Pittsburgh Steelers fans have the pleasure on Sundays this fall of watching Le’Veon Bell run amok. But failing the ability to watch the game, fans can now hear the score afterwards from Bell himself.
Through a new app by StatMuse — a natural language processing company with a focus on sports — fans can ask any question about a game or player and that player will provide the answer.
The app uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence to screen for specific words in a question, such as “When do the Steelers play next?” or “How many touchdowns did Le’Veon Bell rush for against the Ravens?” Based on the question, the app will answer the question using the voice of a specific player, and it’s coming soon to Amazon Alexa as well.
The app already boasts an impressive roster of player voiceovers, including Bell, Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi, Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice.
“As a sports fan myself, I couldn’t be more excited to work with StatMuse on the launch of this new experience,” Freeman said in a statement, “bringing the voice of everyone’s favorite players straight to the fan. I’m excited for everyone to tune in and hear me answer questions they ask.”
In addition to players, the app also features the voice of ESPN SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt.
StatMuse was able to put together such a comprehensive list of current and former players – with even more in the pipeline —because of a partnership with the NFL Players Association that allows StatMuse to take advantage of the NFLPA’s player rights, according to the announcement.
In addition to the partnership, StatMuse also secured a strategic investment from the NFLPA through the OneTeam Collective, an athlete-driven business accelerator that gives companies seeking to incorporate sports strategies to drive growth the opportunity to leverage exclusive player rights.
The OneTeam Collective has previously announced a deal with Whoop, and NFL Players Inc. president Ahmad Nassar said in June that there were a few deals that would be revealed.
“The future of sports hinges on connected experiences. Partnering with visionary companies like StatMuse, with its revolutionary artificial intelligence technology, puts us at the front of the pack,” Nassar said in a statement.
“Stats drive a lot of interest in football, so it’ll be exciting to see StatMuse help reshape the fan experience. It literally brings sports data and information to life through players’ voices. We’re excited to add StatMuse to the OneTeam Collective portfolio, and together push boundaries while bringing players closer to their most passionate fans.
“We scrapped the existing playbook on sports media,” StatMuse co-founder Adam Elmore said in a statement. “We started with the question, ‘What’s the craziest, most entertaining sports app we want to use every day?’ And then we spent the last three years working toward that goal. It’s early, and we’re pushing the boundaries of current technologies, but we’re really excited about the experience we’re delivering today.”
That experience includes, in addition to the player voiceovers, a deep sports knowledge base and 700 individual player illustrations — the largest library of digital player art in sports, according to the company.
StatMuse provides player voices for sports other than the NFL; it includes the NBA and MLB as well, and players can answer questions that date to 1876. StatMuse has raised $11.75 million after previously securing investments from Disney, TechStars, Allen & Company, Greycroft, and former NBA commissioner David Stern.
Fans can download the app to Apple devices running iOS 10.0 or later.