Baseball fans may actually learn something about the game the next time they peer down at their phones at the stadium. This off-season, Major League Baseball will test a feature of its At The Ballpark app that allows mobile devices to communicate with sensors placed throughout ballparks. Triggered by the sensors, the app will welcome fans when they enter the vicinity, surface historical tales, and potentially enhance sponsor messages and displays with ad content.
The location-based system, which employs Bluetooth Low Energy technology, was on display last week for a select few visiting Citi Field in Flushing, Queens, home to the New York Mets. The Mets will be the first MLB club to incorporate the sensors, called beacons, into their home stadium in 2014. A handful of additional teams are expected to get on deck to use the system during the next regular season. No other pilot teams have been named at this stage.
"Clubs today are already raising their hands," said Adam Ritter, senior VP-wireless at MLB Advanced Media.
The idea for now is to enrich the gameday experience as fans traipse through the park en route to watch batting practice or to grab a dog during the 7th inning stretch. At Citi Field, for instance, when fans are within close proximity to the original Mets Home Run Apple -- which now resides near the entrance of the park and once lived at Shea Stadium -- a nearby beacon will trigger the app, notifying them that a video recounting the history of the apple is available.
The opt-in At the Ballpark app serves as a loyalty program, intended to give people access to better, more customized offers as they use it. Currently they can use the app to keep track of games they've attended, explore stadium features, watch video and check-in for deals.
A key element of the BTLE technology is that it operates in the background, even when a user has clicked away from the app. So, when someone approaches the team store, it might alert him that he's been given a 20% discount whether the app is open or not.