MLB Apple: MLB Continues to Rely More and More on Apple

MLB Apple: When comparing the many professional sports leagues in the United States, it is easy to see that Major League Baseball (MLB) has the best grasp on technology. Recently, the league announced its plan to triple the number of venues that accept mobile tickets via the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Passbook app. For the 2013 season, there will be 13 stadiums offering this service.

Apple is actually the smart money’s second favorite publicly traded company (see why it’s important to pay attention to hedge fund activity).

According to a recent report by GigaOM, the teams currently accepting Passbook tickets include:

“Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals.”

Along with these 10 teams, there are three others that will be joining the group for 2013. However, the clubs are still finalizing the details so they have yet to make an official announcement.

Apple Inc (AAPL)As noted above, MLB is serious about its involvement with technology. For this reason, the league was the first to incorporate the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Passbook app as a ticketing option.

In the same article, there is plenty of information about Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media Office and its dedication to implementing the highest quality technology in the fan experience. Last week, for example, the league rolled out its updated At Bat app, which is full of “live, archive and embedded video content.”

Here is what the GigaOM piece has to say about CEO of Advanced Media Bob Bowman:

“He stays ahead of the tech curve by trying to anticipate what the next generation of fans — the kind that grew up with ubiquitous internet access — will want in a mobile experience and how they prefer to interact with their team. The smartphone “is the first screen, not second screen” for them, he told me Tuesday. That means a mobile offering “has to have everything. [The app] has to be slick. If it isn’t hip, cool and easy to use, [fans] are not going to use it.” That’s why “everything we write and plan this is on the first screen.”

It will be interesting to see how many people decide to use the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) Passbook App at MLB parks this summer. It will also be interesting to see if the remaining teams jump in on the action in the years to come.

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DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.

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