WNBA and AI: How artificial intelligence is improving the fan experience

GameOn Technology recently partnered with the Chicago Sky, bringing AI to the Sky’s website. The Sky are the third WNBA team to partner with GameOn. What should fans expect from this trend?

If you go over to the Chicago Sky’s homepage, one of the first things you’ll see is a chat box with a simple message: “Welcome! I’m here to keep you fully in the loop on all things Chicago Sky.”

You’ll see the same thing if you go to the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces homepages, too.

You may not realize it, but that chat box is a product of artificial intelligence. And it’s a trend that is on the rise in sports.

GameOn Technology is the company behind the development and implementation of the AI on these WNBA teams’ websites. We spoke to GameOn’s Alex Beckman about the technology, fan expectations, and the role of AI going forward.

AI and the WNBA: a conversation about the future of AI in sport

We’ve all been there: we’re chatting with our friends about the latest happenings in the sports world in one app, then have to switch over to another to find additional information, then go back to the chat app to continue the conversation.

In between all the app and tab swapping, GameOn Technology was born.

“We realized, there’s probably a business somewhere in there,” Beckman said. “That we could create a better system for this, where people can continue to chat about this stuff they love.”

Now, GameOn is working with some of the biggest brands on the planet, connecting them to their fans in new ways while generating invaluable data.

Chicago Sky and GameOn – the latest partnership

The Sky are the newest addition to the GameOn network, and the partnership is already paying off.

“With their new chat solution in place, the Sky are freeing up precious bandwidth for members of their front office,” GameOn said via press release, “while giving the fans real-time answers to all of their ticketing and logistics questions.” These real-time answers have already vastly improved the fan experience online.

“75% of ticketing inquiries have resulted in click-through rates,” Beckman explained. “That means that literally three out of every four people that are asking about something, click through and get to that data.” Beckman says that “20 percent” of users are asking about “revenue generating things,” such as merchandise, concessions, and ticketing. “That’s the ownership group’s initiative,” Beckman added. “And we can do that as a chat-based platform.” This could be just the beginning of AI’s impact on the WNBA, too.

Beckman explained how the league and its teams are improving their connections to fans:

"GameOn and the WNBA are working to make sure that each of these fan bases are served properly through chat. As a platform, we can make sure that the different owners and the different teams reach their users where they need to be reached, not just in content, like by voice and by type, but by location. As an omni channel platform, we literally are taking these teams everywhere their fans are."

Omnichannel is defined as “denoting or relating to commerce that integrates the different methods of interaction available to customers.” By meeting the fans where they are, GameOn’s technology creates “a really good business result for the client, because happy users engage more.”

GameOn wants to provide its services to all 12 WNBA teams

In recent years, WNBA investment has increased significantly, yet some major brands still view the league as a step behind other pro sports leagues. Not GameOn.

“As a tech company, we’ve been developing this platform to be modular, to be able to work with clients of different sizes, clients with different size and shape fan bases,” Beckman said. “There’s something really elegant to building a system that can do the same thing for the Yankees that it does for the Las Vegas Aces or the Chicago Sky. And that that same platform is powering both of those solutions to me is the whole reason for doing this.”

Beckman went on to say, “There shouldn’t have to be kind of a viewpoint of like one brand is bigger or smaller or the W versus the NBA. From a tech point of view, you’ve done it well when you can service everybody the same way.”

GameOn’s pitch to other teams is simple

“This data is really valuable,” Beckman said. “It’s a good investment for the future.”

GameOn’s AI is able to service clients in many different ways, according to Beckman. He described it as “extremely customizable” for the clients based on what their fans want to see. “It’s not one size fits all,” he said, “that’s why the tech is modular…our clients can do what they need to accomplish their goals.”

“We’ve been trusted by companies like Google, the Yankees, the Raiders, and the Rockets to be a custodian for bold and responsible AI, [and] to be bringing this future into the present in a way that is safe for business,” Beckman said.

“I’d say to [an inquiring owner], GameOn will get you in the AI space, boldly and responsibly, will make your customers happy, and it will make you more money. And we have clients that can attest to that.”

GameOn’s client list is already very impressive and continues to grow. It includes teams in every major North American league, Arsenal of the Premier League, and FIFA.

Beckman understands why some fans and owners may be hesitant to get involved with AI, though

When asked what he would say to those that are hesitant about the introduction of AI into this space, Beckman had this to say:

"Yeah, I think they’re smart to be. I think that any new technology, anything that’s coming up and down the pipe is is really important to make sure you understand it, or to hire an expert that understands it. And that’s what we do for all these different clubs and leagues and teams that we get to work for. We are the ones that are responsible to make sure that they bring in these new technologies like generative AI, like non generative AI, and all the different new things that have come down the pipe in the last eight years. We help make sense of them for these companies and these different ball clubs and leagues. Some of this stuff we are expert in. And our stack is very robust and very mature. That’s been trusted by the biggest brands on Earth already. And it’s been built to scale. There are ways to use it now that I think are really smart. GameOn and the WNBA can work together to make sure that AI is used boldly, responsibly, and in a way that makes a better fan experience possible, and that drives better business for the league and the teams."

For more on GameOn, check out their website here.