Augmented Reality (AR) was discussed with Virtual Reality in class last week. After doing some research, I’ve realized that AR is becoming very popular in today’s digital world. AR is known to be a part of education, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail, however, it is not penetrating the sporting industry until now. Originally, the sporting world did not think that AR would help its viewers, but that opinion has changed. AR is now being used to revolutionize fan viewing of their favorite sports. AR will not only be great for the viewer, but can be used for coaches and professional players as well (Para 1). There are five ways in which AR is being placed into sports and has become very beneficial for the industry (Para 2).
The first use of AR in sports is on-field decision making. There are often times that both the viewer and the teams on the field disagree with a call that an official made. AR can create the ability to allow everyone at the sporting event to review the call that was made (Para 3). One of the main applications that has been used is called the Hawk-eye system. The Hawk-eye system is computer based, and is used in multiple sports (tennis, bad-mitten, soccer, and volleyball). The system tracks the ball and gives a hypothesis of the path in which the ball will go. It tends to be very accurate (Para 4). Another use for AR is through training.
How AR can help professional athletes in training is by collecting data on the athletes and create videos, helping the athlete understand how they play and how they can improve their skills. The technology can also be used to create videos and pinpoint strategies of the opposing teams, which can help the team overall (Para 7). Another use for AR is through broadcasting. Sports are broadcasted and watched throughout the entire nation. AR can make the experience more interactive through 3D graphics that the user would be able to see through an app of shorts. These 3D graphics can include alternate plays to help viewers understand the game more and do video replays as well (Para 9). The final uses for AR in the sporting world are marketing and playing fantasy sports. The advertisements using AR implementation can be interactive and more fun for viewers to see the advertisements (Para 10). The interactive ads will most likely have a positive effect and possibly have more people watching sports. For fantasy sports, the use of the AR system is similar to that of the marketing strategy. AR would be used to make the app or website for fantasy sports more interactive, hopefully leading to users staying on the website for a longer time period (Para 12).
As you can see, AR has become a great system for the sporting industry. I believe it should be implemented more, as it will make sports a lot more fun and exciting than they already are. What are your thoughts on AR? What other industries do you think could benefit from AR?
Link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/26/revolutionizing-sports-with-augmented-reality/#63cc1a681416
Reading this was a real eye opener to me. Being on a division one sports team here at Penn State, I can really see how helpful it would be. If this was a vibe to my team it would really help us study video replays on how to beat the other team. It does not just put you in the scenes but it gives you a feel for the energy and vibes there. It would put you in the same mindset, make your adrenaline run a little more.
As I was reading and articles the Forbes had put out about AR in sports, they stated that it has ” hugely minimized human errors which can dramatically change the outcome of the event and provide fair play opportunities.” Can you imaging if every team at Penn State had the ability to use this. Every team would be able to be ranked number one. The power technology has on everything is just fascinating. You always think theres no way that they can do anymore with the newest technology but someone is alway able to top it. Thats my favorite part about technology, it just keeps growing and growing. It never stops. I cant wait to see what they do next.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/26/revolutionizing-sports-with-augmented-reality/#7d3206df1416
AR in sports is definitely the future of the industry. the recent introduction of watching live games using AR devices I think is the next best thing that will soon be one of the most popular ways of watching live sports. by having this advanced technology it gives sports fans the way to feel like they are at the sporting event from the comfort of their own homes. But this also raises the question of what kind of effect it will have on the leagues themselves. If this way of watching sports rises in popularity it could lower ticket sales for the leagues themselves. also how will this technology continue to advance? will there be designated sections that you can purchase seats at so you pay more for a closer view? will someday in the future this way will replace actually going to the games? it is very interesting to think about this kind of technology and its future in the sports world. this article that I found gives the opposite side of the argument and explains how the VR in live sports is actually flopping:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/features/virtual-reality-sports-failures/
Augmented Reality used in sporting events is slowly growing over time. Although this is not the same thing as being at the game, having the ability to watch sports through virtual reality is amazing. By incorporating AR with athletes, the risk for injury reduces and the AR experience can serve as beneficial for athletes. For fans, watching sports will only get easier as you will be able to be apart of an in-game like experience while sitting at home. In the article below, the discussion of “watching from the field without leaving your living room” is discussed. Collaborations between the NFL and Oculus and NBA and Oculus will bring an on-field/on-court experience to users. I believe that VR and AR will eventually reach all sports and all audiences which will result in a decrease in attendance at the games. The more real and up close the experience is, the more AR will take off.
