Social Media in the NBA (and Beyond)

ESPN Page 2 ran an article about the “Social Media Explosion” across the NBA. They cite staggering statistics including that the NBA has more than 100 million combined followers/likes on Twitter and Facebook or that ~half (220) of the NBA’s players are on Twitter. This embrace of social media has produced for them incredible results. Not only do they have record high traffic to NBA.com, the NBA also now has their finger securely on the pulse of their fans.

I think the most impressive part of the NBA’s move toward social media is not that they have simply embraced it; the NBA realizes, understands and respects the spirit of social media. They have released control, but guide fans in a positive direction and learn from other teams’ successes. The aforementioned article explains, “Each team is responsible for its own social media efforts. The league then has its own staff that works on strategy, oversees the NBA social media accounts and attends select games and events. The league monitors relevant trends, and NBA social media personnel shoot off explanatory emails to its staff.” Releasing control and embracing creativity is what social media is all about. Additionally the best practice sharing is a brilliant way that all teams mutually ‘win.’

To be fair, other leagues and teams are also doing amazing things in the social networking sphere too. You can witness one of my personal favorites during the draft this weekend. The Jets created a Facebook campaign called "How would you like to" which gives fans amazing opportunities for unique prizes and experiences. This kicks off tonight where a lucky fan will have the chance to announce the Jets’ 4th round pick at Radio City Music Hall. Social media and sports at its finest. Ref. espn.com, facebook.com, newyorkjets.com

The Technology Behind Fan-O-Meters

A popular way sports arenas engage their fans is by flashing a crowd-o-meter on the jumbo screen. Most major league sports have a fan-meter with a goofy thermometer that ‘measures’ the best dancer by way of applause, or perhaps it is simply used to pump up the crowd. I always thought the monitors were of stock footage that contains the same tired graphics with the struggling needle that blows past ‘Weak’ and struggles between ‘Loud’ and ‘Louder.’

However there is actually technology behind those O-Meters which translates that noise into a scale from green to orange-red depending on decibel. Microphones are placed around the arena to obtain a reading of the noise throughout the stadium. One such company that manages this type of crowd-O-Meters is Mitchell Crowd Meter. They describe on their site how the technology works:

“The microphones transmit the sound information to noise analyzers housed in the venue’s sound booth. The analyzers filter out unwanted noise and transfers “clean” crowd noise information to the Mitchell Crowd Meter computer. Here, the noise is measured and converted into a quantitative, patent-pending figure, known as Crowd Energy Level (CEL). The CEL, along with visual graphics and animations are displayed on the existing Electronic Message Centers. Fans can watch the animations rise and fall with the energy level of the crowd."

It is amazing to me that this is an actual technology. For some reason I always assumed the real volume of a stadium had little to no impact on moving the needle. Next time I am at a White Sox game or cheering on the Bulls, I will do my part to max out the meter. REF. mitchellcompanies.com

This Day in History: Anti-Cheating Technology for Marathoners

On this day, April 21, in 1980 Rosie Ruiz cheated at the Boston Marathon. Ruiz notoriously jumped into the race 1 mile before the finish line. She ‘completed’ the marathon in 2:31:56, landing her in first place for the women’s division that year. Her win drew suspicion because she was unknown in the running world and had a stark improvement from her New York City Marathon completion time. That combined with the time being the 3rd fastest marathon time in history for any women led officials to study photos of the race (to check if she was the true winner). Ruiz did not appear in any race photos until the very end, and she was stripped the title.

Ruiz’ actions began a movement to instill better controls on race day that would prevent future racers from cheating. In honor of this day in history, I will highlight one of the most effective race technologies born out of the need to preserve the integrity of the sport.

The most common marathon technology used is RFID tags which ‘check in’ as runners go over mats throughout the course. The tag collects a time stamp of the time the mat was cross and wirelessly transmits that information to the datacenter. Those times are used to score the final results of the race. However this is not exactly new technology; it has been around since 1996. Although last year the marathon introduced disposable RFID tags which helped ease the bottleneck at the end of the race (of returning tags). The chips cost ~$1/chip and were distributed to the runners when they picked up their bibs before the race.

