The future of sports predicts the future of healthcare

The divergence from TV networks and the convergence toward live streaming is a symbol of the 2020 sports fan. The development of new state-of-the-art stadiums will radically shift how fan’s experience sports games. Sony and Oculus will revolutionize game day with virtual reality (VR) in 2016 and by 2018, the game experience of today will be unrecognizable to the 2020 sports fan. The fans, players, and coaches are beginning to grasp how disruptive this will be to sports and smile at the enormous potential for growth for new distribution experiences. The dramatic change in sports over the last two years presents useful insights into the future of healthcare.

The Future of Sports report was released September 2015 by Delaware North. Let’s adapt, The Future of Sports report to the future of heath.

Future of Sports: “Sports have drawn people together to cheer on their heroes for as long as there has been a record of human activity.”

Adapted for healthcare: “Healthcare has drawn people together to root for their loved ones, for as long as there has been a record of illnesses.”

Future of Sports: “A virtual-reality headset called Oculus Rift went from crowdfunding to a $2 billion acquisition by Facebook.”

Adapted for healthcare: “Health wearables topped $1.5 billion in 2015, up 35% from the year before. Dermables, a Post-it like digital sticker applied to your skin, will soon be as natural as grabbing your sunglasses.”

Future of Sports: “Chinese scientists used a breakthrough technique invented in the US to edit the DNA of 86 human embryos, paving the way for the creation of genetically modified superathletes.”

Adapted for healthcare: “Genetic engineering techniques are now cheap and widespread enough that any knowledgeable individual can order every material they need off the Internet and download the software to do experiments on themselves,” said Raymond McCauley, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Chair, Singularity University.

The Future of Sports

Are fans getting the content they can’t get at home? If fans receive new content, that’s real value, drawing more fans into stadium seats.

The Future of Sports report mentions that cord-cutting is popular with millennials and that 25 percent of late millennials went completely cable-free within the last 12 months. Is this the death of broadcasting?  Meanwhile, fans are being priced out of live sporting events. With the introduction of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies augmented reality will unleash a new world of virtual real-time sports betting. Fans won’t need to have cable TV to experience this new virtual game day. Fans will want to share these new experiences. Forget about the wooden seats of yesterday; soon new state-of-the-art seat sensory upgrades will be offered (4DX) including adding motion, smell, wind, heat/cold, and other sensations enriching the experience of watching the game at the stadium.

Disruption starts slowly. If you’re paying attention, small cracks in the foundation of normal will be visible.  Observance of these slow forming cracks is contingent on awareness. Most of us are too busy chasing rabbits to notice slow transformational change occurring in the sports experience or your customers’ experiences. If you pay attention, you’ll spot it.

The future of healthcare

Are patients prepared to accept the flexibility of telemedicine? Extending healthcare accessed within the home will lower healthcare costs.

The departure from the treatment of illnesses to the renewed convergence on prevention is a symbol of the new 2020 healthcare patient. Health care is about more patient outcomes and less about elaborate fee structures. Experience is replacing, “location.” When a patient is sick, the last thing they want to do is drive to a hospital and wait four hours to be seen by a doctor.

Telemedicine is gaining popularity and in the same breath, telemedicine is not going to replace office visits completely today or by 2020.  When a patient is sick, and their life is in the hands of their doctor, there is no greater trust than the a physician and patient’s relationship. The physician risk assessment of the patient’s condition may make the procedure required or optional.  During these critical decisions, patients want to look into the eyes of their doctor and ask “will I be ok” or “honestly what are my chances.” Telemedicine will never be the forum for intimate discussions with physicians. This one-to-one relationship is the same reason that stadiums will not die a quick death. People crave social interaction.

Disruption starts slowly. If you’re paying attention, you’ll spot the cracks forming.