https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/16/vr-is-leading-us-into-the-next-generation-of-sports-media/
Great post! I looked into what companies offer augmented reality sports games, and AR Sports is offering a Fantasy Football augmented reality game. The game is “intended to promote active play by incorporating participants’ existing locations with geo-location technology” (Palladino). This game works in a way that players have to locate their players via the augmented reality platform. In my opinion, the online sports gaming industry is a billion dollar industry that still has a lot of market potential for growth, especially through AR technologies.
I think that augmented reality could also be used to enhance physical therapy exercises. With sports comes a lot of injuries, and I think that augmented reality could help athletes learn how to properly complete their exercises from the comfort of their homes. At least in my experiences, it is easy to forget how to do your exercises after leaving the doctor’s office.
Palladino, Tommy. “Ready or Not, Augmented Reality is Coming to Fantasy Sports and Dating Apps.” AR Business, 20 June 2017, https://mobile-ar.reality.news/news/ready-not-augmented-reality-is-coming-fantasy-sports-dating-apps-0178290/. Accessed on 3 November 2019.
In my opinion AR in sports is cool but I don”t think it is necessarily an important feature to enjoy sports. I personally feel that if someone really loves sports they would rather just watch it normally on their tv or mobile device or they would rather be at the sporting event in person. I know that I would rather be at a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden or watch in on tv than have an AR make it seem as if I’m there or show me on court stuff because it’s fake and doesn’t give the authentic feel a real sports fan should feel.
However I do think the AR stuff they’re doing is cool. According to sporttechie, many professional sports teams have been using AR such as the Sacramento Kings and Baltimore Ravens.They are using it to enhance the fan’s experiences and make watching the games more engaging. I think it is an interesting take but I personally would not spend money on AR related to sports.
https://www.sporttechie.com/augmented-reality-sports-examples/
Augmented Reality is really a good tool to make the game fairer. I also find Augmented Reality can be used in sport marketing. They will use Augmented Reality on a LED system. “This LED system enables the organizers to virtually replace the peripheral advertisement contents during the live broadcast of a match” (Satish Kumar). For example, there is advertising on the floor during a NBA game and it will not affect those players the actual contents displayed in the stadium. They can change the contents of advertisements anytime and those players and audience in the stadium will not see it. This is just for audience of TV. Augmented Reality enables the advertisers to cater the right audience they are looking for. (Satish Kumar) I think different audience will see different advertising by their data on internet just like what google did.
https://www.augrealitypedia.com/augmented-reality-sports/
I think AR could be a great tool for athletes. If players could normalize the use of this technology, they could more realistically created plays and imagine themselves physically playing on the field. This new technology could essentially revolutionize all sports and change the way athletes are trained. The issue with the use of AR being used in sports is that it could create a major advantage for a sports team with more money. The use of AR could create such an advantage that teams with more resources may have too much of an advantage over a team with less resources, this goes for individual athletes as well. Although AR technology could really advance sports in general and change the way we play, there would have to be regulations on when and when it cannot be utilized.
Technology is creating many advancements in sports and is shaping the future of the game. The way athletes train and perform is going to become more advanced. Wearable technology is changing how athletes can track their performance. They have the ability to embed this technology in their shoes and shirts. It can track a wide variety of measurements such as hydration levels, jump height, speed, heart rate, respiratory rhythms, and many other things. There is also new technology that will be able to make sports safer through injury prevention and new forms of treatment. The wearable technology is able to help track issues in health before its creates a larger problem. Referees are also getting help from technology. 360-degree cameras are able to help referees see more of the field without having to watch the entire field with their own eyes.
