Andrea Pirlo will soon be back in the dugout after being named the next manager of Fatih Karagumruk - one year after being sacked by Juventus.

The Italy legend was handed the top job in Turin two years ago but lasted just a season as his side scraped into the top four in Serie A after surrendering their stranglehold on the league title. Now, Pirlo has a chance to prove himself in Turkey with a side that finished eighth last term.

Fatih Karagumruk have only been back in the top flight since 2020, finishing in mid-table in each of their two seasons. Pirlo is tasked with challenging the established order as the club set their sights on the Super Lig title. Their current squad boasts ex-Liverpool star Fabio Borini and former Leicester man Ahmed Musa.

The club said in a statement: "The world-famous football man recently coached Juventus, one of the most important clubs in Europe. Having also had Champions League experience with Juventus, Pirlo signed the contract that made him a member of Karagumruk for 1 year, starting on 1 July.

"Andrea Pirlo's press conference will be held on Tuesday, June 14, and the place and time will be announced later by our club. We welcome our coach Andrea Pirlo and wish him success."

Pirlo's managerial career was due to begin with Juventus Under-23, but he was quickly handed the main job with the Bianconeri following Maurizio Sarri's sacking. Whilst in charge at the Allianz Stadium, he won 34 of his 52 games, losing just eight.

Pirlo was axed following his underwhelming season in charge but the club highlighted their confidence in his future as a manager. They said: "Pirlo has just begun the first steps of what will no doubt become a brilliant career as a coach. An adventure of transformation, seeking, and often managing, to bring his ideas and his experience as a champion on the pitch from the 'other side' of the fence.

"And since in football, what counts are the victories, let's remember them: in the space of a few short months Pirlo's Juve has raised two trophies: The Italian Supercup and the Coppa Italia. And he, as coach, brought home brilliant victories on the most prestigious of fields, from San Siro to Camp Nou.

"For all this, for the courage, the dedication, the passion with which he demonstrated every day, our thanks go to the Maestro, the Coach and to Andrea, that really comes from the heart. As well as our good luck for the future that will surely be a wonderful one."

Premier League, also known as the English Premier League, is a top-tier football league in England. This league consists of 20 teams in a league system with a relegation and promotion system to/from the English Championship.

Each team plays 38 matches against every other team, 19 at home and away. The seasons generally start in August and run till May. The Premier League is the most-watched sports league globally and is broadcast in over 200 territories with an average number of viewers of 4.7 billion.

As Liverpool FC won their second title of the Premier League era, we will look at the clubs with the most Premier League titles in the history of English Football.

Read also- Most Bundesliga titles till 2023

Premier League: History

The Football League First Division was the top-tier football league in England from 1888. But in the post-1970s and early 1980s, the league started to reach a low point with incidents like the 1985 Heysel Stadium disaster, which banned them from UEFA Competitions for five years. 

But after England reached the 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, the downward trend started to reverse. The stadium started to get filled, and the Taylor Report on stadium safety standards also helped clubs to create better standard stadiums. 

After a dispute over TV rights and maximising the club revenue, the big five clubs, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, and Arsenal, opted to come out of the Football League First Division and create another league. 

At the close of the 1990-91 season, the FA Premier League was formed, and from 1992-93 the Premier League era started with 22 teams. Manchester United were the first Premier League champions and went on to win seven of the first nine trophies.

Who has won the most Premier League titles?

Till now, 51 teams have played in the Premier League since the tournament was rebranded in 1992. 7 teams have successfully won the Premier League title.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham are considered the 'Big Six' in the Premier League. Unfortunately, Tottenham haven't lifted any major title in their history, but still, they go toe to toe with every club and take part in the title race.

Manchester United, with 13 Premier League titles since 1992, are the most successful club in the Premier League era.

Most Premier League titles won by the clubs

Most Premier League Titles

7. Leicester City - 1 title

In the 2015-16 Premier League season, Leicester City won the title in the Premier League. They were considered to be an underdog before but they overcame the rough phase and won the Premier League title in the club's 132-year history.

Striker Jamie Vardy broke the record for consecutive games with a goal in the Premier League (11). Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez became both the first African and Algerian player to be the recipient of the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

Also Read: Football Facts: Son-Father Football Pair Who Played For Same Club

6. Blackburn Rovers - 1 title

Blackburn Rovers was one of the 22 founding members of the Premier League era. They won the Premier League a long time ago in the 1994-95 season. Alan Shearer, with 34 goals for them, was the top scorer of the season. However, they were relegated in the 1998–99 season, becoming one of the 42 teams that were relegated as the Premier League champions.

