The NFL Is Counting on Augmented Reality To Keep Stadiums Full

Today’s sports fans want to do more than just sit in their seats for three hours during a game. Younger fans in particular, including at college events, have decided to forego the stadium experience in favor of watching on TV at home, where cell phone coverage is typically stronger.

Smart venues are starting to address this issue by making the experience at the stadium more interactive—and that includes providing things people can do on their smart phones.

The Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium now has a virtual reality (VR) experience in their museum where fans can compare their running and jumping skills to their heroes, and even try their hand at catching passes.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers have partnered with MYXR to create an augmented reality (AR) experience for their fans at Levi’s Stadium. This builds upon their previous excursions into AR with special AR trading cards and collector’s cups.

Some of these ideas aren’t even all that recent, though they are certainly cutting-edge. A great example of this is the Tampa Bay Lightning “smart jersey,” which the team started selling six years ago. It has a microchip sewn into the jersey so that season ticket holders who wear it to the game will get special discounts on merchandise.

Like practically every place else someone might buy tickets, sports venues are now using mobile/paperless ticketing. As Forbes reports, there are also now mobile apps that will provide a map of the venue so it is easier to get around, allow fans to order food from their seats, and even buy merchandise. These reduce line wait times and thus improve overall fan experience.

Fans today are looking for more interactive experiences. The days of fans just passively absorbing the game, the ads, and the boring monotony of long lines are long gone, and the teams that figure out how to create the best experiences from the time fans arrive at the gate to the time they leave the parking lot are going to attract more people into their stadiums.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

DXpedition
Icom Powers 3Y0K : Ham Radio’s Most Ambitious DXpedition to Remote Bouvet Island Part 1
July 11, 2025

Bouvet Island sits at the edge of the world. It is frozen, uninhabited, and almost impossible to access. Fewer people have set foot there than in space. That level of remoteness is exactly what makes it so valuable to amateur radio operators. The island ranks tenth on ClubLog’s list of Most Wanted DXCC entities,…

Read More
entrepreneurial success
The Hidden Key to Entrepreneurial Success: Build Momentum Through Personal Branding and Authentic Networking
July 10, 2025

What if the biggest pivot of your career started with a conversation?  In this episode of Professional Quotient, host Jason Winningham welcomes Fanny Dunagan, CEO and Content Strategist of PathLynks, LLC. Fanny shares her journey from high-pressure consulting in Singapore to founding her own media and branding company — and why learning to network…

Read More
Q2 2025
RM Q2 2025 Wrap Up
July 9, 2025

Rogue Marketing continues to lead with intention in a space often driven by noise. Q2 2025 reflected a strategic focus on substance, where each initiative supported long-term brand growth. The team transformed internal recognition efforts into enduring brand assets and refined event strategies through immersive, results-driven experiences. Website launches during the quarter balanced visual…

Read More
amateur radios
Hamvention Spotlight: Emergency Preparedness Led PrepHam Paul to Amateur Radios and a Rising Voice in the Field
July 9, 2025

PrepHam Paul (K5VLP) celebrated his first visit to Dayton Hamvention by marking a major channel milestone. He hosted a giveaway of the  IC-2370B mobile radio from Icom to thank viewers for helping him reach 10,000 subscribers. His passion for emergency preparedness, rooted in his experience as an Eagle Scout and later studies in emergency management,…

Read More