The following interview is part of our ongoing Expert Series that asks C-level professionals, team presidents, league executives, athletic directors and other sports influencers about their latest thoughts and insights on new technologies impacting the sports industry.
Name: Michael Konradi
Company: Cotton Bowl Classic
Position: Chief Marketing Officer
Michael Konradi is currently the Chief Marketing Officer of the Cotton Bowl Classic. A 1999 graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Konradi started his career with the Big 12 Conference as the Assistant Media Relations Director from 1999-2001. When he started with the Cotton Bowl in 2002, he was the Director of Marketing and Communications. In 2006, he was promoted to Vice President of External Affairs. He became the Classic’s CMO in the spring of 2015.
1) What utilization of technology in professional or college sports has recently blown you away and why?
It’s the utilization of technology in the near future that I’m most excited about. There’s an arms race occurring when it comes to building stadiums and arenas, and technology is the driving force behind these new buildings. Whether it’s the 360-degree video board going up at the new Atlanta football stadium or the comprehensive interactive experience built into the new basketball arena going up in Sacramento, the use of technology to improve the game day experience is increasing at a meteoric pace. I will say this, despite the fact that AT&T Stadium opened seven years ago, how Sprinklr’s social media display is being at that venue sets the bar for all these new stadiums and arenas. They will all be judged against AT&T Stadium.
2) As a sports fan, what sports-related service, app, product, etc., could you not live without and why?
I know I should know my audience here, but I’m going old school on this one. Despite the fact that technology touches just about every aspect of our daily lives, I could not live without my daily newspaper. I still march outside every morning to grab it. If I’m on the road or hurting for time, I utilize my digital subscription, but there’s still something about riffling through a newspaper. Ultimately, if I want a snapshot of what’s going on at that moment around the world, I’m going to Twitter. If I want in-depth news, I grab a newspaper.
3) If money were no object, what technology would you build or buy to help you do your job better?
If you’re talking about the here and now, I would love to build and/or buy a technology that removes the need for usernames and passwords. Drives me crazy if I can’t remember a username and password. I know we’re not far with the advancement of Apple and Microsoft’s biometric applications (Windows Hello or Apple’s fingerprint authorization). It just can’t get here fast enough. If I look to the future and can dream for a second, I want Star Trek to come to life. Beam me up, Scottie. Imagine how teleportation would change all aspects of life and business. It’s fun to dream about.
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4) If you had to project 20 years into the future, how will most fans watch their favorite college sports teams?
I wish I knew. I’d be rich. Between AI, CGI, home automation, virtual and augmented reality, the future for watching live sports is fun to imagine with the creative opportunities seemingly endless. The one constant that remains in live television is sports. How these technologies will affect our viewing experience is unknown, but I’m extremely interested to see.
5) What are some of the ways in which the Cotton Bowl has incorporated various forms of technology to enhance the fan and game experience in Dallas?
The Cotton Bowl uniquely engages fans in AT&T stadium and those watching the game by connecting social media to the stadium’s main jumbotron — a 60-yard long screen that defines the phrase “everything’s bigger in Texas.” In addition to this screen, there are also a number of screens outside the stadium. With Sprinklr’s social media management platform, the Cotton Bowl can pull together thousands of social submissions that mention #CottonBowl across any channel (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more) into a high-quality and dynamic social media display that make fans feel like part of the game.
We’re also driving fan engagement with a Twitter contest for fans to vote for the Goodyear Blimp-worthy Play of the Year. It’s really difficult to turn real-time social media posts into clear, crisp images on the jumbotron with graphics that match each team’s brand, and Sprinklr is helping us do this throughout the game.
6) Give us your bold prediction about a form of technology that will be integral to college athletics over the next 12 months and why?
Teams and networks will partner on an augmented reality experience that puts fans at live sporting events from the comfort of their living rooms. It will take pay-per-view to a whole new level!