Are You Read For Some...Data?

Do you ever watch a sporting event, see a player in a pressure situation and think, “What does that feel like?” or “How does he keep his cool?” If Whoop, a manufacturer of high-end wrist-worn straps that measure data 100 times per second, have their way, we could be close to viewing experience where we not only know our favorite athlete’s in-game statistics but also their in-game health data.

Whoop just signed an agreement with the NFL Players Association that makes it possible for players to sell their own health data and for players that participate in the program, that data could be another monetizable part of the game. Big picture though, the added benefits for viewers and potentially for medicine are the most exciting.

For viewers, Bloomberg sees the potential of compared heart rates during games. Picture opening drive Tom Brady heart rate versus two-minute drill Tom Brady heart rate. Tip-off Russell Westbrook heart rate versus go-ahead three-pointer Russell Westbrook heart rate. Not involved at all Andre Roberson versus “Oh my god I have to do what?” free throw-shooting Andre Roberson. I pay decent money for NFL RedZone and get every touchdown from every game. I’d pay even more decent money to get every heart rate from every game instead.

From a health and wellness standpoint, Whoop will be collecting fitness data from some of the world’s best athletes, who compete at the highest level, all while also tracking their recoveries from NFL-sustained injuries, which vary from breaks, tears and turf toes, to cuts, cramps and concussions. As Gizmodo.com put it, that kind of information is a “biological goldmine.”

That biological goldmine could play major roles in the daily fantasy sports industry, as well as the sports betting industry but my focus is outside of the sports world.

Imagine watching a poker event, a player makes a huge river bluff and his opponent is in the tank. On screen, next to his chip count, his Whoop wristband picks up a spike in his heart rate. It continues to climb; and as his opponent goes deeper into the tank, your heart rate increases as well and when his opponent finally folds, both heart rates come back down.

You’re not just following the action, you feel like you are in the action because you’ve been there, you know the feeling of that bluff. Now that experience is an emotional goldmine.