Researchers pay football fans to watch games

November 26, 2008

Researchers at the University of Glasgow are looking for 15 football fans to take part in a study which will see them being paid to watch matches in the comfort of their own home.

In return, academics will film the spectators and analyse how they interact as part of the project to develop new mobile technologies that will help fans communicate with each other.

The £400,000 project, funded by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, is being carried out by Stuart Reeves, Marek Bell and Matthew Chalmers, of the University’s Department of Computing Science, Barry Brown of the University of California, San Diego, and collaborators at Microsoft.

The researchers hope the results of the study will enable them to develop software and technologies that will make it easier for fans to share their experiences and opinions of sports events through photographs and videos on their mobile phones.

Stuart, research assistant, said: “We want to find out what fans talk about and their reactions to events at a game.

“We will then use this information to design data-sharing applications which enable photo-sharing and blogging, for example, in real-time, using wi-fi, GPS and 3G technology.

“The idea is to give some power back to sports fans so they can share information and make their own record and analysis of matches and get more out of the experience.

“The aim is to design applications that can help them record events during the match, communicate in the gaps between play – before a game, during breaks in the game, at half time, after it has finished – and create a memory of the day.

“Many people like to keep a log of sports events they have been to but this will also be useful for those who cannot attend events, enabling them to interact with friends who are there.

“We’ve found that sports fans are very insightful and are skilled at knowing what is going on in a game. They are often highly critical too, but that is part of supporting a team so we want to design a system that will support their debate and their commitment.”

The study will see fans receive £5 each for being filmed in groups as they watch a game, and £10 for an hour-long interview on the role football plays in their lives. Some will also be given an Apple iPhone on loan as part of a month-long field trial of new software systems.

Provided by University of Glasgow


Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

A frank discussion of the power law and linking correlation to causation

(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Stumpf a mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, and Mason Porter a lecturer at Oxford have teamed together to write and publish a perspective piece in Science regarding the in ...

Other Sciences / Mathematics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 11 | with audio podcast report

US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions

Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study.

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 3 / 5 (5) | comments 11

Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'

A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 10

New insights into how to correct false knowledge

The abundance of false information available on the Internet, in movies and on TV has created a big challenge for educators.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Neanderthal demise due to many influences, including cultural changes: study

As an ice age crept upon them thousands of years ago, Neanderthals and modern human ancestors expanded their territory ranges across Asia and Europe to adapt to the changing environment.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 8 | with audio podcast


Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell

Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...

Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...

Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

Overeating may double risk of memory loss

New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...