The End of Sports Journalism

Sorry aspiring sports writers. As if the internet’s near massacre of the newspaper business has not eliminated enough journalist jobs, now technology is going for the jugular by actually penning game recaps. A joint effort between GameChanger software and Narrative Science can take raw stats from the local high school baseball game and create an editorial article recapping all 9 innings instantly.

GameChanger Media is a 2009 startup that offers scorekeeping and stat-tracking apps for tablets and mobile phones. It works by having a team admin record real-time game information on the app by moving players around a virtual field and recording outs, steals, hits etc. Furthermore, the data all lives on GameChanger’s servers so it is real-time and does not take up space on personal devices. Many teams have already begun using it. The company added 10,000 teams in 2010 and another 14,000 in this first half of 2011. Currently it is only offered for baseball and softball but there are plans to expand to other sports in the future.

Any high school sports fan knows this app is aptly named; it really is a game changer. Team mangers and coaches will no longer be required to manually copy paper stat sheets into the computer to share. Parents (or alumni) can now follow the results of games and view player information in real time. Super fans can opt for the premium services package and subscribe to email/Facebook/Twitter game alerts. Schools or local online media can even install a GameChanger widget on their site for real time game info (non-Kindle readers will see I installed a sample team widget at the bottom of this article). Additionally, the basic features of setting up teams, using the scoring app and entering game stats are completely free. GameChanger makes money when fans opt to pay for a premium account which offers additional information like access to live play-by-play game stream, spray chats, game logs and premium SMS (text)/Facebook/Twitter alerts. Individual subscriptions to premium accounts are $10 per team, per season.

Teaming up with GameChanger, Narrative Science is a small startup that takes a data set of numbers or text and creates articles. This means that articles can be published about a game seconds after the final pitch. Here is a sample article. To be honest, I doubt Bill Simmons or Rick Reilly are getting too nervous about their job security. My journalistic side thinks these stories read like they were written by an enthused English-as-a-second-language 9th grader who just learned the rules of baseball. The articles have simple sentence structure and are a little repetitive. My technical side is amazed that such software exists. It is remarkable that a program can generate unique (though lackluster) articles that are both accurate and comprehensible.

This partnership will undoubtedly continue to make waves in the sports industry. While GameChanger has strategically positioned themselves in the youth baseball/softball market, growth is imminent. It will be interesting to see how they market themselves as they expand. Whether they go to bigger leagues, different sports or global markets, the options are plentiful. Strategically, the way they plan growth could ultimately determine the success of the company…and how long it will take until I can get my St. Francis High School volleyball app. Ref. gamechanger.io, narrativescience.com, techcrunch.com