*This piece first appeared in the Front Office Sports Newsletter. Subscribe today and get the news before anyone else.
This past week, Adam Silver and Roger Goodell joined the likes of Reid Hoffman and Dara Khosrowshahi at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley, Idaho.
While there, CNBC caught up with them to get their thoughts on technology’s impact on sports.
Competition is fierce…
Now more than ever, sports teams and leagues have to compete with everything from Netflix and Instagram to Snapchat and esports.
For the NBA, in order to stand out, Commissioner Silver believes the league has to continue to create “lean-in” moments for fans.
“We recognize that we’re competing against every other possible form of entertainment and nice weather or anything else we could be doing and watching our games. What can we do to make those games more of a lean-in experience? Providing statistics during the games, providing more information about the players, providing new camera angles, new ways to predict to produce them, augmented reality. And we’re experimenting in virtual reality.”
Is AR next for the NFL?
Would you want to experience a game from behind Tom Brady as he calls a play at the line of scrimmage?
According to Commissioner Goodell, the league is working on a new opportunity that could provide just that experience.
“To see what it’s like to stand behind Tom Brady as he’s looking downfield, to be able to see what it’s like as a running back runs through the line or defender tries to defend a play. It’s going to be a new experience that I think is just another great potential for the growth of our league.”