The RFID technology checkpoints help prevent runners from entering the race late or leaving the race to cut corners. Runners like this technology because they get a more accurate time of their run from start to finish. Family and friends like it because they can get text messages of a runner’s progress as he/she crosses those check-points (though this system is not 100% accurate yet).

This example proves that while cheating at any level of athletic competition is unacceptable, sometimes great technological advances blossom out of bad situations. Ref. history.com, youtube.com

Technology Leveraged to Create New Sport, Kronum

New organized sports are not created every day. This is why I was pretty excited to hear of a new sport out of Philadelphia. Kronum is a self-proclaimed “new game for the modern era of athletics, media and entertainment.” The Kronum site describes how popular modern sports were created prior to radio, TV or the internet. Therefore most sports were conceived with only the athletes in mind and the fans became an afterthought.

The game is described as follows, “The game of Kronum is played between two teams of ten players on a circular playing surface with one ball and four goal structures. The surface is divided into several zones which govern the style of play, the manner of handling the ball, and the number of points awarded for scoring shots into various areas of the Kronum goal.” The object of this sport it to score more points than your opponents. Check out this brief video to see more about how this sport is played: http://youtu.be/etm54u7MA3A

The Kronum website claims to leverage technology (internet) to allow fans to jump in on the action by acting as general managers, boosters, journalists and cheerleaders. They go so far as to claim to be a league “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Fans can vote on-line to help pick the starting lineups and game strategies. The popularity of Kronum has spread via blogs, YouTube clips and other forms of social media. In all likelihood, this sport could not have existed before the dawn of the internet. Kronum fans believe the fact that it was developed with both the athletes and fans in mind, makes it an ultimate sport. It is an interesting concept. The sport itself looks fun to try, and I love that they are using technology to spread buzz, but the front office/gm side? I am skeptical that ‘the people’ can really play that role. However, in light of the fact that 2011 may not see a NFL season, any sport that takes the ‘office’ out of the picture is alright by me. Ref: kronum.com, thrillist.com

Solar Power Allows for Late Night Footballing in Kenya

A stadium in Nairobi is the first in Kenya to have a solar powered floodlight system. The system was donated to the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA). This new system allows for 4 hours of lighted play into the evenings. How did the MYSA come to have this new system donated? “The development is a direct legacy of the first football World Cup in Africa held in South Africa last year: governing body FIFA afterward chose 20 African groups to house a Football for Hope Center to promote the sport, as well as health and education.” (discovery.com) Through this initiative, the solar lighting system was donated by China's Yingli Green Energy Holding Company.

The benefits of this system go far beyond extra time on the pitch. This particular part of Nairobi is a tough slum area, and the lights of the stadium provide a safe place to play for the city’s youth. Also, the hot Kenyan sun makes mid-day practice difficult. These lights allow kids to play in the cooler evenings. Additionally, the stadium can be rented out for night events, which will help raise funds for the MYSA.

Clearly the benefits of hosting a World Cup can stretch far beyond 4 weeks of non-stop vuvuzelas. FIFA’s commitment to creating centers that offer hope to the host nation (or in this case host continent) can have positive impacts for decades to come. Additionally, it’s wonderful to see relatively self-sustaining technology being employed for longer term benefits. This is truly a gift that keeps giving night after night, (and renewing day after sunny day). Ref. discovery.com, FIFA.com

ESPN Officially Announces Live-Streaming App

ESPN officially launched an app that will enable sports fans to watch live-streaming action from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3.com. This means that sports fans not near their TVs during a big game, can catch all the action on their iPhone, iPad and iPad Touch. However, this app is not available to everyone. The app is tied with cable TV subscriber Time Warner Cable. When a user downloads the free app called WatchESPN, they are required to enter their Time Warner Cable customer information. Sadly non Time Warner Cable users will not have access.

Reviews so far are pretty positive. The biggest complaints are related to the exclusion for non iOS (Apple) users, and those who subscribe to Comcast or other cable providers. Additionally the app is not optimized for the iPad yet, but that is coming soon.

