The use of facial recognition technology at sports stadiums goes far beyond MSG. I’ve tracked at least 20 other venues and stadiums across the country—including college sports venues—that have used this technology on their attendees, usually to admit them through the gates, although it’s unclear just how broadly this technology can be used by venues if they are inclined. The venues are:
● Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which
announced in August 2022 that it was testing facial recognition technology for gates and concession stands.
● FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, which
offers “Express Access” with facial recognition technology.
● Citi Field in New York City, which
has face-ID ticket kiosks at stadium gates.
● Pechanga Arena in San Diego, which
installed facial recognition for entry scanning and payment verification.
● Save Mart Center at California State University, Fresno, which
enables entry and payment with facial recognition tech.
● Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, which
has express entry with face-ID ticketing.
● FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, which
uses facial recognition for entry.
● Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, which
uses facial recognition tech for entry into training facilities.
● Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, which
announced in 2022 that it was installing facial recognition for ticketing and concessions.
● Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University in Tempe, which was being
used as a “living lab” to employ facial recognition technology that will analyze how fans feel “based on their facial expressions.” (Disclosure: ASU is a partner with Slate and New America in Future Tense.)
● Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which
uses facial recognition for ticketing.
● BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, which began
using facial recognition technology for entry into training facilities but wants to “move everything to face.”
● The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, which
used facial recognition on 30,000 attendees without their knowledge in 2020.
● And many stadiums
use TendedBar machines, which scan your face in order to serve you alcohol.