Innovation in Sports Technology

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿’𝘀 𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀!! ✨ #TechforGood For 11 years, Kevin Piette has been paralyzed - but thanks to an #exoskeleton, he carries the #Olympic torch through Paris, inspiring countless sports fans. These images send a clear message: The spirit of sports knows no boundaries! Kevin embodies athletic dedication, a drive for inclusivity, and entrepreneurial innovation. Despite his accident, he never gave up. His journey, supported by Wandercraft's cutting-edge exoskeleton #technology, showcases the incredible potential of Tech for Good. This walk gives hope to so many people with mobility impairments or barriers, showing that they too can return to the #sports they love! Wandercraft's exoskeleton, Atalante X, is a marvel of modern engineering. It uses #AI technology to provide advanced self-balancing capabilities, allowing users to stand, walk, and perform various tasks without the need for crutches or walkers. This innovative device helps individuals regain their independence and enhances their quality of life. The exoskeleton is designed to maintain balance and support natural movement patterns, promoting early rehabilitation and improving overall mobility. As the Worldwide Management Consulting Partner of the #IOC, we at Deloitte leverage our global scale and innovative insights to support the Games' impact - and this is a true impact that matters! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀!! 🦾♥️ What other Tech for Good do you know in sports?

Across the world, sports facilities are turning to robotics to make pitch management faster, more accurate, and cost-effective. What do you think about this robot? 📊 Data-driven impact: + A traditional human crew takes 4–5 hours to mark a football field. Robotic systems like TinyMobileRobots can finish the same job in 25–30 minutes. + Accuracy is improved to within ±1 cm, reducing costly rework. + Clubs report up to 50–70% savings in labor costs over a season. 🌍 Real-world examples: + TinyMobileRobots: Used by 1,000+ clubs worldwide, including Premier League academies, to automate field marking. + Intelligent Marking (US/Europe): Pioneers of GPS-guided robots that deliver consistent results across multiple fields. + Fleet adoption in schools & universities: Many institutions now deploy robots to maintain multiple pitches efficiently. ✅ Efficiency – Complete fields in a fraction of the time. ✅ Accuracy – GPS and laser-guided technology ensure perfect lines. ✅ Sustainability – Reduced paint waste and optimized resource use. The result? Coaches and athletes can focus on performance, while automation redefines how we prepare for the game. The future of sports isn’t just about players—it’s about the smart technologies behind the scenes. Video credit: Kostas Panayotis Diakovasilis #Robotics #AI #Automation #SportsTech #Innovation #SmartSports

Cosm's new immersive sports-viewing experiences are going viral. • 87-foot-by-55-foot dome • Onsite restaurant and bar • Locations in LA and Dallas But now Cosm has raised $250 million to open 50 more locations by 2030. Here's how it works 👇 Cosm's primary business is providing and servicing its technology to nearly 800 planetariums and science centers worldwide (i.e., immersive displays). But sports represent a bigger opportunity, so Cosm started building physical venues. Cosm's current venues cost $80 to $90 million, and they were designed by HKS — the same architecture firm that designed SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. These venues use a 180-degree LED display that can go from 8K to 12K, and they flip through 5 to 10 camera angles per event, allowing fans to experience courtside seats in the NBA or against the fence for a UFC fight. Cosm can do this because... 1. They have signed distribution deals with many of the biggest media rights holders in sports: • ESPN • Fox • NBC • TNT • NBA • UFC These deals allow Cosm to stream the events. But equally as important... 2. Cosm's proprietary tech stack includes physical setups at stadiums around the globe. This is the secret sauce. Many people probably don't know this, but Cosm owns a company called C360, which handles video technology for sports leagues, including: • Pylon cameras in the NFL • 360-degree cameras at MLB games So Cosm sends a handful of people to each game. These on-site individuals work with a production team back at their venues, rotating between different camera angles to provide fans with the best viewing experience. Cosm's venues have about 700 seats inside the dome, and tickets can cost up to $200, not including food, depending on the event. However, Cosm's venues also have a sports bar (with a 150-foot big-screen TV) that gives you standing-room-only access to the dome for just $11. And while Cosm's first two venues just opened in Los Angeles and Dallas, they already have bigger plans. Cosm recently announced a $250 million investment that valued the company north of $1 billion. Investors include: • David Blitzer (co-owner 76ers & Devils) • Marc Lasry (former co-owner of the Bucks) • Dan Gilbert (owner of the Cavaliers) This money will help Cosm open 50 locations by the end of this decade, including venues in Atlanta, New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Europe, and the Middle East. So don’t be surprised when a Cosm venue opens in your city. There is clearly demand for immersive sports experiences outside of attending games in person, especially when you consider that professional teams play half their games on the road. And no one is better positioned to deliver on that trend (for both fans and investors) than Cosm. P.S. Follow me (Joe Pompliano) for more sports business content! #sports #sportsbiz #linkedinsports

