2026 SBJ Tech Week

Sportstech Business Awards

Former NFL star and ESPN commentator Andrew Hawkins will host the Sports Business Tech Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel. Hawkins is also a sportstech entrepreneur, founding StatusPro, which has created the number one ranked sports game on Meta, NFL Pro Era. StatusPro uses AI to power first-hand VR experiences, where anyone can realise the dream of playing Quarterback.

State of Industry Conference

The conference proper then commences at the New York Times headquarters, held across Tuesday and Wednesday with AI set to be the dominant topic again. And that’s no surprise here in the world’s finance capital as the rise of AI is singularly driving the US economy. AI accounted for a staggering 67% of US economic growth in the first quarter of 2026. Furthermore, stock market gains coming from AI are up 80% in the past 12 months.

Now the question on everyone’s lips is how can sport best harness this seemingly boundless technology. The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, along with ESPN, ABC, Microsoft, Honeywell, AT&T and AEG are among the heavy hitters who’ll feature at this year’s Sports Business Journal Tech Week.

For further details, visit https://www.sbjtechweek.com/2026/ or follow ASTN podcast host Lachy Wills on astn.com.au reporting directly from SBJ Tech Week in New York.