NFL and the Stadium Experience

Just a quick thought on today’s comments by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as reported by Gregg Rosenthal on NFL.com. Rosenthal highlights Goodell’s comments as follows:

• The focus at the NFL Spring Meeting was clear: It was on the stadiums. We knew Super Bowl L and LI were awarded to San Francisco and Houston, respectively, in large part because of their new stadiums, but the conversation went beyond that.
• “We spent a great deal of time on the stadium experience,” Goodell told reporters Tuesday.
• The league also approved a multi-year agreement with Microsoft in an effort to enhance the game for teams and fans. The league approved the Atlanta Falcons‘ new stadium and renovations for the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers‘ homes. Goodell wants to “solve the wi-fi” problem around the league.
• Stadiums that are not state-of-the-art, like Miami’s Sun Life Stadium, are being left behind.
• “I did have a few owners who expressed to me privately that the condition of the stadium was an important factor,” Goodell said in reference to South Florida’s failed Super Bowl bids.

What else are teams doing to enhance the in-venue experience, for all fans? I’m hearing nothing about data and data integration. Until they provide customer intimacy through surprise and delight, in real-time, the fan’s value proposition will continue to be compromised.

And competition from the couch will continue to become a bigger issue.