When you think about the modern-day sports industry, you might imagine a world dominated by big-money contracts, billion-dollar stadiums, and sponsors with countless vested interests.
You’d be mostly right – with one crucial detail left out: technology. That’s because although the financial side of sports has thrived in recent years, technological innovation has stayed remarkably stagnant.
To get a better understanding of why technology is so crucial to today’s leagues, let’s take a look at why that’s the case.
Augmented Reality for a Better Fan Experience
Augmented reality is one of the most exciting avenues of technological development right now. It’s essentially a combination of computer generated imagery (or CGI) and real-life surroundings. In the context of sports, it allows fans to view additional data or content in the real world while they watch the game.
For example, imagine you’re watching a basketball game and you see two players walk onto the court. Using augmented reality, you can scan the players’ uniforms and get detailed statistics about their careers.
Virtual Reality for a Sense of Presence
VR is an incredibly immersive technology, but it’s also one that has largely been contained to the world of gaming so far. Now, though, VR is making inroads into sports viewing as well. This means that sports fans will be able to don a VR headset and immerse themselves in the game in a new way.
This can allow you to feel as if you’re on the court yourself, which can increase your sense of presence in a given event. This can further emotional engagement and enhance the viewing experience.
Blockchain to Guarantee Fairness and Transparency
The sports world is one that relies heavily on statistics and figures. Whether it’s a pitcher’s strikeout rate or a quarterback’s touchdown completion percentage, accurate numbers are crucial for sports teams. This is why the introduction of blockchain technology into the sports world would be so important.
Essentially, blockchain allows for tamper-proof record keeping, which means we can be certain that statistics are accurate. You can also use blockchain for game tournaments. Game articles can help you learn more.