For most of football’s history, much of what we watched on the field went unmeasured. Today, nearly every player and ball movement throughout the game is measured, modeled, and analyzed in real time. This data is improving fan experiences and giving them richer sport insights. It's also changing how professionals approach the game—from improving player safety to unlocking new training environments. The results speak for themselves: a 35% reduction in lower-extremity injuries from the redesigned kickoff format, informed by Next Gen Stats data. Innovations like completion probability and rush yards over expectation that make broadcasts more engaging. And now, pose-tracking technology that captures full skeletal data 60 times per second, is opening doors to VR training that could accelerate player development from years to months. I'm proud of how we've expanded our partnership with the NFL on Next Gen Stats, powered by AI tools like Amazon SageMaker and Amazon Quick. What started as a tracking experiment in 2015 has become a critical part of the NFL’s infrastructure that uses machine learning models on AWS to process data from 22 players, generating 500-1,000 stats per play, instantly. What a win for the Hawks last night! If you're still riding the excitement, take a few minutes to read through this deep dive into the science that powers the complex stats you see on screen throughout the season. Cool look at the history of our partnership with the NFL through Next Gen Stats! https://lnkd.in/gX8Mpe7T

Technology has been a focal point in the NBA for years now especially with NBA Launchpad program. Launchpad is the league’s initiative to source, evaluate, and pilot emerging technologies that advance the NBA’s top basketball and business priorities. Since 2022, the NBA has helped over 15 sports tech companies including: 2024 Cohort ∙ Dimension Studio: A real-time 3D production studio and platform for virtual worlds, virtual humans and virtual sport ∙ Plantiga: Advanced in-shoe sensors with AI insights that track step-by-step load, performance and asymmetries during training and competition. ∙ Reboot Motion: A movement analysis platform helping large organizations excel in biomechanics at scale ∙ TextQL: An AI-native data intelligence platform that helps non-technical users self serve insights in real time for data driven decisions ∙ Tonsser: A digital product and community enabling youth athletes to track their performances, improve their skills, compare and compete against peers, and access opportunities 2023 Cohort ∙ Action Audio & Visual: Transforms spatial data into information-rich 3D sound experiences, helping blind/low vision audiences to follow sport in real time ∙ EDGE Sound Research: Embodied sound technology that leverages standard audio inputs to produce audible, haptic and tactile sensation directly to a fan within an arena or at home for sports, music, and gaming ∙ nVenue: Sports betting platform that uses machine learning and AI to generate game-relevant probabilities and micro-bets for fans to engage with in real-time ∙ SkillCorner: Uses computer vision and machine learning to generate player tracking data from existing video feeds ∙ Springbok Analytics: AI-based technology that transforms MRI data into a 3D digital twin ∙ Supersapiens: Analyzes glucose data to inform athletes how nutrition impacts their well-being, sleep, and athletic performance ∙ Tagboard: Audience experience platform designed to help production teams create the most engaging content in the world with a fraction of the resources required by traditional graphics systems 2022 Cohort ∙ Betterguards Technology: Adaptive ankle protection system that provides advanced freedom of motion for athletes while actively preventing injuries ∙ Breathwrk Inc.: Health and performance app that provides science-backed breathing exercises, helping athletes wake up, calm down, increase stamina and fall asleep ∙ Nextiles: Materials science company that quantifies human movement by merging sewing technologies with flexible electronics ∙ Rezzil: VR-based solution for cognitive training, rehabilitation, and game analysis ∙ Uplift Labs: AI-powered technology that delivers real-time movement tracking and 3D analysis to enhance health and performance #sportstech #sportsbusiness #linkedinsports

