Grow the Game®

Crowd Command
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp

Lacrosse Coach Designs App To Improve Fan Experience At Games

Andy Sharp, founder of LaxShopper.com and a local high school lacrosse coach in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently came up with a bright idea to help enhance the use of audio at sporting events. It’s called Crowd Command, and if this concept takes off, it could drastically change the way event venues operate their audio equipment to provide a superior fan experience.

Andy recently entered his idea into a local fundraising contest called ‘Start Garden‘, which awards $5,000 to two ideas each week. The winning ideas are chosen based on their popularity with a) Start Garden investors and b) the general public. Funds awarded are to be used by the creator to pursue initial development of his/her idea.

The Start Garden contest ends tomorrow – Thursday, January 3rd, 2012. Please see below for more information about Crowd Command and to learn how you can help Andy win.

The Concept

Crowd Command is a tablet application that enables event staff of even the smallest venues to easily control the sounds for an improved audio experience.

Crowd Command
Example of the app’s controls (click to enlarge)

Here’s some explanation from Andy regarding Crowd Command‘s direct impact on lacrosse:

Each of us has taken part in a lacrosse game where there was a barely used PA system and an audio experience that left room for improvement. The announcer does their best with the tools they have, a CD or MP3 player, but there are still gaps of silence, rough transitions, excessive repetitions, and stale music collections. The explosion of iPad and Android tablets and the likelihood that every team has one available makes this the right time to create this app.

From field to stadium the right balance of sounds varies, from just announcing the goal scorers and playing songs at halftime to NLL arena games where the sounds are nearly constant. Crowd Command would enable your event staff to find the right balance for your team and make this improvement for the cost of an app and a cord.

In addition to organizing playlists of songs, the app would feature an area of quick-touch buttons that can be customized to include sound clips specific to your mascot, colors, fight song, popular cheers, and even players’ names.

Next Steps

If Crowd Command wins the Start Garden contest tomorrow, Andy will be awarded $5,000 – just enough for a couple months of development before a review and possibly another larger round of funding. It will give Andy the chance to make his idea a reality – an idea that could eventually improve the way fans like us experience the game.

If the Crowd Command concept interests you, I encourage you to help Andy by endorsing his idea on the Start Garden website.

Here’s how to vote:

1) Go to StartGarden.com and sign-in with your Facebook account (top right of the screen)

2) Follow the on-screen instructions for setting up your profile

3) Navigate to the Crowd Command page and click “ENDORSE THIS IDEA”