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How NBA, MLB Teams Capture Unique Content With Snapchat Spectacles

Snapchat Spectacles in Sports

Who's dominating Spectacles in sports? Check out our recap.

Posted by SportTechie on Monday, May 8, 2017

Odds are if you’re a baseball fan, you’ve seen a catcher taking casual warmup throws in the bullpen. But chances are until most recently, you haven’t seen it from the perspective of the “Stew Cam” with Snap, Inc.’s still new piece of hardware, Spectacles. 

During spring training in February, Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Chris Stewart told the Pirates’ manager of business communications and social media Terry Rodgers that he needed to give the trendy technology a try while he caught a bullpen session.

“I immediately said, ‘Yes, yes, yes, let’s do it,’” Rodgers recalled, adding that after watching the clips, he couldn’t stop.

“When a guy throws these glasses on, you get that first person perspective. It’s a really unique piece of content that we could use across all platforms. Getting the feeling of the ball coming right in, top of the glove, hitting the leather — it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.”

Stew Cam with Tony Watson on Snapchat! #Spectacles #PiratesST

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Rodgers admitted that Spectacles took a little getting used to as the Pirates “got all of their ducks in a row,” but once he and his colleagues went through the digital trial and error process, they’ve been hooked. He said the social staff has been mindful and strategic with how they have integrated the technology in order to not disrupt players’ habits.

“Spectacles still allow the players to go through their routine on the field but help us out with content for social,” Rodgers said, adding that use cases such as players taking a few swings in the batter’s box or shagging fly balls have been good examples of unique POV content that they couldn’t generate any other way.

Spectacles debuted in November as the Minnesota Wild became the first NHL organization to utilize the wireless hardware that allows users to send 10-second clips to their accounts without the use of their hands. They were first leveraged by the likes of other professional clubs such as Manchester City and the San Jose Sharks, who gave Spectacles to fans to high-five players as they walked through a VIP area onto the ice.

Around the same time, the tech-savvy Golden State Warriors saw center JaVale McGee use Spectacles to capture a post-game press conference, and then the team had him use them at a meet-and-greet with fans.

“You can feel what it’s like to be 7’ tall with Spectacles,” said Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, the NBA’s Senior Vice President of Digital, who commented that the glasses “add another layer to how you can experience the game.”

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As a whole, the NBA has for years been thought of as the most forward-thinking league in the U.S., with its players arguably taking the lead in some instances and “wanting to embrace this technology,” as noted by Rosenthal Brenner.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson was one of the first athletes to put on Spectacles, taking his Snapchat followers above the rim as he threw down a series of dunks, with fans even being able to hear Jefferson’s breathing through the first-person perspective. He also went 5-of-8 from the behind-the-arc.

Similarly, New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis gave the team’s Snapchat followers a view from his vantage point as well.

“If you were a fan, wouldn’t you want to be on the court with the other players? Wouldn’t you want to see what it’s like to dunk like Anthony Davis and see what he sees when he’s up by the rim?” remarked Doug Tatum, Executive Director of Digital Media for the New Orleans Saints/Pelicans on a Tagboard webinar.

“If anything we need to figure out more how to use them and provide more behind-the-scenes content.”

Other NBA and MLB teams such as the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Hawks and San Diego Padres have all taken advantage of the new technology. Padres catcher Hector Sanchez showed fans something as simple as playing wall ball but through his POV, something a still image on Instagram or even a live streamed Periscope video couldn’t capture.

San Francisco Giants’ Bryan Srabian, Vice President of Digital Media, told SportTechie that the team has experimented with Spectacles over the past few months, comparing them in part to Google Glass, the here today, gone tomorrow hardware that came and went years ago.

He commented that Snap, Inc. has done a good job branding Spectacles and at first, creating the element of scarcity through the company’s pop-up vending machines.

“They’re fun, and that’s part of their allure,” Srabian said of Spectacles, which seamlessly integrate with Snapchat. 

“It’s that raw emotion, 10 seconds, unedited. I think that’s one of the great things about Snapchat. It just happens in the moment. That same thing happens with the Spectacles as well.”

Brian Wagner, Digital and Creative Lead for University of Michigan Athletics, said that part of the emphasis with Spectacles has been to illustrate to the different university constituents — recruits, alumni, students, fans and donors — what it’s like to be a student-athlete at Michigan.

When Wagner finally grabbed two pairs in February, he gave them to Michigan men’s basketball walk-on Fred Wright-Jones to wear in media availability during the team’s March Madness run. The technology made its way into the locker room too, showcasing the team singing the school’s fight song following a win. Other cases have included having event promotional staffers donning the hardware as they grabbed hold of a T-shirt cannon at Crisler Arena, ushers sporting Spectacles and basketball managers showing a first-person account as they shagged rebounds.

“That’s killer. It shows you exactly…what it’s like to be in that scene, that moment right then,” said Wagner of the unique access and point-of-view via Spectacles.

With Spectacles, Wagner said he’ll be utilizing them during the upcoming football season. Beyond that, he added that the eyeglasses might have a “little more staying power than maybe a Google Glass,” but they’ll need to be reinvented, maybe offering a live integration in the future.

“I’m sure they’re already thinking about version 2.0,” Wagner said.

Those like Minnesota Wild digital managing editor and content strategist Phil Ervin aren’t so optimistic, though, calling Spectacles more of a “flash in the pan” with a “fairly low ceiling” at this point. How does the Giants’ Srabian feel? Spectacles has the coolness factor and the initial attraction, according to the digital veteran, but that only lasts so long.

“The Snapchat audience has embraced them more than that of Google Glass. But how much longer? I don’t know. A lot of these things have a shelf life. Now, what’s next?” he asked.

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