Wireless Stadiums: The Next Best Thing to Not Being There - Businessweek

Sign of the times

"For NFL teams, wiring stadiums is part of a larger strategy to keep fans from deciding that the benefits of watching a game at home outweigh those of attending in person. Besides enjoying climate-controlled rooms with large high-definition TVs, fans tuning in at home can keep their smartphones and tablets at the ready to: a) check scores of other games and their fantasy football stats and b) launch online flame wars with opposing fans. For teams like the Patriots, which have sold out every home game since 1994, fans will keep coming to games with or without Wi-Fi. Still, the team has been fielding complaints about poor cell reception for years. “I think fans have come to expect connectivity wherever they are,” says Fred Kirsch, vice president for content for the Patriots. “There have been calls over the years, people saying, ‘I can’t make a phone call, I can’t check my e-mail, I can’t upload a photo.’ ”"

Wireless Stadiums: The Next Best Thing to Not Being There - Businessweek