All of this new technology is changing the way that fans will be able to experience and view sports. Fans are able to view sports on more platforms than just their television. There are now multiple ways that fans can stream sports content. Broadcasters are also beginning to use technology to change the viewer’s experience. They are incorporating the use of virtual reality and augmented reality. It is allowing fans to interact with the content in a different way. Fans are able to feel like they are more connected to the game; in the future, fans may be able to feel like they are in the stadium instead of at home.
https://www.inc.com/kenny-kline/5-ways-tech-will-influence-sports-in-future.html
I agree that AR adds a completely new level to the world of sports, whether that be for the athlete, fan, coach, or those involved in the business behind it. According to thinkmobiles.com, AR can help keep games true, by clarifying rules or certain events to keep the game fair and provide the correct ruling. Using AR in the Olympics, for example, would help to lesson rules controversies and provide a fairer game. Besides correct rulings, AR can also improve the fan experience. AR glasses can be handed out to fans in the stadium to provided an inside look and bio of each player, replay previous plays, and act as a magnifying glass for those fans in the nosebleeds. I think AR can have a really good impact on the sports world, but the only issue would be finding the money and funding for all the systems mentioned above. However, with the growing impact of technology, I’m sure investors will be more than willing to invest in such amazing technology.
https://thinkmobiles.com/blog/augmented-reality-sports/
This is a great advancement that will help multiple sports. Sports betting is huge these days and recently bad calls in the NFL and other leagues have impacted the outcome of games and cost bettors lots of money. This discourages fans from betting and can even drive fans away from watching the games. The fairer the game is the more fans will want to watch and be willing to bet money. This brings in more money for the leagues and gives the viewers a better product. It is also fairer for the players and coaches and keeps the referees from being criticized. While some fans argue that bad calls are part of the game and any AR referee would take away from the game eventually I think non-human referees will become standard.
Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/10/26/revolutionizing-sports-with-augmented-reality/#63cc1a681416
The use of Augmented Reality in sports field is interesting to me, considering the various usage examples. As technology rapidly evolving, the applications of Augmented Reality are also expanding. Nowadays, AR technology is not only limited to the sports field, but also applies to other various fields. Firstly, they can be used to develop a process of medical training such as MRI equipment operation and performing complicated surgeries (para4). Students could be trained by interactive 3D format, when learning human body. Secondly, the most common cases are in repair and maintenance field, when repairman wear AR headsets and glasses to get useful information of the performance they do. It can help them to check and find out trouble areas, which was hard because of uncertainty (para6). Also, AR gives solution for public safety. In an emergency situation such as fire or earthquake, someone who wear AR glasses can be alerted to danger areas, and helped in finding directions or locations of the people who are in danger(para13). There are other areas where AR is in the spotlight such as entertainment, education, business fields, and I think it will be expanded as I mentioned above.
source : https://www.inc.com/james-paine/10-real-use-cases-for-augmented-reality.html
I find Augmented Reality (AR) very interesting. I used to own the google virtual reality that connected to my phone. This was when you could travel to different countries. I find AR so interesting as this can actually be used to help professional athletes. In an article I read, it stated that AR could help professional athletes sharpen and enhance their skills. The three major benefits of this would be leading to less injuries of these athletes in practice, performance enhancement with the 3D imaging, and killing some time for practice.
The article also discusses how AR can help the audience as they are watching their favorite athletes playing their sport. It can greatly increase the audiences experience. For example, lets say that you are watching a baseball game and they are replaying a play that just went on. On the TV they could use AR to have virtual lines that that show where the baseball went or could of went and give the audience more intel into the sport itself.
Another cool thing that AR could do if you are someone in the audience at the actual sport game is show the players name and stats virtually. This made me think of how it was like in the Hunger Games. If this could be possible, going to sports game would have a whole other experience. I wonder when this AR will actually become real and what else could occur.
https://www.queppelin.com/augmented-reality-in-sports/
I personally believe AR has a lot of potentials to let the public exercise more. Nintendo recently announced that they are releasing a game called “Ring Fit adventure”, it’s a game where you must do workouts to defeat enemies and continue on your journey.
VR also has huge potential to become a cornerstone for the entertainment industry, the game professor talked about in class “Beat Saber” can actually offer a decent work out if played for an extended period.
I still remember during my childhood my parents bought a Wii and I played lots of Wii sports on that console, I do believe with the current energy, sports could be virtual and exercising can be done in a fun and casual way inside your house instead of going to the gym. The future holds massive potential, and we are edging ever close towards it.