How Athletic Directors Calculate ROI on Sports Video Technology Investment
Emma Jensen
Framingham Athletic Director Paul Spear explains calculating ROI on sports video technology across 27 programs. Learn investment justification strategies for athletic departments.
"Everything seems to upload seamlessly, and you can bring it out to fields and bring it to where you need it to be, and it's not stationary," says Paul Spear, Athletic Director at Framingham High School, describing operational efficiency that justifies technology investments.
Spear discovered this value calculation while managing technology budgets across comprehensive athletic programs that serve 2,600 students at zero cost. The operational efficiency demonstrated clear return on investment through improved coaching effectiveness and program outcomes.
This challenges the assumption that sports video technology represents expense rather than investment with measurable returns for athletic department operations.
Framingham High School's investment justification process
Paul Spear manages athletic budgets where every technology investment must demonstrate clear value across multiple sports programs. His responsibility includes justifying expenses for 27 varsity sports without charging student participation fees.
The school's commitment to accessible athletics creates budget pressures that require maximum efficiency from every investment. Spear must demonstrate technology value through improved outcomes rather than just enhanced capabilities.
His experience spans traditional equipment investments and modern technology solutions, providing perspective on how to evaluate and justify technology spending within constrained public education budgets.
The challenge of justifying technology investments in education
Before implementing cost-effective technology solutions, Spear struggled with investment justification for athletic equipment that served multiple programs without clear return measurement. Traditional athletic investments focused on basic equipment rather than technology that could amplify coaching effectiveness.
Educational budget constraints require demonstrating student benefit and operational efficiency rather than just athletic program enhancement. Technology investments compete with academic priorities for limited financial resources.
"When you have one camera, and you have field hockey and two soccer teams and a football team in the fall, and they're all playing at different locations," Spear explains about resource allocation challenges that require efficiency justification.
Without measurable returns, technology investments often couldn't be justified within educational budgets that prioritized direct student learning over athletic enhancement.
How operational efficiency demonstrated clear technology ROI
Spear implemented technology that delivered measurable operational efficiency gains across multiple sports programs. The seamless operation eliminated time burdens while improving coaching effectiveness that directly benefited student-athletes.
"The ability for our team managers to set it up and sort of let it do its thing is really important for us," he explains about simplified operation that reduced staffing requirements and technical support costs.
The multi-sport compatibility maximized investment efficiency by serving 27 different programs with unified technology rather than requiring sport-specific solutions. "We video lacrosse, football, field hockey, and soccer," demonstrates comprehensive utilization.
Most importantly, the technology delivered measurable program improvements including Spear's football team advancing from struggling seasons to "six and five" records through systematic video analysis and coaching enhancement.
Ready to calculate your technology ROI?
Spear's investment justification shows how operational efficiency can demonstrate clear returns on sports video technology. Want to discover how technology ROI can work for your budget planning? Veo experts are standing by to help you get started.