>> 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐁𝐀 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. At AWS re:Invent 2025, I interviewed several leaders from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the National Football League (NFL), the PGA TOUR and the National Basketball Association (NBA). One theme repeated itself again and again. AI is transforming sports faster than most companies transform their business units. And the National Basketball Association (NBA) is leading the way. The league introduced a new AI metric called Gravity. It measures a player’s impact even without the ball by quantifying how much defensive attention they attract and the offensive opportunities it creates for teammates. It tracks 29 points on the body at 60 frames per second to deliver real-time insights that were previously impossible to measure. And this is not limited to basketball. The National Football League (NFL) uses AI to break down plays in milliseconds. The PGA TOUR processes every shot in real time. The trend is clear. People expect personalization, immediacy and intelligence. This is the new standard. Not only for sports. For business! 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨: 1️⃣ 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞. Every NBA fan sees a different version of the game. The question for leaders is simple. How can your product adapt automatically to each customer in real time. 2️⃣ 𝐋𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. In sports, an insight delivered one minute late is worthless. The same is true in business. Value now depends on speed. 3️⃣ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. Broadcasters use AI to explain why a moment matters, not just what happened. Companies can turn raw data into context in exactly the same way. 4️⃣ 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐩. In my interview with Ishit Vachhrajani, we discussed AI systems that make independent decisions within defined guardrails. Not tools. Teammates. If AI can turn a basketball game into a personalized, real-time experience for millions of people, imagine what it can do for your business. Sports already learned this lesson. Now it is time for everyone else. ---- 👉 Love my content? ☑ Follow me on LinkedIn: Paul Storm 👉 Found this helpful? Share it! ♻️ Lenka Roedel Tom Rowland

Here’s my major prediction for the professional sports industry next year.   By the end of 2026, artificial intelligence will no longer be a fringe experiment in sports – it will be a foundational layer powering the industry’s growth, on and off the field. Any organization still relying on gut feel, spreadsheets, and siloed data will be structurally behind in both revenue and relevance.   It’s not just about performance. The integration of AI is reshaping every part of the sports business — from fan engagement and ticketing to media, commercial operations and player health. This is key to unlocking a new era of scalable value creation, sustaining the growth we’ve seen in recent decades.   AI is already bending the curve, and the growth potential looks a lot like a hockey stick:   💲 Spend is exploding: The global “AI in sports” market, estimated at nearly $9B in 2024, is forecast to reach $28B by 2030, a 21%+ CAGR. That’s not a side bet; it’s a signal of where leaders and operators see future value.   ⚕️ Performance & health are moving first: Teams working with specialized platforms have reported material outcomes. One AI system forecasts ~75% of potential athlete injury risks inside a seven-day window. Another is helping Major League Soccer teams cut total injuries by ~28% and reduce the salary paid to unavailable players by ~30% (equating to millions of dollars a season). Those are direct P&L and asset-protection gains, not just “innovation theatre”.   📣 Fan experience is being rewired in real time: The NBA’s work with Microsoft and AWS, for example, is pushing AI into games broadcasts: instant narrative-building, multilingual recaps, “Inside the Game” analytics feeds, and new experiences across apps, social media and even inside the stadium/arena. Formula 1 is also turning 1.1 million data points per second per car into predictive race insights and storytelling for a global audience.   By 2026, the true outliers won’t be the AI pioneers, they’ll be the organizations that failed to adapt. Here’s what’s becoming table stakes:   – A robust AI layer across ticketing, pricing, media, sponsorship, and performance – A single, integrated data spine replacing fragmented systems – The skills, talent, and culture to deploy AI tools with the same fluency as playbooks and scouting reports   The road to AI-based optimization won’t be clean. There will be bad models, governance clashes, and cultural pushbacks. But positive transformation never happens in straight lines. It requires bold experimentation. The difference now is that AI’s upside can be quantified in revenue growth, commercial yield and fan lifetime value.   As AI capabilities are adapted across the sports value chain, the industry’s ability to continue growing its overall value could accelerate dramatically.   #BigIdeas2026 – here on LinkedIn.