Right after two seasons, they were promoted again in the 2000-01 season, but they were relegated yet once again, and that too in the same season. Unfortunately, they have not returned to the Premier League since then.

5. Liverpool FC - 2 titles

The Anfield Giants are one of the most popular English Clubs. Midfield maestros Steven Gerrard and William Shankly were a few of the legends that the club produced.

However, Liverpool had to wait for 30 years for their first-ever Premier League title. The club won the Premier League once in 2019-20 under German tactician Jurgen Klopp. That was Liverpool's nineteenth overall title in England's top-tier football. 

Mohamed Salah, with 19 goals, was one of the star performers for the Reds in that season. 

As their most recent league success, Liverpool won the Premier League 2024-25 title with 4 games to go in the season. Arne Slot's first season as the Liverpool manager gave them their 20th Title in the top flight and 2nd in the Premier League era.

Mohamed Salah again played a pivotal role in their success with 28 goals and counting. 

4. Arsenal FC - 3 titles

The London Giants Arsenal are one of the most famous football clubs on planet earth. They have won the title 3 times in the years 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2003-04.

They were the first club to create Premier League history by maintaining a 38-game unbeaten streak to win the title in 2003-04.

In domestic football, Arsenal has won 13 league titles, a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, and 17 FA Community Shields, but they haven't won a single European title yet.

Read Also: The Invincibles: 8 times a football team won their league undefeated

3. Chelsea FC - 5 titles

Another London club, Chelsea, is on this list, and there is no doubt why they are the best London Club in the Premier League. They won the title 5 times in the years 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2014-15, and 2016-17.

The Blues won their first Premier League title under the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho, who completely changed the face of this London Club alongside Roman Abramovich, who was the Chelsea owner at that time.

They have also won the Champions League 2 times, alongside 2 Europa League titles. 

2. Manchester City - 8 titles

Manchester City, the Blue side of Manchester, are the reigning champions of England and Europe. This team have won the title 7 times in the years 2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

In the 2023-24 season, Manchester City became the first club to win the Premier League for a record fourth consecutive season. No side in English football history had ever won the top-flight more than three years back-to-back.

They are the second Club after Manchester United to complete the three-pit in the Premier League and win the European treble.

The club has won nine league titles, seven FA Cups, eight League Cups, six FA Community Shields, one UEFA Champions League, one European Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Read Also | Barcelona 2008/09 vs Man City 2022/23 - which Pep Guardiola treble team is better?

1. Manchester United - 13 titles

The team with the most Premier League Titles is Manchester United, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester. They are the most successful team in the English Premier League and also the most famous English Club on the Entire Planet. United were also the first-ever team to win the Premier League.

They were the first English club to ever win the European treble, and that remained a record until Manchester City finally matched it in the 2022-23 season. Manchester United won the titles in 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2012-13.

Read Also | 15 most successful football clubs in England

They have also won the most number of trophies in England, and that happened because of the Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson. He managed Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. Sir Alex is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time and has won more trophies than any other manager in the history of football

The Champions League was earlier called the European Cup, and it started in 1955, and the first winner was Real Madrid. For the next 5 years, Real Madrid did not let anyone get close to the trophy.

Since then, 23 teams have won the glory, with Manchester City being the most recent one. As we get close to another UEFA Champions League final, we take a look at the Champions League winners list since 1965.

The Champions League winners list since 1955/56 is:

1956 - Real Madrid
1957 - Real Madrid
1958 - Real Madrid
1959 - Real Madrid
1960 - Real Madrid
1961 - Benfica
1962 - Benfica
1963 - AC Milan
1964 - Inter Milan
1965 - Inter Milan
1966 - Real Madrid
1967 - Celtic
1968 - Manchester United
1969- AC Milan
1970- Feyenoord
1971 - Ajax
1972 - Ajax
1973 - Ajax
1974 - Bayern
1975 - Bayern
1976 - Bayern
1977 - Liverpool
1978 - Liverpool
1979 - Nottingham Forest
1980 - Nottingham Forest
1981 - Liverpool
1982 - Aston Villa
1983 - Hamburger SV|
1984 - Liverpool
1985 - Juventus FC
1986 - Steaua București
1987 - FC Porto
1988 - PSV
1989 - AC Milan 
1990 - AC Milan
1991 - Red Star Belgrade
1992 - Barcelona
1993 - Olympique de Marseille
1994 - AC Milan
1995 - Ajax
1996 - Juventus FC
1997 - Borussia Dortmund
1998 - Real Madrid
1999 - Manchester United
2000 - Real Madrid
2001 - Bayern 
2002 - Real Madrid
2003 - AC Milan
2004 - Porto
2005 - Liverpool
2006 - Barcelona
2007 - AC Milan
2008 - Manchester United
2009 - Barcelona
2010 - Inter Milan
2011 - Barcelona
2012 - Chelsea FC
2013 - Bayern Munich
2014 - Real Madrid
2015 - Barcelona
2016 - Real Madrid
2017 - Real Madrid
2018 - Real Madrid
2019 - Liverpool
2020 - Bayern Munich
2021 - Chelsea FC
2022 - Real Madrid
2023 - Manchester City
2024 - Real Madrid

