The focus toward audio, be it spoken word, custom devices that allow fans to hear more and more of game interaction, simulcasts which bring different perspectives of an event, even long form audio content, has continued to grow.
Still, the ability to custom target sound, and for that matter another underappreciated sense in a game experience, smell, is still a bit of a quandary. Our colleague Peter Scott talked about the idea of “smellevision,” an old Bugs Bunny carton idea, in this podcast we did earlier this spring, and he talked about the heightened smells put into arenas to drive interest somewhat artificially…popcorn, onions on a grill…are being tested and improved upon, but audio in stadia remains a quandary and an underappreciated or undervalued next step in fan experience.
I thought about these noise problems several times as we ventured around the past few weeks. At Yankee Stadium the Bombers have started to use devices that can alter and target specific sounds to areas of the ballpark depending on the size of the crowd and even its makeup. It is a long coming step by several companies who have been refining targeted sound for sports much like it has been done for years in the music business, and comes at a time when the Yankees have come under fire by certain groups for blaring music between each pitch cadence at very high decibels, altering the game experience for fans, especially those looking to carry on conversations. The idea of the artificial or untargeted noise issues was raised again at several large venues we have been in, where sensory rooms for people with issues with sound, especially young people, have become a bigger resource, and a welcomed one, for families looking to attend games but worried about the loudness of massive crowds or what is being piped in.
Then there is the growing opportunity with the visually impaired and the opportunities technology is giving that audience to better enjoy the experience of the game they cannot see…through touch. We also talked to Thomas Panek, one of the leaders in creating opportunities for the visually impaired about the space, and how tech is evolving the opportunities there as well.
Still none of that technology can help with the blaring of music in venues, and the lack of amplification of what we perceive as going on in conversations, and sounds, during play. This idea of amplified and targeted audience also came up in of all places, Disney World. In an area in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there is an area where you walk into darkness and are immersed in the sounds of the rain forest around you. It is both transportive and transformative before you emerge back into sunlight with the Tree of Life before you. The sound prepares you for the visual.
Think about what that could be like in a stadium. You walk through a tunnel on the way to your seat surrounded by the sounds of the game, calls of vendors, the audio of an announcer, the crack of a ball, the roar of a crowd, and it leads you to the vision of the field or the ice before you. Marry that with the smells of the game, and you are subtly, audibly, and through smell, enhanced and excited without being assaulted by piped in sounds or imploring cheers. It is carefully nuanced, and leads to more connection.
Go one step further on audio, taking the work that the USTA and Wimbledon do with spoken word and sound provided by a brand that is custom to you. Much like the radio days of the past (which is still piped in in many ballparks away from the field) tennis gives you a standalone audio experience. Why not do a better job with that in other sports, enhancing the listening value around the game.
We are so caught up in the cacophony of the experience…decimal meters, blaring music, that we sometimes forget the nuance, and the targeted nuance that refined audio can bring to the game experience. It is evolving at a cost, and it will be interesting to see how new stadia take audio into consideration more as we go forward. People are walking around with buds in the ears or pockets, why not enhance the sound experience for all, without making many complain about the loudness.
It doesn’t have to be dead silence, but a soundtrack of familiarity sure beats overloading on the audio. Let’s see who listens and why.
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