The AI Revolution in Sports: Why Fans Are Choosing Robots Over Google

Capgemini's latest report reveals how artificial intelligence is quietly reshaping everything from stadium concessions to your fantasy league picks

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At this point, you guys know that I love a good report. It gives you insight that only a select few will have known about, thus levelling the playing field, so to speak. And today, we’re digging into a report I’ve been dying to share since it came out at the start of this month. It is none other than Capgemini's “Beyond the game: The new era of AI-powered sports engagement”, a fresh research report on AI in sports, and honestly, the numbers are wild.

For those unfamiliar, Capgemini isn't some random consultancy—they're a $22 billion global tech services giant that's been the principal partner of the Women's Rugby World Cup, worldwide partner of the Ryder Cup, and the tech brains behind innovations like real-time wind visualisation for the America's Cup. When they talk about sports tech, people listen.

Back to the report, they surveyed 12,000 fans across 11 countries, and what they found should make every sports tech company sit up and pay attention.

The headline? More than half of sports fans have already ditched traditional search engines for AI tools when they want sports info. That's not a trend—that's a seismic shift happening right under our noses. So without further ado…

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Photo by Kyle DeSantis on Unsplash

Fans Are Actually Coming Back to Stadiums (Plot Twist)

While everyone's been freaking out about streaming killing live attendance, the data tells a different story. Stadium attendance actually grew from 34% to 37% between 2023 and 2025. Sure, it's not massive, but it's growth.

The kicker? Gen Z and millennials are driving this comeback, and it's largely because stadiums are finally getting their tech game together. We're talking facial recognition that saves you 10 minutes in entry lines, AR overlays that give you real-time player stats, and those massive 4K jumbotrons that make you feel like you're inside a video game.

The Cleveland Browns processed over 10,000 fans per game using facial recognition and saved $8,000 per lane annually. That's not just convenience—that's serious operational efficiency.

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AI Is Becoming Your Personal Sports Concierge

Here's where it gets interesting. AI isn't just changing how we search for sports info—it's becoming the ultimate sports butler. 67% of fans want AI tools that aggregate all their sports content in one place. Think of it as having a personal assistant who knows you prefer defensive stats over offensive ones, or that you only care about your team's injury reports.

The personalisation is getting scary good. AI can now create customised highlight reels in real-time, let you virtually compete against pro players during live games, and even replay completed matches with different strategies to show you what might have happened. The NFL's partnership with Adobe lets fans create their own NFL-themed content using AI tools, turning every fan into a content creator.

Data Is the New MVP

Remember when knowing a player's batting average made you the smart guy at the bar? Those days are ancient history. Now fans want everything: player performance metrics, real-time weather conditions, pitch velocity, and historical comparisons—all delivered instantly.

The numbers back this up. During Wimbledon 2023, fans consumed 64 terabytes of data (that's a 37% increase from 2022). On Super Bowl Sunday, Verizon customers in New Orleans used 93.5 terabytes. That's not just casual browsing—that's fans actively hunting for context and stats throughout the entire game experience.

But There's a Dark Side

Here's the reality check: 57% of fans think all this tech might be ruining the authenticity of sports. And they're not wrong to be worried.

The concerns are real and growing:

• 66% worry that unverified AI content makes players vulnerable to fan harassment

• 57% are concerned about misinformation spreading about players and teams

• 54% fear fake player impersonations giving false recommendations

The IOC had to implement an AI-powered system just to monitor social media threats during Paris 2024. When you need AI to protect athletes from AI-generated problems, we might be in too deep.

The Trust and Privacy Problem

Only 47% of fans actually know how AI tools collect their data, and just 44% have explicitly consented to data storage. That's a massive gap that's going to bite the industry if it's not addressed soon.

Smart organisations are already moving. The Atlanta Hawks partnered with Acronis for cybersecurity, and the NFL teamed up with NetApp specifically for data security to prevent misinformation. These aren't nice-to-haves anymore—they're business necessities.

What This Means for Different Players

Stadium Operators: You're not just managing venues anymore—you're running tech platforms that happen to host sports. The smart stadium market is projected to hit $41.7 billion by 2029, and fans expect everything from app-based wayfinding to in-seat ordering.

Teams and Franchises: Your competition isn't just other teams—it's Netflix, TikTok, and every other platform fighting for attention. AI-powered personalisation isn't optional; it's the entry fee to stay relevant.

Broadcasters: Traditional broadcasting is becoming just one option among many. Fans want customisable camera angles, alternative commentary, and interactive experiences that let them dive deeper into the action.

Photo by Luciano Oliveira on Unsplash

The Spending Reality

Before you think this is all theoretical, consider this: 27% of fans are willing to pay an average of 8% more for AI-enhanced viewing experiences. That's real money attached to real expectations.

Stadium admission prices jumped 22% year-over-year in May 2024, and despite this "funflation," 38% of adults are prepared to take on more debt for live entertainment. Gen Z leads the charge, but the spending appetite spans generations.

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So What Does This Mean?

This Capgemini report matters because it shows us where the proverbial puck is going, not where it's been. While everyone's been debating whether AI will change sports, fans have already voted with their wallets and their attention spans.

The sports tech ecosystem is at an inflection point. The companies that understand this shift toward AI-powered personalisation will capture the next wave of fan engagement. Those that don't risk becoming as obsolete as the radio broadcast.

We're not just talking about incremental improvements here—we're looking at a fundamental reimagining of how fans consume, interact with, and experience sports. The technology exists, the fans are ready, and the money is there.

The question isn't whether AI will transform sports—it's whether your favourite team, league, or platform will be leading the charge or playing catch-up.

More than anything, this report proves that sports technology isn't just about better stats or cleaner broadcasts. It's about creating experiences that feel personal, immediate, and impossibly smart. Something that was echoed by a cofounder I had a chat with last week (more on this later). And if you're building in this space, that's exactly the bar you need to clear.

But here's the thing that no amount of market research can teach you: you have to understand what it actually feels like to be a sports fan. The companies that will win in this AI-powered sports future aren't just the ones with the best algorithms or the biggest budgets. They're the ones building for sports fans by sports fans—teams that understand that behind every data point is someone who's probably yelling at their TV, checking their phone during commercial breaks, and genuinely caring about outcomes that, let's be honest, don't really matter in the grand scheme of things but somehow matter more than almost anything else.

If you don't get that emotional nuance, all the AI personalisation in the world will fall on deaf ears. Because at the end of the day, sports isn't logical—it's tribal, emotional, and beautifully irrational. And that's exactly why building for this space is so challenging, and so rewarding when you get it right.

As always, stay tuned for next week's roundup as we continue tracking the transformative developments reshaping the global sports technology landscape.

Track the Trends. Spot the plays. Shape the game.

Thanks for reading,

Dean

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