While the Chiefs recently clutched an overtime win against the 49ers and took home their fourth Super Bowl, the NFL faces an uncertain future. On the one hand, as Al Jazeera reports, media darling Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce has boosted audience engagement among teenage girls by 50% and among 18-24-year-old women by around 25%, two groups who have always been comparatively detached from the sport. On the other hand, this is occurring against a backdrop of historically low engagement across the board from Generation X.
In light of all of this, the NFL, and American sports in general, are in desperate need of a shot in the arm, something to connect them to a chronically online younger generation when celebrity drama dies down. Fortunately, technology may provide us with just the solution we need as Augmented Reality (AR) rapidly revolutionizes the sports industry.
In simple terms, AR technology is the more compact, realistic, and easier-to-use little brother of Virtual Reality (VR). The Barca Innovation Hub defines AR as the involvement of overlaying digital information and graphics on top of the real world, using devices such as smartphones or specialized glasses. In turn, allowing users to see and interact with virtual content in the context of the physical world around them.
While it has broad applicability to industries across our economy, AR has been used to boost the fan experience and increase viewership and engagement. Wikitude, a software company and AR pioneer since 2008, has highlighted the potential of AR to enhance the fan experience, allow for more accurate training and performance analysis, and assist in coaching. Their app, Globo-Rio, which allowed spectators to interact with digital content around them during the 2016 Olympic games, saw over 100,000 installations in two days alone. In football, ESPN sports analysis programs have been using AR to assist their sportscasters, and the Rams have implemented an AR program at SoFi Stadium that allows fans to interact with their favorite players digitally.
So far, the results of AR integration have been astounding. According to one sports media report, using augmented reality in sports broadcasts increased view engagement by 15%. There was also a 20% rise in viewer retention following major athletic event broadcasts. AR is faring just as well off the field, reshaping betting, e-sports, and fantasy leagues.
Overall, AR is the game-changer we need for the sports industry, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance fan engagement, training methodologies, and the broadcast experience. As it continues to evolve, adapting to the ever-shifting demands of the digital age, it promises to usher in a new era of technological innovation for athletes, fans, and stakeholders alike.t