Let's have a look at the teams with the most trophies since 1955/56: 

Real Madrid x 15
AC Milan x 7
Bayern x 6 
Liverpool FC x 6
FC Barcelona x 5
Ajax x 4
Inter x 3
Manchester United x 3
Juventus x 2 
Benfica x 2
Nottingham Forest  x 2
Porto x 2
Chelsea x 3
Celtic x 1
Hamburger SV x 1
Steaua București x 1 
Olympique de Marseille x 1
Borussia Dortmund x 1
Feyenoord x 1
Aston Villa x 1
PSV x 1
Red Star Belgrade x 1
Manchester City x 1

Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, PSG, PSV and Real Madrid qualified for the Round of 16 from the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-offs.

Real Madrid thrashed Manchester City by 3-1, PSV stunned Juventus with the same scoreline while PSG scored 7 times against Brest and Bayern Munich played out a 1-1 draw against Celtic in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-offs.

Read Also |  2024-25 UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draw: Where is it, when is it, and teams' pairings?

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Knockout phase play-offs Round-Up

Milan 1-1 Feyenoord (agg: 1-2)

Italian football giants and one of the most successful teams in UEFA Champions League history AC Milan were knocked out of this season's tournament after Dutch club Feyenoord defeated them by 1-2 on aggregate. 

Feyenoord were leading by 1-0 after the first leg and then they ensured a 1-1 draw to progress to the round of 16 for the first time in their history. 

Santiago Giménez scored early for Milan but against a 10-men Milan side Julián Carranza came off the bench to seal an equaliser with a stunning header. 

Benfica 3-3 Monaco (agg: 4-3)

Orkun Kökçü scored a late winner for Benfica to progress to the next round after beating Monaco by 4-3 on aggregate. 

Kerem Aktürkoğlu gave Benfica the early edge only to see Takumi Minamino and Eliesse Ben Seghir put Monaco back on level terms. 

Vangelis Pavlidis then gave Benfica the lead but George Ilenikhena levelled things again. Kokcu then sealed the winner for Benfica with a later goal.

Atalanta 1-3 Club Brugge (agg: 2-5)

Chemsdine Talbi's brace and Ferran Jutglà's stunning long-range goal took Club Brugge to the round of 16 with ease. 

Ademola Lookman scored the lone goal for Atalanta. However, he also saw one penalty saved by Simon Mignolet as well. 

Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic (agg: 3-2) 

Bayern Munich narrowly passed the Celtic test with a late goal from Alphonso Davies. Nicolas Kuhn scored the goal for Celtic in the one-hour mark and when they were nearly close to taking Bayern Munich to extra time, Davies took the German Champions home.

B. Dortmund 0-0 Sporting CP (agg: 3-0)

Despite a goalless draw at their home, Borussia Dortmund went past their Portuguese visitors with ease, after a solid 3-0 lead from the first leg. 

In the second leg, Rui Silva was the hero for the Portuguese team who made multiple saves to deny the Dortmund players. 

Paris 7-0 Brest (agg: 10-0)

PSG thrashed their Ligue 1 opponent Brest via a 7-0 victory in the second leg to manage a 10-0 win on aggregate. 

PSG became the first team to have seven different scorers in a single match. Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Désiré Doué, Nuno Mendes, Gonçalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu scored for the French giants.

PSV 3-1 Juventus, aet (agg: 4-3)

🚨🇪🇺 GOAL | PSV 3-1 Juventus | Ryan Flamingo

RYAN FLAMINGO MAKES IT THREE FOR PSV IN THE 98TH MINUTE OF OVERTIME !!!!!!!!!!!!! 4-3 ON AGGREGATE !!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/n9Y0TXCmmo

— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 19, 2025

PSV stunned the Italian giants to qualify for the round of 16. This is their first Champions League knockout win since 2007. 

