My family isn't from Kentucky. We relocated here for my father's job a couple of decades ago, but we weren't from Kentucky. And because of that I never had an opinion on whether I belonged in Cardnation or Big Blue Nation (though, from a young age, I thought it was silly that folks said that they bled blue...right...). I graduated high school in Oldham County, a neutral zone, and was accepted into Western Kentucky University for my undergrad - I was a Hilltopper. It was as simple as that.
Then something strange happened. After graduation I moved back home, though instead of camping out in the country side of the OC, I moved to the city that was just up the road - Louisville. And my allegiance began. I live five minutes from campus. I date a guy who is a UL fan first, and a UL student second. What sealed the deal - I started working for the University on a grant project and then was admitted into their Master's program. There was no longer any doubt - I was Cardnation's newest citizen and I couldn't be more stoked.
I'm not one of those fans who just woke up and decided that red looks better on me; I have a real investment with the University of Louisville - I have met great mentors on this campus and am continuing my education within it's Communication department. Within that I have gotten an amazing opportunity to intern with the university's athletic social media director, @ULFlyingCard, who is on the cutting edge of everything hip and trendy. Which, and if anyone really knows me, knows that this has geeked me out more than anything. I was raised as an early adapter, the coolest tech toy sat under my Christmas tree, and I live and breath anything Steve Jobs has touched.
Technology is rapidly changing around us all; continuously evolving passed society's wildest imaginations. The first computer was created in 1939 by David Packard and Bill Hewlett - the HP 200A Audio Oscillator, which was mainly used by engineers and Walt Disney who wanted to use the machine in the 1940 movie Fantasia. This was roughly 45 years prior to Steve Jobs dropping out of college and creating the Apple computer, and Bill Gates starting Microsoft. Another two decades passed before the dream of a smart phone is in consumers hands. By this point, technology wasn't taking years and decades to advance, but rather snippets of time - months, weeks, days - the newest and greatest things are constantly outdoing their competitors and trying to race to get the latest piece out there.
The Google start up was no different. Created by two twenty-somethings fresh out of college, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and wanting to be a part of the technological conversation, touching every facet that was available to consumers and creating innovative ideas that were not yet even conceived by the very same demographic. This ranged from Google Docs to Google Wallet to Google Play to tablets and smart phones. And now they have tapped into a market that is quickly becoming a hot item of demand - wearable technology. According to an article by Wired, this technology is creating a revolution; "In many of the most cutting-edge applications for wearables, the time between intention and action is actually negative: The device knows what users want before they want it."
While businesses are trying to find ideal ways to implement Glass into their strategic plans; athletic departments for teams such as the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers are already using it to their advantage. The Kings teamed up with CrowdOptic to produce a vantage point that fans had never before seen. Players, coaches, dancers, and others who are right along the court side are wearing Glass and, with the help of CrowdOptic, were able to produce that coveted view on their arena jumbotrons.
But you know who also has Google Glass? The University of Louisville.
And you know who gets to be a part of pushing the bounds? This girl!
That's right - the biggest rivalry in college sports is meeting up at the Sweet 16, and I, along with @ULFlyingCard, will be there, Glass on head and ready to show the nation a unique perspective - one that has not yet been seen yet - the fan perspective! I will be traveling to Indy tomorrow morning, attending the J. Wagner Group and ESPN 680 big pregame party, and I will be sitting with the fans - all the while I will have Google Glass on my face capturing the experience.
This piece of wearable technology is going to change the sports, according to an article by Albert Costill in Search Engine Journal. It will enhance the way players train and referees officiate. Scores will now be updated live, instant replays readily at hand. Yet, the University of Louisville is already taken it upon themselves to be a big player in the conversation, connecting with fans in a way that has not been done thus far.
So, come tomorrow - make sure your phones are charged, you're plugged in, and you're following @ULFlyingCard for a court side view, and that you are following me @samanthahughey for a new take on the fan perspective.