In society at large, we have recently witnessed how wearable technology has energized the health and fitness industry. Companies like FitBit have developed devices similar to watches which provide the user with data and apps for other devices which help the user to utilize that data to reach fitness goals.
That same ideology has already breeched the walls of professional sports, and it’s about to pillage and make off with a huge haul of plunder.
The Next Big Pro Sports Data Revolution
Major League Baseball Advanced Media and its Statcast platform have introduced waves of new data for teams to pour over. iPads and new apps designed by Apple have made digesting and using that data easier for teams. MLB may have been a pioneer in measuring every movement made on its fields of play, but it’s not going to be long before the rest of the professional sports world catches up.
As demands for this data and user-friendly ways to process it grow, supplying those methods will become a lucrative and hotly-contested space. Millions of dollars are about to be had for tech companies in leagues like the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, National Football League, Major League Soccer and eventually the power players at the NCAA level.
Former NBA commissioner David Stern recently voiced his belief that the future of pro sports lies in data and the tech used to capture/process it. We’ve already seen the effects of it in the NBA.
The Golden State Warriors are leading the NBA in using existing technology to compile data and use it in practical ways to enhance in-game performances. With results like the NBA’s first-ever 73-win regular season and a great shot at back-to-back NBA championships, it won’t be long before the rest of the NBA catches on.
As wearable tech and the platforms on which the data are processed become more reliable and practical, the applications will likewise expand. Such applications will probably be similar to what we’ve already seen with Statcast.
Imagine a NFL team being able to pull up on an iPad exactly how many seconds a wide receiver spent running his route. NBA teams could instantly know exactly how long the ball on a player’s shot took to reach the utmost height of its arc and exactly how high that arc was. NHL teams should someday be able to tap a screen and be told exactly how many feet and inches were between opposing defenders on the ice during power plays. MLS teams would be able to measure exit speed and trajectory of the ball off a player’s foot and have that information on demand.
What remains to be seen is what companies will come up with the hardware and software which turn these fantasies into realities. Perhaps we will see Apple expand its reach, or competitors counter Apple’s presence in MLB with partnerships of their own with other leagues.
What is certain is that teams are going to demand instant access to a wealth of data, and the ability to provide that will be something they will beg to pay for. To the victor(s) of these bidding and negotiating wars will go the spoils.
