We spoke with the Michelle Palmer, the president of sports and experiential at The Marketing Arm, about the future of sports tech and what we can expect to see in stadiums, on courts, and around athletes in games to come. She emphasized that technology and sports are rarely done for the sake of innovation. Sports and technology are integrated into each other to benefit the players, the coaches and the fans. Perhaps the most interesting sentiment in our interview with her was her next suggestion for a world free of concession lines and missed home-runs. I’m sorry, are you telling me that I can have a frothy, ice-cold beer, a tray of nachos, and a bundle of hot dogs delivered to my seat in the stadium? Because that’s enough innovation to make me buy season tickets to the Chicago Cubs right now. Can you imagine it? No crowded concourses, no aggressive patrons, and most importantly, no stepping over the guy next to you to get out of your seat every 15 minutes, all thanks to sports tech. After doing a little research, I found that there are some startups looking to tackle this unending issue in sports spectatorship. SnagMobile, for example, is a New York-based startup that makes it as easy as possible to order at the ballpark. With minor league venues under their belt in New York and Ohio already, there is no telling how long it will take major league teams to bring simple concession purchasing to their stadiums. Bypass and Yorder are two other startups making noise in the easy concessions game, making for a race to the finish for beers and nachos in your seat.