This is an interesting answer to one of my previous articles about YouTube possibly getting into the Live-Streaming arena. ESPN is pretty smart to jump in and stream their networks directly to customers. By owning the streaming of games/matches, fans are further solidifying their relationship with the network. They form the habit of tuning into ESPN on-line or on their TVs as their default go-to sports network. Additionally, fans become accustomed to certain announcers etc. This is a good first step, but ESPN really needs to expand to the hugely popular Android market, then hopefully strike a deal with other cable providers (or cut them out altogether) so viewers across the country can have sports on the go. Ref. emergingtechnicalfoul.blogspot.com, wired.com

Take Me Out To the High Tech Ballpark

High Tech has reached America’s favorite sport, baseball. CNN recently ran an article highlighting some of the most noteworthy tech upgrades some baseball parks have made to enhance the fan experience. I will not rewrite the article; you can check it out here. However I do want to highlight three technical stadium upgrades and my view of whether or not they are truly enhancing the fan’s experience:

Enhancer: Milwaukee Brewers are replacing their old scoreboard with, “a 5,940-square foot scoreboard in center field. At 54 by 110 feet, the Daktronics' board boasts true 1080i display containing more than 2.35 million pixels, compared to the 134,000 pixels produced by the dual 10-year-old scoreboards it replaces.” Beyond offering amazing pixel-power, this scoreboard does not require air conditioning to cool it down (unlike their old scoreboard). The Brewers estimate they will see a 50-65% reduction in energy consumption from cooling costs alone! High quality viewing for the fans, environmentally superior and long-term cost savings, how could this not be an enhancer to the fan experience?

Detractor: Tampa Bay Rays installing AstroTurf in Tropicana Field. This is the most high-tech lawn around (and the official synthetic turf of the MLB). “The fiber's omega, or "C", dual-column design imparts mechanical memory to the fiber, so that it pops up even after repeated trampling by cleats and baseballs. Using 60 ounces of fiber per square yard ensures the surface's long-term durability.” While extremely impressive, frankly my traditional self prefers the real stuff. I know, Tropicana Field is a dome…real grass is not possible. Beyond that, this AstroTurf is more durable, longer lasting and visually more appealing than the fake grass of yesteryear. Regardless, few things are more beautiful than a well-manicured genuine grass outfield. I vote taking the Safeco Stadium (Seattle Mariners) approach, retractable roof-real grass.

Awesome Enhancer: WiFi Access at the White Sox US Cellular Field. This is where my favorite baseball team and my blog crash in a magnificent way. I love the White Sox, and for the longest time could not understand how providing WiFi in the stadium in anyway enhances the fan experience. I thought, ‘who is dragging their laptops or tablets to the South Side Cell looking for WiFi?’ After all, US Cellar Park does not have a bad seat in the house, and between innings SouthPaw entertains the crowds. Then I realized the brilliance of WiFi, it is an enabler to work remotely. Now fans can be in the stands, enjoying the game, and if an emergency happens back at the office, they can send a quick email and continue with their lovely afternoon. Bravo US Cellular. Ref. cnn.com

Madden Channeling Different Mediums to Enforce Seriousness of Head Injuries

In the continued effort to raise awareness of the seriousness of head injuries, Madden 12 has announced a new addition to their very popular video game. This year’s version will require any virtual player who suffers a concussion to be side-lined for the remained of the game. As an additional PSA, the announcers, Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth, will explain why the player is out of the game and reinforce the gravity of head injuries.

The purpose of this change is twofold. First, this adds an additional layer of accuracy to the videogame. Second, there is the hope that pulling the player out of the game and explaining why, will teach kids how important it is to take extreme care in the cases of head injuries. Many are supporting the move including John Madden who said in a phone interview, “Concussions are such a big thing, it has to be a big thing in the video game”… “It starts [with] young kids — they start in video games. I think the osmosis is if you get a concussion, that’s a serious thing and you shouldn’t play.”

I think using this different channel of technology to reinforce a concept is great. I too hope that relentless enforcement of this message will make it second nature to these kids when they start playing at a competitive level. And in reality, this addition does not really take anything away from the game or experience. However it will be interesting how fans respond to Madden 13; where kids just watch a virtual conference room where billionaires bicker with millionaires. Ref. nbcsports, Youth1.com,