Ryan Flamingo scored an extra-time goal to nullify Timothy Weah's stunning goal. 

Ivan Perisic and Ismael Saibari scored the other two goals for the Dutch club.

Real Madrid 3-1 Man City (agg: 6-3)

Real Madrid proved why they are the 15 times Champions League winner as they eased past a struggling Manchester City to reach the Round of 16. 

Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick to take the defending champions to the next round in front of their home crowd. Nico González scored a late consolation goal for City. 

Technology is quickly changing how players train in football and cricket, transforming conventional practices for these games and it is redefining human performance.

The role of technology in these two popular sports is visible, from relying on sensors which monitor all activity; to virtual reality simulations that aid decision-making, 

In recent years, technology has become smaller, more robust, and versatile, and thus new opportunities, especially in sports, have emerged. At the moment, updates are provided through smartphones, wearable functionality is used to avoid injury, GPS is used to track movement, and players are outfitted with sensors that send real-time information to a coach's device.

This article addresses the state-of-the-art equipment and approaches that are changing the paradigm of training, player development, and the game itself.

How Technology is Changing Cricket and Football Training

1. Wearable Technology

Trainers can invoke sensors wired to the body or some portion of "smart clothing" for measurement and monitoring in real-time. The real-time displays can be used to help the trainer determine what every sportsperson should push more. During training practice, trainers can use real-time measures to inform when to stretch, rest, or make training more challenging.

Laser and GPS are both being used more and more in different aspects of sports preparation. Instead of looking only at times and splits, coaches can measure athletes' exact position, distance, velocity, and acceleration, to better analyze their areas of improvement.

2. Video Analysis Tools

Modern-day football is becoming faster and more tactical. Athletes have to acquire both their athleticism and tactical awareness to enhance their decision-making process in the course of play. Video analysis is used for both individual and team tactical development.

In football, video analysis usually consists of a careful analysis and examination of game matches, practice, and player activity, to assess player performance, tactics, and strategies. Advanced technologies such as wearable tracking units and video analysis techniques are used in the process of achieving these things to capture and analyze critical elements of data, e.g., player location, combinations of teams, and player movements.

Video analysis can be used by coaches, analysts, and players to obtain a more complete picture of what goes on around the ball by giving a graphical representation of the game happening around them.

Video analysis can help a group of individuals to recognize the points of improvement, e.g., to enhance the winning approach and cope with different match situations effectively as the tool between the raw performance data and useful insights.

3. Virtual Reality (VR) Training

Virtual Reality (VR) applications have been of considerable interest in many high-performance and entertainment applications over the past few years with advances in technology, increased availability, and the mobility of VR systems.

More precisely, by embedding environmental constraints within an interactive virtual space, VR can also be used to train in motor, mental, and cognitive skills, strategy, and tactics.

VR offers promising novel solutions to many professional high-pressure, high-skill environments, especially for the training, and learning of difficult skills in otherwise expensive and/or hazardous settings. When properly used, VR provides complete control over the training environment, including cues and challenges, along with safe and reproducible training tasks. 

Because of this, it is designated as a promising instrument, which could help increase athletes' performance.

4. Biomechanical Analysis

The scientific study of biomechanics focuses on the physics and mechanics of how organisms move. In its general sense, it may include anything from knowing how a dancer entirely moves the whole body to the microscopic muscle cell-level response and observing the posture of an active horse.

Biomechanics is a narrower area in sports, which can offer helpful input to sportsmen, trainers, and sports medicine professionals who can help to enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury.

All of these biomechanical tests, including poor kinematics, rotational forces in specific joints, muscle imbalances, fatigue monitoring, and the quality of the movement being rehabilitated, may be detected.

5. Data Analytics

Data analytics has optimized athletes' performance by identifying previously unknown factors and related events. Those actions include, for example, leg motion, dive angle, rotational speed, and fluid motion.

Trainers can help players to successfully use this type of sophisticated movement tracking. If it is on the order of milliseconds, it can be the deciding factor for a race win or loss.

6. Recovery Technology

A significant reduction in injury levels and faster detection times demonstrates how technology greatly benefits sports training. Performance monitoring, movement processing, and improving communication are not only advantages but also contribute to making less susceptible environments.

