology?
David Cummings on Startups 
Technology will also emerge to help athletes communicate with one another, while in play. Communication is crucial in winning and often times, players are too far away from one another to exchange messages/ information. Similar to systems used by the military in combat, if a team was connected through cellular devices in their helmets, that allowed them to communicate with each other and their coach, mid-play, the advantage would be substantial.
The biggest business opportunity in the US re: sports & technology involves regulated sports betting. While regulation may be up to 3-5 years away, there’s plenty of opportunity in building large communities of sports bettors around their passion points by providing fast, personalized mobile experiences. According to multiple sources, Americans wager $100B+ per year, and eventually American betting habits will mimic European betting habits (70% mobile, 70%+ live-in-play) as legalization happens here in the US.