Smart Stadiums
The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons play their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. So do Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United Football Club. Both teams are owned by Arthur Blank who desired to create a new kind of stadium in which to entertain the city’s sports fans. IBM Services has built fan experience applications that are hosted on the IBM Cloud.
One of the apps is Watson Content Automation which is used to personalize fan notifications and alerts and provide access to specialized content. The app also allows fans to navigate the stadium, buy and sell tickets, and obtain guaranteed parking spots in advance of the event. Falcons and United fans each have their own app tailored to their team.
The cloud is also used to backup up to 50 terabytes of data such as that used for the large-screen Halo Board which provides replays and in-game entertainment to the fans. Customer data is analyzed in an effort to constantly improve the fan experience. Many other sports stadiums are adding smart technology in an attempt to entice fans to attend more live events.
Enhanced Training Regimens
Major sports teams in America and around the world are taking advantage of the cloud to monitor the hydration and wellness of their elite athletes. Gatorade and technology partner Smart Design have joined forces to produce Gatorade Gx. Microchips are manufactured into individualized squeeze bottles that send data to the cloud to alert coaches regarding the quantities and speed at which the team members are drinking.
Endurance athletes such as cyclists use a combination of cloud-based analytics and wearable portable devices that monitor various performance metrics while competing and practicing. The data from this analysis enables coaches and athletes to fine-tune their preparation to obtain optimum results. These tools help athletes recover more quickly and avoid the dangers of over-training.
Golf at The Masters
Augusta National Golf Course is famous for hosting The Masters tournament every April. Those familiar with the game know that technology has been a major factor in the equipment responsible for the increased distances that professional golfers can hit the ball. Cloud technology is also being used to enhance the experience of golf fans around the world.
Augusta National’s technology partner is IBM and the company has implemented a hybrid cloud environment as the Master’s digital foundation. They make use of the artificial intelligence capabilities of their Watson supercomputer in the cloud to create player highlight reels for every competitor’s round. The app examines the crowd reactions to identify the most exciting moments of the day. IBM estimates that it will track approximately 5,000 golf holes and 20,000 shots while covering the 2019 tournament.
The power and flexibility offered by cloud computing will continue to impact both the fans and players in the sports world in new and innovative ways. The future holds great promise for the confluence of cloud-based technology and the human competitive spirit.