Trainers and coaches can use training management software to monitor the specific training-based elements related to, for example, energy, nutrition, and sleep, that constitute the training process. Individualization of practices by trainers or coaches to optimize results helps prevent fatigue and self-inflicted injuries.

Besides the unavoidable external factors, injury-free sports may eventually be realized as a future scenario.

7. Communication and Collaboration Tools

Training communication has been enhanced by tools such as YouTube. YouTube contains millions of minutes of exercise and entertainment that are available to, and easily shared by anyone.

Physicists, especially in the area of sport and motor control, need to put much more emphasis on teaching sport and motor control with play debates or footage from films for their continuing education.1 Athletes and coaches can load and view the required films during sports practice or leisure time.

Other communication technologies have further been developed, namely My Fitness Pal, computer or mobile-phone journals on food and exercise, and personal digital health. My Fitness Pal enables trainers to monitor athletes' everyday diets, and players would be responsible for their training.

Artificial Intelligence has been improving the sports we watch and analyze for nearly the past 20 years, but the latest generation of ultra-modern AI tools is revolutionizing every aspect of sports, from improving player and team performances to ensuring safety along with fan engagement and the experiences.

AI can process and store large amounts of data, which allows us to gain insights that we couldn't see before. This capability is at the center of the revolution. For the players, this brings improved strategies, varied training methods, and a significantly lower risk of injury.

The fans enjoy a whole new level of engagement in the game, thanks to Al-powered platforms providing content tailored to them, such as virtual reality experiences and more.

The massive impact of AI in the Sports Industry

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the Sports Industry rapidly by offering solutions to common problems such as individual performance, tactical requirements, injuries and recoveries, variations in training, etc.

The capacity of AI and GenAI tools to analyze complex data and provide instant insights is ushering in a new era of athletic performance and fan engagement as well.

From predictive analytics that improve player safety and performance to AI-powered viewing experiences for fans, the influence of artificial intelligence is setting the bar higher across the industry.

1. Player and team performance

GenAI can analyze team and player behavior to reach conclusions that would contribute to improved training and coaching. For example, they can monitor and analyze the movements of players with computer vision.

In this way, they can assess whether an athlete is moving wrongly or could be injured. Machine learning algorithms can watch game videos to identify patterns of the opposing team. Sports coaches can be made to develop wiser game plans and strategies by artificial intelligence.

Some techniques, including motion tracking and motion analysis, can capture changes in the posture, movement, or technique of a player that indicte fatigue or poor motor control.

According to a study by Grand View Research, the sports analytics market size was valued at $1.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $5.2 billion by 2028, showcasing the rapid growth and demand for advanced analytics tools in sports.

The following two tools are widely applicable to player and team analysis:

• SportVU: This system tracks detailed player and ball motion in a game with computer vision and machine learning. It can analyze shot mechanics, accelerations and decelerations, speed, and distance.
• KINEXON: This system tracks positional and motion data in real-time by equipping players with sensors.

2. Injury Prediction and Prevention

Injuries occur regularly in professional sports. Identifying and preventing injuries before they even occur is likely one of the most thrilling applications of AI.

Teams can utilize AI algorithms to monitor an individual's motion as they move their joints and strain their muscles. It can search for patterns or instabilities that signify an injury before the symptoms themselves appear.

AI can recognize a slight deviation in the amount of strain a soccer player puts on their knee joint and warn the coaches or medical staff. Way before the injury became acute enough to cause the player to miss games, the team could either give them rest or do exercises to help them recover.

A report by MarketsandMarkets estimates that the global sports medicine market, which incorporates AI-driven health monitoring solutions, is projected to reach $9.3 billion by 2026, underlining the significant role of AI in athlete well-being.

The following two tools could be used in the AI-powered prediction and prevention of injuries:

• Sparta Science: It uses computer vision and motion sensing in analyzing movement patterns of an athlete. Based on motion data, biomechanical deficiencies, and especially risks of increased injury, machine learning models are able to identify those. 
• Zone 7: It measures injury risk using factors such as workload, degree of fatigue, and others through artificial intelligence and research in sports science. Their methods take age, position, body composition, and medical history into account. 

3. Training Through AI-Powered Analytics and Wearables

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable technology that have become essential for tracking many of the parameters mentioned earlier.

Wearable GPS devices that can track athletes' speed and location, overall distance traveled, and movement patterns are available to provide relevant information.

