We expect to see more MLB teams adopt this technology, as Yankee Stadium becomes the third Major League Baseball ballpark to allow fans to bypass entry lines after signing up for a biometrics scan.
The technology from Clear uses fingerprints to screen fans ponying up for the Fast Access program. Instead of waiting in line to enter the ballpark, registered Fast Access customers have the privilege of entry at a gate with much shorter lines — akin to a FastPass at a Disney theme park or the TSE Pre program in most airports. The technology is already used by the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
As we noted, it’s more than likely more MLB teams will adopt this technology next season. From Fortune:
The technology continues to attract attention in the world of sports and entertainment. Clear CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker says the company is in talks with other ball parks as well as non-sports venues like concert halls. (Long lines, of course, are not exclusive to airports and baseball games). “It’s simple: this is a way for our fans to get inside more quickly,” Yankees SVP of strategic ventures Marty Greenspun tells Fortune. “We already knew that the Giants beta-tested it last year. Our hope now is that other venues in the marketplace also adopt the Clear model, and then there will be certain synergies that can happen.”
Those synergies would come with a cost. Fans can sign up for the baseball version of Clear (called Fast Access) for free, giving them access not just to Yankee Stadium events (including NYCFC soccer games and concerts) but to other Clear-equipped baseball venues, like AT&T Park. But the full Clear membership, which includes airports, costs $15 per month. There are currently 400,000 full members, all of whom get the stadium access without re-enrolling.