ROOT FOR THE HOME TECH
Astros executive addresses innovations in sports
Jun 18, 2019, 4:01 pm
Courtesy photo
This article originally appeared on InnovationMap and was written by Natalie Harms.
Over the past decade or so, sports franchises have seen a boom in technology integration. The fact of the matter is that both the teams and the players need to tap into tech to have a competitive advantage on the field — and especially when it comes to the business side of things.
"Technologically advanced companies want to do business with technologically advanced companies," says Matt Brand, senior vice president of corporate partnerships and special events at the Houston Astros. "Old cats like me need to realize you have to stay current or else you're just going to get passed up."
Brand was the subject of a live recording of HXTV — the video arm of Houston Exponential — at The Cannon. He addressed several trends in sports technology, and shared how the Astros are approaching each new hot technology.
The Astros are pretty ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, Brand says, and the trick is keeping a pulse on potential game-changing technology far in advance of implementation.
"The things that we're developing now in 2019 and 2020 are the thing that are going to help us in 2024 and 2025," Brand says.
The approach to technology in sports is changing as younger players enter the scene.
"This generation of players want all the technology they can get," Brand says. "They want what's going on up to the day."
From esports to sports betting sites, here's what the hometeam has on its radar, according to brand.
The evolution of pitching technology
One aspect of the game that's been greatly affected by technology is pitching. Brand says that pitching coach, Brent Strom, is better able to do his job nowadays that there's better quality video and monitoring technologies. Brand cited the transformations of former pitcher Charlie Morton and current pitcher Ryan Pressly. Both saw impressive transformations in their pitching ability thanks to Strom and his technology.
"Brent has the ability to take technology and blend it with the craft," Brand says.
The players as industrial machines
One way the franchise thinks about its players is as machines — in the least objectifying way, surely. But Brand compares baseball players to major, expensive oil and gas machines, and in heavy industry, it's very common for a company to drop $30 million or more on a machine. Of course the company would schedule preventative maintenance and service appointments to protect their investments.
"We've got players now who are high performance machines," Brand says, citing players like Justin Verlander. "We want to make sure we have the best technology and the best care around them."
From doctors and nutritionists to the latest and greatest technologies, implementing the best practices is a good way to protect your assets.
Wearables and sleep technology
Another trend within sports is tracking sleep using technology. Wearable devices to track sleep and health are widely used, says Brand, but the Astros weren't comfortable with the constant monitoring.
"They feel like it's an invasion of privacy," Brand says. They feel like the data would be used against them when it came time to negotiate their contracts.
But prioritizing sleep is crucial in a sport where players travel across the country playing 162 games a season. Brand says investing in the players' sleep equipment is something they make sure to do.
Esports
Brand says, somewhat controversial, that esports is pretty low on the franchise's priority list, and there's one reason for that: Money.
Continue reading on InnovationMap to learn about a movement coming in marketing and betting within sports.
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America can’t be wildly excited about having Texans-Cowboys as the upcoming Monday Night Football Matchup. Hard to imagine that anything can excite Cowboys fans these days. Maybe that their season is over in just eight more games? Jerry Jones announcing that he is going to sell the franchise (yeah right)? At 3-6 the Cowboys can’t be officially dead for another few weeks, but there are fat ladies singing all over the Metroplex. It is true that in each of the last four seasons a team that started its season 3-6 made the playoffs, but two of those that made it won garbage divisions with a losing record. There is a virtual zero chance of the Cowboys overtaking both the Eagles and Commanders. Most Texans fans enjoy Cowboys fan misery, though it’s not as if Texans fans have cause to be giddy right now. The team falling apart in the second half of consecutive games has that effect. But the Texans are 6-4 and leading their division, granted, the sorry division that is the AFC South. Just as the only American League Division the Astros would have won this year was the AL West, the Texans are quite fortunate to be grouped with three crummy teams in their division. But as always, play the course. The 10-7 record that won it last year won’t be necessary to sit atop what is a dung heap in 2024. The Texans have another game to go against the toothless Jaguars and two games left against the not worth remembering Titans. The Texans should finish 6-0 within the division. They could wind up 3-8 against everybody else and win the South at 9-8. Heck, 8-9 would probably be enough.
The addition of the 17th regular season game two years ago makes possible the occasional extra Texans-Cowboys matchup. Since the Texans stunned the Cowboys in their debut game in 2002, the teams have played every four seasons. Most recently that means 2022. The AFC South teams play the NFC North teams this season, so the Texans-Cowboys matchup is a result of both teams having won their divisions last year. There will be no Texans-Cowboys game next season. In 2026 the Cowboys will visit NRG Stadium. The Texans have never won in north Texas. They lost in their lone visit to the long since imploded Texas Stadium, and are 0-2 at AT&T Stadium.
Halftime adjust-much?
Since we’re pretty sure that offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik doesn’t take sleeping pills at halftime, it is near dumbfounding how badly his offense has gone night-night after intermission. The Texans haven’t scored a second half touchdown in over a month. That’s four straight games of nothing since their blowout win at New England October 13. Facing the Cowboys better be a tonic for what ails. Only the Carolina Panthers have given up more points per game. That and Nico Collins returning are two big plusses for the Texans’ offensive cause. The fewest receiving yards Collins has totaled in the five games he’s played this season is 78, and that came when he played only the first quarter versus the Bills before zinging his hamstring. Still, the Texans had Collins when they scored just 19 points against the Bears, and when they put up only seven in the butt-kicking they took from the Vikings. Collins is by far the Texans’ best wideout period, even more so as a red zone target with his size and talent in a tighter field. The 2024 Cowboys stink at a lot of things but their red zone defense is extra stinky, ranking dead last in the NFL, having given up touchdowns on more than 77 percent of opponent possessions that reach the Cowboys’ 20-yard-line. The Texans’ red zone defense has been lousy too, ranking 29th in the same category.
The tale of the quarterback tape in this one overwhelmingly favors the Texans. Not that focus is enough to guarantee performance, but one would presume C.J. Stroud is a very focused guy heading into this one coming off of his lousy second half showing against the Lions. Stroud’s two awful interceptions thrown Sunday night have him at six picked off this season, one more than his entire rookie campaign.
Dak Prescott was putting up the worst numbers of his career before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury. Nonetheless, the drop from Prescott to Cooper Rush is a steep one. Whether Rush or Trey Lance is taking the snaps Monday, so long as the Texans’ defense keeps CeeDee Lamb under some control, the Cowboys’ offense should be hard-pressed to sustain much. By the way, this is Prescott’s third major injury in the last five seasons. His four-year 240 million dollar contract extension starts next season. At least he can’t lay an egg in a playoff game this January.
Who's counting?
A reminder that over the last 27 seasons (for the first five of which there were noHouston Texans) the Texans have five playoff wins, the Cowboys have four, with neither playing in a Conference Championship game.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!