Sports have always been about entertainment for fans. But what once kept spectators in their seats or following along on television (think: a cold beer and some peanuts), doesn’t cut it in today’s technology driven, always-on world. Viewers want to be able to Tweet from their seats or even interact with the game from the comfort of their own homes. In short: in order to stay relevant, professional sports teams need to up their technological game.

Thanks to emerging technologies like the internet of things, artificial intelligence and virtual reality, professional sports teams can better retain fans from courtside to couch-side. And the improvements aren’t just beneficial for fans, they’re also improving the bottom-line for many teams. A stadium’s investment in up-to-date connectivity and mobile capabilities so fans can order concessions and even pay for parking right from their seats is good for business, too. In fact, one stadium in Santa Clara, California’s reported nearly $2 million in food, beverage, parking and in-app sponsorship revenue in its first year (2014) thanks to its seamless connectivity and fully integrated app.

In the years since, the connected stadium has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have if sports teams plan to continue to draw fans and turn a profit. And once the fans leave, these teams can capitalize with other technologies to keep fans engaged and get them to come back for more.