For the Houston Astros, spring training ends on Sunday, meaning all eyes are on the opening day of the 2024 season against the Yankees on Thursday.
Given the Astros' ticket demand thus far, fans can expect large crowds for the first series of the season, but how can fans avoid long lines if they choose to attend the new program? It seems like there is.
Last year, a pilot program began in Philadelphia that used facial recognition software as a way to connect fans' faces to purchased tickets. All a fan needs to do is scan his face once to enjoy the game. Apparently the pilot program went well enough that the technology will be used at Astros home games starting in 2024.
If all goes well, getting to an Astros home game could become much easier. The system is completely voluntary, but all fans have to do is opt in using the MLB Ballpark app, go through the “Go-Ahead Entry” line, and a scanner reads their mugshot on file to purchase tickets to a game. Let it pass as is. The game in question. This is definitely better than waiting in line while the attendant scans his QR code with his cell phone and tries to describe each person in your party.
However, there are some potential problems here. For one, facial recognition technology isn't necessarily the best at the moment, and the deadlock is that MLB and the Astros aren't going to use top-end scanners for this.
Really, all of this will depend on how Houston prepares for potential problems. If the personnel and training were in place to address some of the system's glitches and switch to traditional ticketing options, the problem would be trivial. However, if the system proves to be popular and has many glitches or the team does not consider potential technical shortcomings, the system can become more of a nuisance than it is worth.
