No more fumbling for a phone at entry, waiting through a wonky bar code scan, or shuffling through a lengthy line at one gate to catch a baseball game at the home of the
The Philadelphia Phillies have partnered with MLB to use their stadium as the site of a pilot program called Go-Ahead Entry, which uses facial authentication-based entry for ticketed fans.
Forget
Sports fans have long adjusted to electronic tickets on smartphones, and have the capacity to order everything from chicken fingers to foam fingers on devices from their seats without missing a pitch, punt or power play.
Now comes hands-free entry to one ballpark — one that takes advantage of existing contact-less security protocols. Fans have eagerly used the technology so far, even after safety fears were heightened after
All Phillies fans entering through the first base and left field gates could already walk through security screening without having to stop to open bags or be checked individually. The Phillies use
“These are the most advanced security systems on the market today,” Zaremba said. “That is a completely separate step as part of (Go-Ahead), but we pair it together because both support free flow.”
“I can’t remember a time where I felt scared of another human at a ballpark,” Phillies outfielder
“You don’t have to put your bags down,” he said. “You keep walking and I don’t have to have my tickets out. I think it’s a great idea. If they don’t have to go through your bags, if you don’t have to keep your tickets out, it makes it very easy.”
Fans 18 and older can register and take a selfie for Go-Ahead entry through the app. The photo is stored as a unique numerical token before the image is deleted — and a photo needs to be taken only once. Then fans walk through the gate — the Phillies have two stations set up at the first base gate — without stopping or needing a phone.
One device was used for the first series of a nine-game homestand and a second Go-Ahead facial scan camera was deployed for the final six games based on enrollment numbers and positive fan sentiment.
More than 7,000 fans had enrolled ahead of a three-game series against the Angels.
Zaremba said fan photos are instantly deleted and the tokens are not connected to any type of security system.
“That’s part of the reason it’s taken us a long time,” she said. “We wanted to be very thoughtful and considerate in our approach. We wanted to make sure that fans were comfortable. It’s a completely optional service. No one has to use this. But if they want a faster, more frictionless experience to enter the ballpark, then we wanted to offer them a way to do that.”
The Phillies, who lead the
Fans seemed to enjoy mugging for the camera, smiling, laughing, as they walked inside. One early hitch, the camera captured too many background faces, a problem resolved simply by spacing people out a bit more.
Zaremba said the program was designed to remain separate from any kind of security or monitoring system at the ballpark.
In other words, don’t expect to get kicked out of the stadium like how some fans — notably, attorneys — were booted by
MLB and the Phillies were quick to note the difference between their facial authentication and facial recognition.
“This is not scanning a crowd looking for people,” said Phillies vice president and chief technology officer
Smile. You might need one to attend a Phillies game.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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