Information Technology Making Sports Easier

Just as is the case with any other company or component of society, sports organizations at all levels and the companies associated with them are always upgrading their technology.  This trend is in order to maximize success both on the field or in the area of revenue. Some aspects within sports organizations that have been heavily benefited by technology are:

Ticketing

The bar code reading of tickets has long since been in play.  Also, fans have been able to buy tickets online it seems since the advent of the Internet.  However, a few months ago, Stubhub and iPhone made it possible to buy and print out tickets using your iPhone and a mobile ticket device.  In the near future, fans will able to buy tickets on their iPhones and simply have the bar codes scanned off of their phones! Incredible!

Fans can print tickets using an iphone and a mobile ticket device

Donors

Technology allows for collegiate programs to ask for and receive donations online.  The other thing that technology does is it allows for universities to ask for money from boosters.  Consequently, universities are able to show off their technology, thus showing potential donors what exactly it is their money would be going towards.

Recruiting and Compliance

Technology aids programs, athletes, and fans alike.  For programs, it allows them to discover athletes a lot more easily now that they can follow high school players online and watch online highlights.  For athletes, it allows for them to be discovered more easily.  They can upload videos of themselves online so college coaches can see them play.  Fans can follow recruits and the recruiting of their favorite teams with sites such as ESPN.com and rivals.com.  For example, I  was able to closely follow national signing day last week on my blackberry while at work.

Technology aids in compliance in that it saves the NCAA a lot of money because it allows for them to be much more efficient in both monitoring and internal controls.  


Video Analysis

coaches can watch films of potential recruits on the internet

Technology has aided in video analysis as much as it has aided in any other facet of sports.  Instead of writing down scouting reports or using the old black and white still frame printouts, sports teams are able to generate videos and high quality color pictures of opponents, their games, or of each play.  And they can do this from these things from their own film rooms. Football teams can generate images of formations within seconds of a play being completed.  In today's Super Bowl, fans will see Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines in between their respective series studying vivid color images of defensive formations.

HR Training and Scheduling

Organizations can train HR trainees efficiently and effectively from a conference room and computer programs both via technology.


Teams can upload its future schedules online within seconds of it being determined.  Teams, players, and fans alike can see who any team has played or is playing with the click of a finger.  I can, AND DO, look up who my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes are playing in the year 2014!

Technology has improved sports for teams, programs and fans alike.  So many advancements have been made, thus affecting on the field play, recruiting, and fans ability to watch games.  And given how far we have come technologically over the past couple of decades, there is no reason to think that sports will not be that much more enhanced over the next 20 years and beyond!