When the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team introduced its new “Go-Ahead Entry” facial recognition authentication method last week, it was intended to decrease wait times and increase efficiency. In reality, according to Axios, it did just the opposite. Glitches in the system accidentally picked up the faces of others waiting in lines, forcing security to create an impromptu “buffer zone” for the cameras. Glitches or not, the Phillies aren’t alone. Other sports stadiums in the US have already implemented, or are testing some form of facial recognition authentication.
The pitch, which so far has gone unrealized in Philly, is a straightforward exchange of privacy for convenience. At Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, fans interested in using the Go-Ahead entry have to download the latest version of the MLB Ballpark app and submit a selfie of their face. Once opted in, the fans can then walk into the stadium where cameras will attempt to recognize their faces. Since that face is linked to their ticket, they can enter the stadium without ever pulling out a phone of searching through their pockets for tickets.
The growing popularity of facial recognition at stadiums and music venues like Madison Square Garden has drawn criticism from privacy advocates who say the technology doesn’t work as well for women or non-white people. A coalition of more than 100 artists, including rock band Rage Against the Machine, recently signed a pledge earlier this year to boycott performing in stadiums that use the technology. Artists succeeded in preventing facial recognition from being implemented at some of the world’s largest music festivals, but preventing the expansion of the tech in sports is proving to be a more difficult task. The players aren’t mounting the same offensive as the artists did; there aren’t any exhibition games meant to highlight potential privacy incursions.
Continue reading to see some of the major sports stadiums already using facial recognition.
New York Mets
In late 2021, the New York Mets made history by becoming the first MLB team to officially implement a facial recognition ticketing system through a program called Mets Entry Express. The struggling baseball team part partnered with a firm called Wicket to in an effort to speed up wait times at line. Mets visitors can opt to upload a photo of their face prior to the game which is then scanned at entry gates. If the system recognizes the visitor as being enrolled in the system, they can pass through without ever looking for their ticket.
Multiple privacy groups launched a petition last year demanding the Mets abandon the ticketing system over concerns entities could store biometric data, making it vulnerable to hackers.
Cleveland Guardians
Clear may be best known for pitching its facial recognition services to travelers at airports, but the company has also spent years making inroads at sports stadiums. In 2019, Clear partnered with the Cleveland Guardians to grant ballpark visitors expedited entry in exchange for their biometrics information.
Cleveland Browns
The Guardians aren’t the only Cleveland team experimenting with biometrics. Fans watching a football game at the Cleveland Browns stadium now have the option to sign up for “Express Access,” which links a buyer’s Ticketmaster account with a selfie. Ticket holders can then walk through dedicated Express Access lines a the stadium where a camera scans their face. On its website, the Browns claim this frictionless process makes entering the stadium four times faster.
Pechanga Arena in San Diego
Last year, Pechanga Arena, the home stadium for San Diego’s soccer and hockey teams, partnered with a firm called PopID to implement facial recognition-based ticketing. Like others on the list, the facial recognition ticketing option provided by PopID lets visitors speed through lines by removing the need to pull out a physical ticket or swipe through a phone for a barcode. PopID has aspirations to extend its face-based authentication methods for in-stadium payments as well, so attendees can one day rely on their face to purchase drinks and food.
Atlanta Falcons Recruit Face-Scanning Robo-Dog Named ‘Benzie’
Security personnel monitoring the Atlanta Falcons football stadium will soon have a new, four-legged, facial recognition-equipped companion roaming by their sides. Starting this season, security at Mercedes-Benz stadium will deploy a dog-like robot designed by Boston Dynamics and controlled by a company called Asylon to monitor the stadium late at night, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The robo-dog’s name is “Benzie.”
Human operators control Bezie from a remote location. The robot dog reportedly operates in 30-minute shifts and spends the remained of its “dog house” charging. Human security staff at the stadium told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution they’ve come to Benzie as a mascot of sorts
“I know it sounds weird, but I think the dog has a personality,” stadium director of physical security and parking Eri cYoung said. “We show the dog off around our stadium. Some people’s reaction is to stop, some kids take off running, but everyone asks questions,
Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio
Lower.com Field, the home stadium for the Columbus Crew professional soccer team, has been experimenting with “Express Entry” for facial recognition ticketing. Visitors interested in using Express Entry have to link their Ticketmaster account and then share a selfie. That selfie is then used to verify attendees’ dedicated facial recognition entry locations.
New Orleans Saints Players and Staff Use Facial Recognition to Enter Training Facilities
Facial recognition verification at stadiums isn’t just limited to fans. In New Orleans, athletes, staff, and coaches on the Saints football team have been using a biometric authenticator provided by AnyVision for two years to gain entry into training facilities. Saints staff initially turned to the technology as a contactless entry method in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The verification method, however, has persisted even as the immediate threat from the virus has subsided.
Los Angeles FC Soccer Team Uses Facial Recognition to Access Training Areas
Similar to the Cleveland Guardians, fans of Los Angeles FC Soccer Team can also use biometrics tied to a Clear account to speed their way through security checks. When fans approach a turnstile at the stadium, a camera reportedly snaps their photo and either grants them entry or places a red frame around their face on the security screen if they aren’t recognized.
Rose Bowl Stadium
The Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California stands out as one of the earlier facial recognition adopters. The stadium’s Chief Operating Officer told Pasadena Now that the facility began using facial recognition at metal detectors around 2017 to keep tabs on VIPs, credentialed personnel, or even a potentially dangerous stalker.
“If we have an artist or an athlete or an event and they say, I have some stalkers, and I have some restraining orders on some individuals that are very highly likely going to be attending the event and potentially create a concerning situation, we upload those individuals photos if we have a photo of them in our software, and then our cameras communicate to us, if, and or when that individual passes by one of our cameras,” George Cunningham, the stadium Chief Operating Officer said in an interview with Pasadena Now.