Fan Attitudes Toward AI-Assisted Coaching in Sports Decision-Making

Artificial intelligence (AI) now significantly impacts many aspects of our daily life, including sports through training, fan engagement, and game strategy. Fans may have different opinions when it comes to coaches using AI data to make game decisions. This study examined sports fans’ attitudes toward the use of AI in assisting coaches’ decisions and which AI applications in sports are most desired by fans. This research consisted of an online study of 261 college students’ fans of Texas Tech football. Findings revealed that fans who perceive AI as accurate and objective are more likely to have a positive attitude toward sports coaches using AI to make decisions. Critical thinking about AI also significantly and positively predicted attitude, while team performance was not a significant predictor of fans’ attitudes toward the coach’s AI usage. These relationships were not moderated by fan’s levels of knowledge about AI. Additionally, fans expressed their highest support for AI applications in sport to be pattern recognition and real-time data analysis, while applications like player recruitment and decision-making on player playtime received the least support. These results highlight the importance of AI’s perceived accuracy and objectivity in shaping fan attitudes and provide insights into the types of AI applications fans find most acceptable in sports.