Whether at concerts, shows or football stadiums, smartphones are becoming a nuisance at more and more live events. In stadiums, too, you always see plenty of people taking photos or tapping away on their phones instead of properly watching the match and soaking up the atmosphere.
Of course, that’s everyone’s own choice—but one Bundesliga club now wants to give fans an incentive to spend less time fiddling with their phones during their stadium visit.
Borussia Dortmund is introducing a new rewards system: the official BVB app now features a new Fan Mode. During home matches, the app tracks how long the smartphone’s screen stays locked. Users earn points for every minute they spend without actively using their phones.
BVB is therefore taking a new approach to engaging with fans, aiming to shift attention in the stadium back towards the match.
Fans can use their phones again at half-time without losing any points. The results are tallied after the final whistle, and the top participants can win prizes, such as BVB shirts or fan shop vouchers.
The optional Fan Mode is set to be available for the first time during Saturday evening’s big match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
At the launch of the initiative, which the club developed with a partner, BVB managing director Carsten Cramer spoke about the importance of shared stadium experiences:
“Over 81,000 people in the stadium, singing, holding their breath and cheering together: that sense of being here, right now, is irreplaceable. And that’s exactly what we’re putting centre stage together,” said Cramer.
What do you think of this unusual new stadium initiative? A good way to tackle annoying phone use during matches, or a bit over the top? Let us know in the comments!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.