While the Sports Analytics sector was by no means immune to the effects of COVID-19 on the market, the nature of some of the technology allowed for a surprising amount of growth as opportunities opened to implement technology to allow social distancing. However, the Training and Coaching subcategory of the sector has been been hit harder, since coaching players became much more difficult once social distancing guidelines banned large gatherings (including sports practices).
However, the white space within this category in recent months seems to show some unforeseen opportunity. Surprisingly, there has not been a patent application to publish in the category in over four months, since the middle of June 2020, with the last two patents coming from Riddell and Nike. While it's important to remember the 18-month average gap between filing and publication, this extended gap in patenting could provide an opportunity for companies interested in the category to make their move and begin filling the white space.
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