From the moment you purchase your tickets, technology is at the center of the modern live sports experience. A day at the ballpark will see fans using their mobile devices to gain admission, locate their seats and other landmarks, check the latest stats and even order food and beverages. Providing all those services requires some serious technological horsepower, a development which has elevated the role of information technology (IT) in the modern sports organization.
The challenges — and opportunities — associated with integrating advanced digital technologies with live sports events was the subject of a recent summit that brought together IT leaders from several Bay Area pro sports teams. Entitled “Game Plan: Unlocking Business Opportunities in Sports & Entertainment,” the Aug. 22 event assembled IT thought leaders from the San Francisco Giants, the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Roots and Comcast. Held at KQED’s San Francisco headquarters, the Comcast Business-sponsored event featured San Francisco Business Times Publisher Pete Casillas as moderator for the evening’s discussion.
As with any contemporary discussion about technology, it didn’t take long for the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) to make an appearance. For Costa Kladianos, Executive Vice President of Technology for the San Francisco 49ers, AI represents an opportunity to streamline parking, personalize offers according to fans’ preferences and maximize engagement at Levi’s Stadium.
“If we can use AI to make parking easier, whether that’s staggering the fans coming in or giving them better routes — and then continuing that journey through the ticket scanning — that’s on our mind,” said Kladianos. “Being able to walk right through with your tickets and then have us know who you are and understand your preferences and say, ‘Hey, we know you like this beer, this hot dog, do you want that again?’ And just click it or it’ll be waiting for you. It’s all about using AI to create a frictionless journey.”
As Kladianos pointed out, powering seamless digital experiences at that scale requires robust connectivity. “It’s the foundational base,” he observed. “You can’t just roll out these technologies and expect it to work on old infrastructure.”
The 49ers rely on Comcast Business as a connectivity partner to “create the bandwidth that enables that frictionless journey for the fans,” Kladianos noted. In the days following the event, the San Francisco 49ers and Comcast announced a multi-year partnership extension, whereby Levi’s Stadium will feature in-stadium WiFi from Xfinity, which offers free high-speed internet in every location at the venue.
San Francisco Giants Chief Information Officer Bill Schlough similarly opined on the importance of connectivity during his comments.
“People want to watch the game,” Schlough said. “They don’t want to spend their time in line. They want to get what they need and then get to their seat and enjoy the game and share that experience.”
In April 2023, Comcast Business announced that it would provide Oracle Park with a WiFi 6E-ready network in partnership with Extreme Networks. This network refresh makes Oracle Park the first professional sports venue to be completely WiFi 6E-ready.
WiFi 6E improves connectivity by enabling devices to download and upload data from the internet faster and with lower latency than legacy technologies. This means the Giants will be able to improve the fan experience inside the park to include benefits such as fast mobile ticket entry and mobile concessions, while implementing emerging innovations like AR/VR experiences and biometrics-based park entry. The 6GHz band also adds a significant amount of new spectrum to provide a fast, reliable connection for devices throughout the ballpark.
“At the end of the day, we’re all leveraging that connectivity and the technology to enhance the experience,” Schlough said.
Not to be outdone, Edreece Arghandiwal, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of Oakland Roots Sports Club, pointed to digital technologies — especially AI — as one of his young team’s strategic advantages.
“One thing that we push is a magical stadium and a magical experience, which I think ultimately leaves people happy and wanting to come back,” Arghandiwal said. “The AI functions because we just needed that solution. We didn’t have a venue that had things baked in.”
Comcast continues to serve as the Official Telecommunications Partner of the Oakland Roots. Fans can experience Xfinity on game day and at Official Oakland Roots watch parties all season long.
