TSL #029: Creating Unique Sports Experiences: The AI-Nostalgia Fusion Strategy
Like most sports kids of 1980s obsessed with basketball, The Iceman poster was on my bedroom wall.
My relationship with AI is taking a turn I did not expect.
As I witness AI's rapid advancement, I see its transformative impact on the sports business, working closely with clients and pushing its capabilities like never before. AI optimizes operations, enhances player performance analysis, and improves fan experiences. However, AI's capabilities are firmly rooted in data and algorithms, while our human vision is grounded in empathy, creativity, and values.
The more I engage with AI to optimize my professional and personal life, the more it inspires me to delve into what makes us as humans unique, now more than ever before.
Did God introduce AI to help us reconnect with our humanity? While AI may continue to evolve and augment our capabilities, there will always remain a gap it cannot bridge – the ability to possess a human point of view.
Without a point of view, AI is akin to a child's battery-powered toy car, endlessly spinning its wheels against a wall, spewing out endless data instead of exploring new terrain.
Over Labor Day Weekend, I unplugged from my devices (ok, just for one day) and went analog (ok, it was on my iPad with an Apple Pencil), sketching out several sports experience concepts on paper that blended the latest advancements in AI with the nostalgic elements of an analog world. This merging of the cutting-edge with vivid memories from our yesteryears holds the potential to create something truly unique.
I set out to answer a fundamental question: How can we make our customers feel they are having a modern experience while also evoking emotions from their past?
Here are a few examples to ponder:
A recreational sports league that harnesses a sleek, current AI statistical platform paired with a monthly print newspaper delivered right to participants' doorsteps.
Why limit ourselves to launching another podcast when we could introduce a radio station with programming on non-league days to keep your audience engaged all week?
And why confine a league's top photos to Instagram when we could produce limited edition posters of our star players, reminiscent of the '80s when every young sports enthusiast had The Iceman's poster adorning their bedroom wall?
Imagine the possibilities of using AI to track and compare your on-court statistical performance against legendary NBA players from history.
Innovation isn't always about gazing into the future; sometimes, it's about looking back.
Today, the only vision AI possesses is the one that humans provide. When starting in the recreational sports industry, it's crucial not to start with a ChatGPT prompt. Instead, grab a pen and paper and begin sketching out the vision for your business. Trade the computer screen for a seat in your favorite childhood court or field, where you can reflect on your sports memories and the emotions they continue to stir inside you.
Then, brainstorm how you can recreate those feelings for your customers.
As we navigate the AI-dominated landscape of the sports business, we must never lose sight of the unique power of human vision and perspective. These qualities set us apart, enabling us to form deeper connections, make ethical decisions, and foster creativity and innovation. While AI can undoubtedly complement our efforts, it can never fully replicate the essence of human perspective.
Embrace your point of view, for it is the driving force that will propel your sports business to success in the age of AI.