Wearable heart rate monitors use optical sensors to measure blood flow in real-time, tracking the heart rate. This is an important aspect of monitoring heart health, fitness levels, and recovery. It also helps in tracking blood oxygen levels, which is another important component of modern-day fitness trackers. They use optical sensors to track the oxygen saturation level of blood.

Since the 2010s, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), such as GPS tracking vests, have been commonly used in professional sports. Such vests are offered with discrete and effective GPS tracking and sensors located on the back and shoulders; they are typically worn as tank tops.

In football and rugby, the vest is mainly utilized to track the location and movement of a player and, thereby, report strengths and weaknesses.

4. Sports Commentary and Reporting

Sports commentary and reporting can automatically be generated from match events and live data by employing natural language processing (NLP) methods like GPT-3. Artificially intelligent commentary not only comments on a strategy but also summarizes the critical events of match play. 

Similarly, GenAI can create such highlights, summaries, and post-match data reportage for viewing audiences as well.

NLP methods can make the commentary more dramatic and interesting by taking into account the game statistics and situations in real-time data. With the use of generated personalities and tones, it is possible to accommodate various fan interests in the coverage.

Automated GenAI reporting enhances sports coverage and commentary without losing interesting and captivating stories.

5. Sports Officiating

The use of AI in sports officiating is not without controversy, including traditional backlash and concerns regarding technology's influence on the game. Yet, the improvements it introduces, such as real-time analysis and decision support, are dramatically enhancing the accuracy and fairness of officiating.

Its capabilities to review plays from multiple angles and analyze them in seconds are proving invaluable in high-level games where every call matters.

Despite initial doubts, the use of AI in officiating is increasingly being accepted, with many seeing its potential to eliminate human error and ensure a level playing field.

As the technology improves and its uses extend, its role in assisting fair play and accuracy in sports is poised to increase, ushering in a new era in the use of technology and sportsmanship.

6. Player Scouting

Team owners are using artificial intelligence to review the performance of the players. To determine the most skilled people to invest in, they use data analysis using artificial intelligence. It takes millions of dollars to find talent in the sports world.

So, team owners would like to ensure that scouting one player is the best decision. Artificial intelligence is used widely in scouting players for any sport, be it cricket, football, or basketball.

AI-powered Change in Fan Engagement and Experiences

1. Personalized Fan Engagement

To provide customised fan experiences, GenAI algorithms can model the preferences and behaviours of audiences. Sports teams and broadcasters can use these insights to optimize engagement across media channels.

For example, social media platforms can deliver tailored video highlights, personalized promotions, and AI-recommended content to resonate with each fan.

The NBA revealed 'NB-AI', allowing fans to activate "movie mode" and watch live games animated like popular films, such as Spider-Man

pic.twitter.com/zb2IYT2YBX

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) February 16, 2024

Based on their past interactions and activities, the Generative AI identifies what content types, sports stats, and topics each fan finds most appealing. It creates and sends personalized content for each person. This level of customization, enabled by GenAI in sports, helps sports organizations connect more deeply with their audiences.

2. Viewing Experiences

GenAI can process live video to generate augmented reality (AR) overlays and graphics that enhance broadcasts or live streams.

For example, shot trajectories, real-time player stats, and situational analysis can be visualized and overlaid onto the gameplay footage. For virtual reality (VR), GenAI can create real-world simulated environments for an immersive in-game perspective.

The key innovation is using Generative AI to dynamically generate and adapt AR/VR overlays and environments on the fly, customized to each moment. As the narrative and action of the game shift, the GenAI-powered augmented experiences shift with them, elevating viewing to multidimensional engagement. 

A survey conducted by PwC found that 65% of sports fans are interested in using AR or virtual reality (VR) devices to watch sports, indicating a growing appetite for immersive experiences enabled by AI-driven technologies.

Conclusion

AI collaboration with sports is making the place safer as well as fairer. Predictive modeling and algorithms in AI are becoming a must for injury prevention. AI guarantees that more accuracy and fairness can be introduced in the outcome of a game by enhancing officiating. Both the aspects of performance and integrity are vital components in ensuring the prosperity and popularity of sports continue.

The impact of AI reaches sports journalism, advertising, and the creation of next-gen sports equipment, beyond the field or court. These innovations create new revenue streams and provide more exciting ways for fans to engage with their beloved sports and teams.

In this sense, artificial intelligence in the sports field could be said to be, by itself, a change not only for the athletes or for the coaches but for the sports system in general. With AI, the sports of the future could easily be foreseen because technology would harmoniously mix with manly athleticism at its highest levels.