Technology continues to change the world of sports as we know it, and Reebok recognizes that.
For years, access to sports facilities has not been the norm for children in underserved areas often pushing them to reinvent the wheel when it comes to playing some of their favorite games.
Now, Reebok is equipping those same communities with the resources that they need to play big thanks to augmented reality (AR) technology tools. Courting Greatness is a FW21 basketball campaign that was launched by the company in late July that uses technology to provide a real-world environment of playable basketball spaces where they may not exist.
“Technology is undeniably just part of the fabric of our culture now,” said Inga Stenta, Head of U.S. Marketing for Reebok in an exclusive interview with AfroTech. “As you see things continuing to evolve and move, it is becoming more and more connected to the sports space. What we are really trying to do in this situation is leverage all that you can do with tech and to create more access for these communities that wouldn’t ordinarily have it.”
The AR tool enables players to map out court features anywhere — from walls to fences to parking lots and alleyways. Thanks to this technology, users can play anywhere.
Alongside the tool, throughout the basketball season, Reebok will partner with local artists in major cities to build playable basketball art installations to both inspire creativity and build awareness around the tool. The company’s first installation stems from NYC’s creative collective New York Sunshine set to honor the upcoming Question Mid “Iverson Four” sneaker. The shoe is inspired by the 04′ national team uniforms worn in Greece where NBA icon, Allen Iverson (A.I.) adorned jersey No. four.
“He’s been an inspiration for many over the decades and one of the things that we’ve always loved about our relationship with AI is that he beats to his own drum and he is his own individual,” she continued. “And so many of these youth look up to that and aspire to be like that. Reebok has this long history in the basketball space, particularly with athletes who represent that same mindset.”
Now, thanks to this new tool, the company hopes to inspire the next generation of greats.
“We are constantly inspired and amazed by the level of creativity that young athletes within these communities use to create spaces for themselves,” she shared. “That was a real drive for the tool because they’re already doing this without the technology. We’re hoping that this becomes yet another tool in their tool belt to create for themselves. They’re definitely an inspiration for us.”
Click here for more on Reebok’s Courting Greatness and details on how to access the AR tool.
