By Request: Sports, entertainment, and tech

Subscriber Rob writes, “What do we have to look forward to in the next few years as tech savvy baseball fans?”

There’s no doubt that the entertainment business in general, and sports in particular, will be dramatically altered by technological progress. I’m not a sports analyst by any means, but I’m a lifelong sports fan who also spends a lot of time thinking about tech stuff. So let me take a stab at it. Keep in mind, these are just a few broad ideas. I reserve the right to change my mind later.

The problem with the in-stadium experience is that sports are almost always going to be better experienced on television, where you get the very best angles, close up, with instant super-slow-motion replay. I attend a half-dozen baseball and college football games every year, and it’s clear that attending a game in person is still an entertainment experience—but it’s not the same experience as watching on TV, and so stadium experiences will need to continue to grow and change and innovate in order to provide something that’s worth your time.…