While working for a professional sports team may be a dream job for many IT professions, the technology challenges of a pro-sports franchise can be daunting reports Brandon Butler of Network World:
“At the same time sports and entertainment organizations are being inundated with data, they’re trying to figure out how to boost connectivity within their venues, but also how to monetize the treasure trove of attendee information.”
(Click here to read Inside the IT challenges of sports and entertainment)
Butler speaks with the athletics department at Arizona State University, the Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres baseball teams, among others, about their challenges with technology. Their concerns, such as data management and CRM systems, are probably familiar to many businesses.
Vendors such as Cisco Systems have launched high-profile entries into the sports IT field in recent years, and such high-profile work can be beneficial to vendors and partners.
I wrote a feature for ComputerWorld Canada in 2006 delving into the world of sports IT, and users such as the Toronto Raptors and Boston Red Sox discussed how they’re using technology to try to gain a competitive edge on their competitors.
Some sports teams were the early big data adopters, before it was called big data. Just consider the Oakland As and their use of Sabremetrics, as seen in the recent movie Moneyball. Hopefully they’ve advanced beyond spreadsheets now though.