PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies are continuing the Go-Ahead Entry program for fans to enter Citizens Bank Park in 2024.
That program, a facial authentication-based entry that allows ticketed fans to walk directly into stadiums, is something the team tested during the 2023 postseason, and will continue it in 2024.
The Phillies use Evolv Technology, which uses AI sensor technology to expedite entry and eliminate the need to remove cell phones, cameras, coins, and keys and place them in a screening bowl, or to have patrons checked individually with metal detecting wands.
“These are the most advanced security systems on the market today,” Karri Zaremba, Major League Baseball’s senior vice president of product said. “That is a completely separate step as part of (Go-Ahead), but we pair it together because both support free flow.”
Evolv technology is used at select other stadiums, such as Fenway Park and SoFi Stadium, and puts a premium on safety. Baseball fans and players say they’ve always felt safe at the ballpark.
“I can’t remember a time where I felt scared of another human at a ballpark,” Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh said. “That’s never on my mind. I’m worrying about the task and job at hand. There’s already a lot to worry about.”
Jason Ritchie, from Bath, Maine, road-tripped to Philly with his 13-year-old son to watch four Phillies games and used the Go-Ahead entry for every one. Ritchie said he had no concerns about the program and appreciated the volume and speed — an E-ZPass, of sorts, for humans — the cameras could handle that made entry a snap.
“You don’t have to put your bags down,” he said. “You keep walking and I don’t have to have my tickets out. I think it’s a great idea. If they don’t have to go through your bags, if you don’t have to keep your tickets out, it makes it very easy.”
Fans 18 and older can register and take a selfie for Go-Ahead entry through the app. The photo is stored as a unique numerical token before the image is deleted — and a photo needs to be taken only once. Then fans walk through the gate without stopping or needing a phone.
Zaremba said fan photos are instantly deleted and the tokens are not connected to any type of security system.
“That’s part of the reason it’s taken us a long time,” she said. “We wanted to be very thoughtful and considerate in our approach. We wanted to make sure that fans were comfortable. It’s a completely optional service. No one has to use this. But if they want a faster, more frictionless experience to enter the ballpark, then we wanted to offer them a way to do that.”
Fans seemed to enjoy mugging for the camera, smiling, laughing, as they walked inside. One early hitch, the camera captured too many background faces, a problem resolved simply by spacing people out a bit more.
Zaremba said the program was designed to remain separate from any kind of security or monitoring system at the ballpark.
In other words, don’t expect to get kicked out of the stadium like how some fans — notably, attorneys — were booted by James Dolan and Madison Square Garden through the arena’s use of facial recognition technology.
MLB and the Phillies were quick to note the difference between their facial authentication and facial recognition.
“This is not scanning a crowd looking for people,” said Phillies vice president and chief technology officer Sean Walker. “This is determining if a person is authenticated. We’re not tied to any law enforcement. There’s certainly no sharing of the data. It’s simply to get you into the ballpark. It’s not facial surveillance.”
Smile.
You might need one to attend a Phillies game.
Here was the team's test run during the 2023 postseason:
