Ways in which Augmented Reality is transforming sports
Augmented Reality is gaining momentum in numerous sectors, such as education, industry, retail, and healthcare. As a result, the sports industry has also started implementing this technology to improve spectators’ experiences and athletes’ skills or reduce the risk of injuries.
The applications of this immersive technology are numerous and are transforming the sports industry, and we analyze the most important ones with real use cases.
Augmented Reality in sports
The digital transformation of the sports industry is bringing about significant positive changes for fans, athletes, and marketers.
Augmented reality in sports takes to another level of interaction and offers a much more enriching and realistic experience.
In fact, augmented Reality is not entirely new to this industry, as seeing interactive graphics on video was already commonplace in sports broadcasts. However, it is evolving into a more interactive model where smartphones or smart glasses come into play.
Augmented Reality in sports broadcasting
It is probably the area that can most break with current schemes thanks to immersive technologies.
Augmented Reality helps media outlets tell complex stories in a way that is accessible to the viewer while providing entertaining images that generate greater fidelity with them.
Using augmented reality in live sports broadcasts is a cost-effective way to add value while fulfilling the function of giving clear and meaningful information. Virtual 3D scenarios, immersive graphics, mixed reality presentations, etc., can be created.
Virtual Reality in sporting events
During the development of sporting events, we can find numerous applications such as:
- Travel guide: using GPS, you can access an AR-mapped path to guide fans through the street to reach the sports center or inside the sports center to find their seats, discover the facilities or entertain them in a break with content on lineups, scoreboard, history of athletes or teams, etc.
- Improving matches is also handy for ensuring fairer games, as in the execution of Hawk-Eye. It is becoming a fundamental element in sports such as tennis, rugby, badminton, volleyball, and cricket, where the technology provides a three-dimensional representation of the ball’s trajectory.
- Modernize the venue: the location where the event takes place can also be the perfect place to live an immersive experience, whether it is taking a picture with your favorite players, ‘painting’ your team’s colors, accessing new data, etc.
During training
To get the most out of each athlete, they must continuously learn, adapt and improve their skills. Thanks to augmented reality in sports, training sessions are becoming more effective and are helping to understand the opponent’s attitude.
This technology can project various data such as information, graphics, or videos during the live training session. This makes it possible to simulate a wide range of new situations and environments where the athlete can improve his technique and skills.
There is also the case of smart clothing, which has sensors that help to improve, among others, the posture in yoga or the swing in golf by collecting data from the training in time, heart rate, etc.
Sports Betting
Augmented Reality is a great attraction when applied to the sports betting environment and could change it completely.
This technology allows watching a match while pointing at the screen with a mobile device and displaying the data and statistics to place a bet. This saves a great deal of time, and there is the possibility of not leaving the event.
Sports Marketing and Advertising
This technology opens up a new world of possibilities for marketers and advertisers who want to promote their products differently and connect more with potential buyers.
A flyer handed out during the match can become an interactive game where you can get more information, receive special offers or focus each type of advertising according to the fan profile you are targeting at any given moment.
The latter option is made possible by collecting information about potential customers and offering customized advertisements.
Augmented Reality and Soccer
Amid the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and with so many eyes watching the broadcasting of the matches worldwide, many brands have wanted to achieve visibility in the most innovative way possible.
Sponsors have set to work on advertising through NFT, virtual worlds, or immersive tools and thus escape from traditional television and saturation with videos and regular ads. In this way, they connect much more with viewers as they interact with what they are watching.
For example, the company Snapchat launched several augmented reality functionalities for its users during the championship. It has also partnered with Adidas to allow people to try on team jerseys virtually. On the other hand, Peacock invites users to follow the stats and use AR glasses and audio.
Augmented Reality opens up a wide range of new business opportunities for those who know how to take advantage of them. If you want to know how to find the solution that best suits your case, don’t hesitate to contact the Evergine team!