The field of sports analytics is rapidly emerging as more and more data is being collected on everything from athlete performance to venue operations. In order to optimize the use of all of this information, IBM created a Sports and Entertainment Practice.
Many people think of IBM’s Watson as a traditional smart computer that can sort through large amounts of data for improved decision making power, but few know about the vast array of possible uses of this machine. Their Internet of Things creates solutions in four key areas: improving athlete performance by leveraging real-time insights, predicting team dynamics and financial outcomes with advanced analytics, creating an elevated fan experience, and optimizing venue operations. Watson IoT helps improve player performance by providing athletes and coaches with performance, biometrics and weather insights in real time, empowering athletes with real-time feedback via connected devices, and creating immediate visibility into athlete’s training and performance. This technology also allows team managers to evaluate individual and team performance through an improved ability to view, organize and uncover insights through data, as well as create a system of automatic evaluations of the team’s current roster and potential player changes. Watson also assists in improving the fan experience by integrating structured and unstructured data to create personalized visitor experiences, and gain deeper insights into fan experiences and behaviors. Finally, this system assists teams in optimizing venue infrastructure by establishing pervasive connectivity in and around the venue and aligning the facilities to business outcomes.
IBM has been able to make a name for itself in the sports analytics space through powerful partnerships with such companies as the Weather Channel and AT&T, and various successful projects with Wimbledon, the USA cycling team, and the Toronto Raptors, to name a few. According to Roger Wood, founder of the San-Francisco think tank Art+Data, IBM is among the top 10 most successful sports-oriented companies using data to change the game. According to Wood, the best companies are those that utilize the power of real-time information to their advantage. Others on the list include Ruckus/Oracle, Nike+, and Sportvision.
Watson is still, however, a work in progress. Where it can improve is taking the aggregated data and creating actionable recommendations to coaches, players and teams. Currently, Watson is a great tool to help coaches keep up to date with the latest research in important topics like sleep, recovery, altitude training and performance nutrition, but these coaches still need to take the information provided (perhaps with the helps of an IBM team of consultants) and decide what to do with it. It is therefore up to the athletes whether Watson works well for them, because data without insights does not improve performance.
In identifying IBM’s competitors in this space, it is also worth noting that Cisco created the Cisco Connected Athlete where they “turn the athlete’s body into a distributed network of sensors and network intelligence.” This solution allows athletes to access real-time data on factors such as pace, power, and drive so that they can improve their performance. It is likely that more large players will move into this space as analytics is quickly becoming a key ingredient for success in professional sports. Major sports leagues are trending toward the use of technology, as shown in the recent approval of the Whoop wearable in MLB. The NBA however is still resisting the use of wearables in the game, showing that this recent trend is moving forward, but cautiously. One concern with the data that has become available through IBM sports analytics and other available technologies, such as WHOOP, is that the product doesn’t help people who wear it as much as it helps the institutions and coaches who pay for it. WHOOP has become popular among college teams, and there is rising concern about privacy issues as student-athlete’s personal information becomes available to others for the sake of a potential boost in performance.
In order to remain competitive, IBM should consider improving the value of their offering by providing a comparable service to individuals and non-professional athletes, much like Cisco does. This would allow IBM to reach a broader audience, potentially using readily available tools such as the iPhone. This project would be particularly suited to IBM because they have a background in both hardware and software which, paired with their robust data analytics capabilities, could allow them create an impressive and attractive consumer product. Additionally, there is a proven market for consumer sports analytics products, evident in the success of the Fitbit.
Sources:
https://www.ibm.com/internet-of-things/iot-zones/sports-analytics/
https://www.fastcodesign.com/1671570/10-companies-on-the-cutting-edge-of-sports-data
https://www.wareable.com/sport/nba-star-caught-out-using-banned-wearable-during-games-2558
https://thelocker.whoop.com/2017/03/06/whoop-approved-for-in-game-use-in-major-league-baseball/
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thedownload-ibm-watson-athletes-20151003-story.html
http://deadspin.com/why-is-this-wearable-tech-company-helping-college-teams-1794218363
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