Apple Sports Review

Back in February, Apple released a new free app for sports fans called Apple Sports, which focuses on providing access to real-time scores, stats and other information for several major sport teams and sport leagues. At launch, it was available for download in the US, the UK and Canada, featuring the following leagues: MLS, NBA, NCAA basketball (men’s and women’s), NHL, Bundesliga, LaLiga, Liga MX, Ligue 1, Premier League and Serie A, with more set to come over time.
 Sports fans can also customise the app to feature their favourite teams, tournaments and leagues.
 On top of real-time scores, match stats, lineups and match schedules, the app gives users information on match betting odds. Supplied by DraftKings, the data is presented in American odds. The app doesn’t allow you to place bets, but offers sports fans an overview of odds, total and spread for a particular match. This feature can be disabled in the iPhone’s settings, hiding betting odds.
 The app could be viewed as quite a simple application. It does what it says on the tin, namely, to be a scores app. For example, if an Arsenal fan only cares about keeping up with Arsenal and Arsenal alone, then it is easy for that person to customise the app to indicate Arsenal as their favourite team.
 After this, the user will be welcomed by a screen with ‘Yesterday,’ ‘Today’ and ‘Upcoming.’ This allows fans to stay informed on recent results/fixtures for the Gunners, providing simple information such as form and the Premier League table ahead of a game or the key match stats from a game the day before.
 If this is all that is required by a particular fan, then this app is probably the perfect addition to their iPhone’s home screen. However, we at Trafficology feel a lot more could have been done, though of course the app is still in its early stages.
 Firstly, something simple which is missing from a scores app, is the ability to receive notifications on a particular game. It is inconvenient to constantly be on your phone trying to keep up with a game and a simple notification indicating a goal, full-time, etc, would help to make the app more appealing. This would be especially beneficial to Apple Watch users.
 Nearly every app offers this functionality and we found it strange that an option didn’t seem to be present here. Even the fact that within the app there doesn’t seem to be a way to view fixtures beyond ‘Yesterday, ‘Today’ and ‘Upcoming’ shows its limitations.
 While it helps to keep things simple, which is okay for some, one thing that has become evident over the last few years is that sports fans have an appetite for more than just surface level stats. As an example, in football we are seeing more and more new stats, whether that is expected goals (xG) or progressive passes. Fans want to know and sports apps deliver.
 There are now also more ways that sports are being covered in the media, and those working within it want easy access to those stats to add value to their content.
 Apps such as FotMob and Sofascore offer a wide variety of stats both during the match and overall, for both players and teams.While not every fan cares about seeing them, a growing number are taking an interest.
 Now not every fan wants to be bombarded with news articles, which some apps most certainly do, but a company the size of Apple, we feel, is missing out by not including some articles on its app.
 Given the size of the company, it would surely be easy to attract the best writing talent, like The Athletic have been doing. The traffic to the site will be, without question, sizeable.
 Our analysis may come across as harsh and in all honesty as an app offering sports scores, it does its job well. Plus, as something fresh on the market, it is likely to be developed further. Nevertheless, with Apple looking to make a real scene in the sports industry, currently holding deals to show games from Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, an app called ‘Apple Sports’ should be seeking to be a real game changer, which at the moment it doesn’t seem to be.