Emerging Sports Need More Than Technology to Succeed

Digital agency AKQA used artificial intelligence to create Speedgate.(Courtesy of AKQA)This SportTechie Legal article was written by Brian Socolow, an attorney in the New York office of Loeb & Loeb LLP.

Technology is a major disruptor in sports today. There is not an aspect of the industry that it has not touched. The way that sports are played, viewed, broadcast, monetized, and regulated are all being revolutionized by the deployment of technological innovations.

Technology also drives the development of new or emerging sports. The growth of esports from a niche subculture into a $1 billion (and growing) global industry is the most obvious example, but there are certainly others. Some sports…