By Anthony Schoettle
Speed means everything in sports and technology.
So it’s no surprise that speed is a major theme at next month’s AT&T 5G Sports Hackathon held on the Butler University campus on October 22-24.
Teams of techies 18 years of age and older will be given 48 hours to develop technological solutions that will transform the sports world.
This is AT&T’s fifth hackathon in the last six years, and for the first time it will include a 24-hour competition for high school students.
Last year’s hackathon was cancelled due to the pandemic, and AT&T Indiana President Bill Soards said there is pent-up interest in this year’s event.
The increased prize purse might be one big reason, but Soards said this year’s sports technology theme is another.
Event organizers increased the total prize purse from $40,000 in 2019 to more than $100,000 this year, with a five-figure sum set aside for the high school division.
“One of the big reasons for the strong response we’re getting for this event is the sports-tech theme,” Soards says. “It’s such a burgeoning field right now. Two years ago we had more than 400 participants, and we expect a larger number of competitors this year.”
Sports tech has become an emphasis in Indiana over the last four years. In 2018 a local coalition including the Indiana Sports Corp. (ISC) and Indiana Pacers signed a deal with world-renowned accelerator operator Techstars to locate the nation’s first sports-tech accelerator in Indianapolis.
Boulder, Colorado-based Techstars pledged to locate Techstars Sports Accelerator Powered by Indy here for three years starting in 2019. Indianapolis beat out a handful of much larger cities for the accelerator. It’s anticipated the deal to keep the accelerator – which has attracted numerous out-of-state tech firms to Indiana – will be extended.
Indiana is fast becoming an esports hub as well. The ISC is teaming up with Ball State University and Franklin-based Harena Data to host the second annual Esports Combine October 15-17. More than 10,000 gamers and 200 colleges and universities are taking part in next month’s event, which includes educational roundtables, presentations by leading industry professionals and partnerships to get players recruited.
Local government, tech and sports leaders now predict the sports-tech sector is poised to explode and could grow to rival the size of Indiana’s other big tech sectors, including marketing and educational tech.
At the AT&T 5G Sports Hackathon, teams of developers, designers and other creatives will gather at the Butler Health and Recreation Complex to come up with tech solutions to sports challenges that hackathon organizers will pose to them. Participants also will hear from 5G and edge computing experts, as well leaders from local sports teams, venues and public safety, as they think about the challenges and how to tackle them.
Admission for competitors and spectators is free (including complimentary food and entertainment), but registration is required. www.5GSportsHack.eventbrite.com
Soards adds that organizers are getting interest from more than just potential competitors.
“We expect a strong number of spectators too,” he stresses. “Friday, for the opening ceremonies, and Sunday, for the final presentations, we expect to have a good number of business leaders, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, elected and community officials, and professors and other school officials to be in attendance.”
Event organizers have lined up various high-profile speakers for the hackathon, including NCAA Chief Information Officer Judd Williams, leaders from IBM, AT&T, ISC and several local professional sports operations.
“We’re going for a high-energy atmosphere,” Soards stresses. “It’s a lot of hot coffee, screaming fast wireless … and people putting their heads down, working hard and trying to walk away with the $25,000 grand prize.”
Competitors will choose one of three challenges to tackle: fan engagement, the use of sensors and Internet of Things, and sports venues – how to keep them healthy, safe and secure.
Tools – including 5G and edge computing technology – will be provided to the teams, which are encouraged to embed them in their projects. Technology workshops will be offered at the event to help teams incorporate the tools. Additionally, AT&T and Ericson will build a 5G zone inside the hackathon venue, and each team will have a hotspot to facilitate building their project on a 5G network.
Officials from the Indiana 5G Zone – an Indianapolis operation designed to accelerate innovation of 5G-related technologies throughout the state – will live webcast major portions of the event and explain the role 5G is playing in traditional sports and esports.
“We know 5G is going to transform every aspect of our lives, so we wanted to make it a big part of this hackathon,” Soards says. “This event is about exploring new uses for technology and bringing new use cases to the broader technology community that will help sports using 5G and other technologies for years to come.”
Anthony Schoettle is the director of communications for the Indiana Chamber. He started with the Chamber in 2021 after a long career in journalism. He’s won multiple awards for his storytelling ability on a wide range of business topics.
