Space Age Glass Half Full
The tag ‘space age’ might be more than 50 years old, but it still conveys a sense of wondrous progress – hence the Daily Mail’s use in this report of German Burgos, the Atletico Madrid coach, becoming the first person to use Google Glass to receive live stats in a game last season. All La Liga teams will be using the technology as part of a new agreement – and with both Madrid teams reaching this year’s Champions League final, it’s worth keeping an eye on what they’re doing to stay ahead of the wider European crowd.
The Sacramento Kings were a few months ahead, albeit using the technology in a different way. Since January the Kings have teamed up with Silicon Valley software company CrowdOptic to show Google Glass views live during home games on the jumbotron. “It is just a matter of time before Google Glass is an integral part of the fan experience of watching live sports,” said Kings president Chris Granger at the time, and he might well be right.
These aren’t new ideas in themselves – Mashable were predicting this would happen as long ago as 2012 – but if reality is finally catching up with speculation, then this could be an interesting time for professional sport. A new space age, if you like, but this time without leaving our chairs.
