What this interview is about:
What if the basketball match of the future didn’t actually start until the whistle blew? Data, AI and digital technologies could soon transform the way fans experience matches and the way athletes train and improve their performance. But how much technology does sport need – and at what point does innovation become overwhelming? We discussed this with Prof. Benjamin Zierock and took a look at basketball in 2030. 🏀
If we look to the future: what might a basketball match look like in 2030? What experiences will fans have that aren’t possible today?
Benjamin Zierock: There are only a few years left until 2030. If you look at the NBA or the top European clubs, you’ll quickly see how match days are changing: real-time video capture, AI-powered streams and bespoke content have long been standard in the EuroLeague. It’s no coincidence that the league’s own platforms broke the 1.5 billion views mark during the regular season.
For Heidelberg, this means that in future, match day won’t just begin at the entrance to the SNP Dome and end with the final whistle. It’s set to become even more personalised. Inside the arena, fans will receive data delivered directly onto the court via an AR app – from shot charts to the ball’s flight path. And those staying at home can simply select the perspective of player Paul Zipser via a multicam stream.
What role do data and artificial intelligence play in this?
Benjamin Zierock: Technically speaking, most of it runs almost invisibly and silently in the background. Sensors in the court or the ball, cameras and ticketing systems – they all constantly supply data that is processed in fractions of a second for the production team and content creation.
Will technology complement – or eventually even replace – the traditional live experience?
Benjamin Zierock: Absolutely not! No algorithm is human! Ultimately, technology cannot replace the essence of the experience: when the ball is bouncing on the rim in the final seconds and the SNP Dome is buzzing, no stream in the world can help. There’s simply no substitute for being there in person.
What do younger people expect from a sporting experience today – particularly given their changing media habits?
Benjamin Zierock: For many younger fans, simply staring at a pitch for 40 minutes is simply no longer enough. Those who have grown up with Twitch, TikTok and gaming are used to constant feedback: passive consumption is quickly perceived as tedious. The younger audience wants to be involved, whether through in-stream polls, live statistics on their smartphones or short, snappy clips to watch in between. To keep this target group engaged with sport in the long term, interaction is needed rather than simply being bombarded with content.
Where does the line get drawn? When does a more exciting, interactive experience turn into sensory overload?
Benjamin Zierock: The line is crossed as soon as the technology becomes a nuisance. We’re familiar with this problem from museums, concerts or nightclubs: everywhere, people are holding up their smartphones and would rather look at the screen than at the stage. If, at the end of the match, everyone in the hall is just staring down at their mobiles and missing the actual game, we’ve got it wrong. I still have those images in my mind of influencers at the US Open who are more preoccupied with their Instagram Stories than with the match itself.
AI and data can not only transform the fan experience, but also influence sporting performance. What sort of data can be collected in basketball, for example?
Benjamin Zierock: Nowadays, virtually everything is recorded; this means that cameras mounted on the arena roof and sensors in the ball track flight paths, dribbles and the positions of all ten players in real time. During training, smart wearables are also used to measure heart rate and exertion levels.
What can AI deduce from this data that coaches might not see with the naked eye?
Benjamin Zierock: An experienced coach can immediately tell when a player is running out of steam in the fourth quarter and their free throw turns into an airball. An analytics system, however, detects such fatigue patterns a few minutes beforehand – for example, when stride length shortens by a few centimetres or the foot rolls slightly over the outer edge upon landing.
Can data actually help to predict or even prevent injuries? How exactly does that work?
Benjamin Zierock: Yes, this works through what’s known as predictive analytics. The system compares current stress levels with past training logs, sleep data and injury records.
How do you prevent useful performance data from turning into constant surveillance of athletes?
Benjamin Zierock: We need a crystal-clear dividing line between what happens on the court and the athletes’ private lives. The data belongs primarily to the player – full stop.
What risks arise if sensitive data about players falls into the wrong hands?
Benjamin Zierock: If highly sensitive health records of professional players are leaked, it can ruin careers, cause contracts to fall through or even fuel illegal betting markets. Incidentally, in the English Premier League, spying on opponents has been a punishable offence since 2019.
When you think about the year 2030: what in sport is likely to change more by then than we expect today – and what will remain exactly the same as it is today, despite all the technology?
Benjamin Zierock: The role of clubs will continue to evolve. They serve as regional hubs, bringing technology and sporting culture together.
The unpredictability of sport will remain completely untouched. No system in the world can calculate team chemistry, sheer determination or that brief moment of madness – such as when Niki Würzner takes a long-range shot two seconds before the end and the ball goes through the net without touching the rim.