Blind football fans now feel the game through their fingertips. For free. While stadiums charge £50 for tickets, they're giving these devices away. Mike Kearney couldn't see Liverpool score. His cousin traced the ball's path on his hand. 90,000 fans roared around them while Mike experienced football through human touch. Think about that. Three Dublin students watched that viral moment. Tim Farrelly, David Deneher, and Omar Salem saw Mike celebrating Salah's goal and thought: No blind fan should need a human scoreboard. Traditional Stadium Experience: ↳ Audio commentary only ↳ Delayed radio broadcasts ↳ Depends on sighted companion ↳ Miss the game's flow entirely Field of Vision Reality: ↳ Tactile pitch in your hands ↳ Magnetic ball tracks real gameplay ↳ Instant vibrations for goals, fouls ↳ Feel the match as it happens But here's what stopped me cold: They didn't just build the technology. They built a model where blind fans never pay. Stadiums invest $50,000 for 12 devices per season. Sponsors cover the costs. Every visually impaired fan gets one free. The device fits in your palm. Raised pitch boundaries guide your fingers. The magnetic ball moves exactly where Haaland or Salah strike. When the crowd erupts, you know why. When play builds, you feel it building. Testing from FIFA to Premier League proved what matters: ↳ Touch2See at MLS matches—free ↳ Telstra Touch in Australia—free ↳ Every major deployment—free ↳ Accessibility without barriers The Multiplication Effect: 1 stadium equipped = hundreds included free 10 leagues adopting = thousands connected 100 sponsors investing = new standard emerges At scale = no blind fan pays to feel the game From Reddit video to global stadiums. From three students sketching to clubs investing $50,000 per season. From "who pays?" to "nobody pays." Traditional accessibility adds costs. Field of Vision removes them. We spent decades pricing out disabled fans. Three students made inclusion free. Because Mike Kearney's joy shouldn't depend on his cousin's hand—or his wallet. Follow me, Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld for innovations that refuse to leave anyone on the sidelines. ♻️ Share if accessibility should never cost extra. Video: Social Media

🎥 Deep Dive into the Digital Transformation of the Bundesliga Join me in an engaging live stream as I sit down with Alexander Altenhofen, Director of Product and Technology at DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL). We'll uncover the secrets behind Bundesliga's rise as the world’s most digitally-driven football league. Dive deep into: • "Glass to Grass" Strategy: Explore the fascinating journey of content from stadium cameras to the screens of millions. • The AWS Partnership: Discover how more than 80 AWS services have been employed to revolutionize the Bundesliga experience for fans across the globe. • The Personalized Fan Experience: Delve into the league's use of AWS services like Lambda, Fargate, and Sagemaker to capture real-time "match facts" that offer deep insights into game analytics and player performances. • Cost Optimization: Hear firsthand from Altenhofen about DFL's mission to boost efficiency and reallocate budget for strategic innovation without compromising the user experience. • The Future: Get a sneak peek into DFL's future initiatives, from generative AI content creation to personalized user experiences tailored for each Bundesliga fan. Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look at the future of football (or soccer) and how technology is transforming the way we engage with sports. Don't miss out on this insightful conversation! 🚀📺⚽

It's a match! India's IT giants are transforming sports experiences through tech solutions across cricket, tennis, and bowling, among others, reports Sai Ishwarbharath for The Economic Times. Top IT players Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra see an influx of between $800 million and $1 billion from the sports sector and connected partnerships every year, according to UnearthInsight data. 🏏 HCLTech last week announced an extension of its digital partnership with Cricket Australia, where the tech giant will provide automation and analytics services, including AI and machine learning. The company previously helped football club Manchester United reach over a billion fans and followers on social media. 🏓 Infosys created digital apps for the tennis grand slams, which millions of fans download every year. The firm also recently signed a three-year partnership with Rafael Nadal, and they are jointly developing an AI-powered match analysis tool, according to an Economic Times report from last week. 🎳 Wipro won a deal with Bowling Centre TV (BCTV) in June this year, where the firm will provide dynamic digital signage solutions to enhance consumer experience and drive advertising revenue, according to the company's website. The company is also equipping stadiums with tech support and solutions, and streamlining operations like temperature control and lighting. It also offers retail analytics solutions and in-game statistics and visualisations to improve fan experience. IT players also have dedicated teams to handle sports partnerships or strategy — TCS has a role for heading global sports sponsorships, Infosys has the Infosys Tennis Platform run by an associate vice president-level executive, and a business head for sports tech helps generate revenue from e-sports and gaming through cloud. Demand for immersive experiences and sports is on the rise, and so is the need to harness new-age technologies like 5G connectivity, AI/ML, data, and security, said Malay Joshi, Sector Head of Communications, Retail, Connectivity and Services at Wipro. Source: The Economic Times: https://lnkd.in/d9mJx-rR https://lnkd.in/eftXeshJ https://lnkd.in/ebjCtNUH ✍️: Isha Chitnis 📸: Getty Images