Major League Baseball (MLB) has never been afraid to innovate. In 2002, the league became the very first in the world to livestream a game to fans online, something that laid the foundations for many sports and other platforms to do the same.
This is a forward-thinking sport, and baseball is also known for its use of statistics, so as time goes on, how will MLB use AI tools to boost the fan experience? There are some ways that this is already happening.
AI has already brought about some changes in the way people view sports as well as other markets, such as gambling on MLB. Bettors are trying to use AI and machine learning to better understand and predict the outcomes of certain fixtures. So, is AI a threat to sports bookies?
Does this extra data and predictive ability allow bettors to get the better of the bookies? The truth is that the bookmakers have the same access to AI tools and may use these to be even smarter about the odds they offer.
Over the years, AI is likely to change numerous aspects regarding the way people engage with sports, so what are some of the current ways that we’re seeing AI tools put to use?
Adobe and AI tech used for fan engagement
Major League Baseball is using artificial intelligence along with Adobe technology to try to improve the fan experience. When fans attend a game, MLB is now able to collect more data on what they like, and this can help them to produce specific offers and promotions for them.
Chris Marinak, chief operations and strategy officer for MLB, spoke about the ambitions of the company when it comes to improving fan experience:
“First is listening to your fan or your customer, asking them what they want and designing change to meet their needs. Don’t just implement change because you think it will be successful. Ask your consumers what they want and give them something that will deliver the results that they’re asking for.”
Adobe has been used at 30 different clubs and is focused on certain forms of relationship building. The Adobe Experience Cloud, powered by Sensei, is used, and the company’s machine learning model is used. The data collected is used for real-time decision-making.
People may receive specific personalized notifications and even promotions on things like concessions. People can interact with an app when they’re at the ballpark for a much more unique experience.
AI ticketing
AI’s abilities to work with visuals, such as video footage or even live camera feeds, means that there are some interesting applications for the technology, including ticketing security.
Tickets are designed to be used by those who have bought them, and there is a resale market that is not even technically legal. On top of this, certain troublemakers may not be allowed into stadiums. All of this can be enforced with the help of facial recognition technology, which is being trialled in some MLB games.
The trial doesn’t necessarily relate to getting rid of troublemakers or ensuring people are in the right seats, instead, it functions as a simple access scheme. A bit like the way that your phone knows your facial structure and unlocks, the tickets can be tied to your face and cameras at the ground can recognize you and let you in!
“You don’t even have to break stride”, said Bill Schlough, chief technology officer for the San Francisco Giants. “We need to give this to our fans. The society we’re in today, the world we’re in today — it’s instant gratification. Nobody has the time for anything. Nobody wants to wait.”
The program is optional for fans, and they don’t have their data stored, so those who are worried about the “Big Brother” aspect of it needn’t be.
Scouting and team performance
Though scouting and training may relate to the team’s performance first and foremost, it is still a part of the fan experience. People want to see their team performing at the top level and doing well, and undeniably, this can relate to players and their ability levels.
Scouting is largely data based, especially when it comes to narrowing down huge lists of players to a shortlist that could have the potential to join a team.
AI tools can scour this data and spot trends and patterns in form, aiding recruitment to help teams to create a better squad of players on the field, and this can lead to a more enjoyable experience for the fans.
Baseball may also take a leaf out of the NFL’s book in this respect. The NFL has already been working with Exos for many seasons; the company uses AI technology to evaluate draft hopefuls. Some of the top picks go to the Exos HQ to train, and a lot of data can be collected and used.
“When an athlete arrives, we take them through a robust sports science evaluation process”, said Anthony Hobgood from Exos. “This evaluation gives us critical information about the athletes’ force profile, muscle-to-bone ratio and fundamental movement qualities.
For example, some athletes will run faster by putting on more muscle, while others’ performance could be negatively impacted by putting on more muscle. The data we collect allows our team to make informed decisions about the game plans we build for our athletes.“
The future of the fan experience
The experience fans have at sporting events is undeniably changing. When it comes to AI, a lot of the sports teams who are looking to embrace this technology have started to look at the way that their team performs and use AI for evaluating their players or making changes to their roster.
Though this does impact sports fans and their experience, it is not as direct in terms of the correlation. However, things like automating the barriers with facial recognition and providing personalization with offers and promotions that are driven by a consumer’s exact experiences are already directly impacting how the day pans out when somebody goes to the ball game.