The Technology Boom Of The Top Most Tech-Oriented Sports

The top most tech-oriented sports are developing ways to enhance their sporting experiences through the use of technology. Play predictions, ticket prices, and even fan interactions are all being driven by the newest advances in computer technology. Laptops owned by coaches and team owners are creating a whole new perspective on the way fans observe sports on their personal computing devices and collect the latest data on all their favorite players.

This is not just limited to popular sports like baseball, soccer or basketball; offbeat sports such as mountain biking, rallies, and even mountaineering are making use of such technology to improvise ways which can help them improve the technique while minimizing the risks associated with such sports. Moreover, big technology companies like Panasonic, GE and IBM have also begun pooling in resources to help escalate sports to the next level, making them tech-oriented in various ways. Products ranging from next-gen LED display technologies to toughened laptops like the Panasonic Toughbook outdoor laptops have all been designed keeping in mind the current demands of an ever-evolving sports industry, which requires products that can both address those demands and also perform under intense and sometimes not so favorable conditions.

Tech-Savvy Play Predictions

For example, the NFL is working to take analytics to the next level in predicting play probabilities on play-making strategies for their athletes through a tech-oriented approach. Recently coaches have been allowed use of Microsoft Surface tablets on the sidelines. These tablets come equipped with the “Booz Allen BlitzD app” created by tech firm Booz Allen Hamilton.

Boston.com reports this innovative tech-oriented approach is being enhanced to predict the probability of success in various offensive and defensive plays in NFL games. It takes all the data collected from the previous season and then coaches can use that information in real time to make their decisions on what should happen next. All coaches have to do is type in the name of the teams playing, the field position, what down it is, and time left to play. The app will then take all that information and analyze what play would most likely have the most success next.

Analytics can provide much in the way of athlete safety from injury. Analytics can help athletes from over-training their bodies in their exercise regimens, keeping their bodies healthier. Teams can save millions of dollars from injury-related incidents and athletes can extend their careers by just adopting a tech-oriented approach to their sport.

Baseball’s Business Technology

Tech-oriented sports teams have been making the most out of data analytics in business operations for a long time. For example, if you are a Boston Red Sox fan who bought tickets on StubHub through their personal or business laptops last year, you paid more for them than otherwise due to technology from Booz Allen Hamilton. Secondary market behavior prediction was utilized to determine ticket pricing and maximize profits.

Another tech-oriented approach shows that scientific data determined what seats in the stadium that fans were willing to pay more money to access. Heat maps were able to show which sections were the most valuable. In some areas, fans were willing to pay up to seven times more to acquire seats in these sections. This was far less than what the team was actually charging for those seats.

Player Tracking in The NHL

Hockey has a lot of work to do to catch up with the other tech-oriented sports teams, but they have a plan according to an article posted on fastcompany.com. Many hockey teams hired bloggers to beef up their analytics departments with up-to-date statistics. They are also looking to upgrade their on-field capabilities as well with player-tracking technology. This struggle to track players has been what has been holding them back from other sports leagues when it comes to data analytics integration.

Whether you are a fan, media professional, coach, or scout, player tracking technology allows for more accurate data-driven analysis than observation alone. A high technology system that correctly gathers that information saves countless hours manually logging everything that transpires during the course of a game.

The NHL recently tried adopting a tech-oriented approach and tested a tracking system that might be a good fit for their league play. During the testing of the system, jerseys worn by players were equipped with RIFD chips that interacted with chips embedded inside the pucks. The pucks’ chips communicate with infrared cameras installed in the area that tracks every moment. These chips are so small they are barely noticeable and could be placed on any piece of equipment or clothing item.

The NBA Enhances Fan Interaction During The Game

Would you like to call the shots from your rugged laptop during the game? According to information shared on The Guardian.com, fans at Los Angeles Clippers games may be able to soon due to technology being developed by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer who is also a majority team owner. He wants to create mobile technology that allows fans to ask players to execute special tricks and shots during intermissions that they want to see performed.

Ballmer also is making plans to determine what software and hardware coaches and players use on their business laptops. He has already called on them to switch to Microsoft Windows indoor or outdoor laptops and tablets instead of iPads. He also plans to broaden that ruling to include what smartphones all team members will be allowed to use. While the full effect of these tech-oriented advances has yet to be completely realized in a fans’ experiences of their favorite sports teams, one can come to the conclusion that it will definitely be a game-changer.