For some time now, Samsung has been at the forefront of Android tablets. They were first to market with the original Galaxy Tab way back in 2010 and since then they’ve tried new form factors and features with the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablets and more recently the Galaxy View. Tablets might not be the hot ticket that everyone used to think they were, but they’ve finally found some real world use in the sporting world. The NFL famously uses big, blue Microsoft Surface Pro tablets and the MLB has recently adopted the iPad Pro from Apple. Now, Samsung is bringing this phenomenon of using tablets to Europe, starting with the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP).
It seems that this approach from Samsung and the LPFP is more about modernizing an already-existing process, rather than introducing something new. Samsung explains that the LPFP had to write out match reports on scores, penalties, fouls, cards and so on by hand and then fax this over to the main authority. Now, Samsung and the LPFP have partnered to introduce the e-Liga application, which allows teams and organizers to simply fill in a digital form and then send it off to wherever it needs to go digitally. No need to waste any more paper, and everything will arrive on time as soon as the match is over. There are 42 teams in the LPFP’s two divisions that have been benefiting from this since February of this year, and it should have gone towards saving a lot of paper.
This sort of thing is good for Samsung, undoubtedly, but it’s also arguably quite good for the sport, too. Soccer, Baseball, Football and so on have all been around for a hundred years or more in their current form, and a new generation of fans are starting to view these sports as outdated and antiquated. By adopting new technology such as tablets or VR in the case of Basketball, these sports can appeal to a younger audience and continue to stay relevant no matter what. Hopefully, this will persuade more leagues throughout Europe and elsewhere to trial and use this sort of technologically in an official capacity.
