More than 6,000 fans use new facial recognition entry into Minute Maid Park for 2024 MLB Opening Day

According to the Houston Astros, approximately 6,000 fans utilized the MLB Go-Ahead Entry system to gain access to Minute Maid Park for Thursday’s opening day game against the New York Yankees.

The program enables users to upload a photo of their face to the MLB Ballpark App, allowing them to enter the ballpark without the need to stop and have their ticket scanned.

While many fans still opted to use traditional digital tickets, the Astros are hopeful that this facial recognition technology will gain popularity throughout the season.

Gene Dias, Vice President of Communications for the Houston Astros, emphasized the convenience of the system, stating, “You can walk in, and you don’t even have to present a ticket. It’s a great way to expedite how quickly we can get fans into the ballpark.”

However, not all fans share the same enthusiasm for the technology. One attendee, Vanessa, expressed her discomfort, stating, “I love the Astros, but I’m not comfortable giving my face to any kind of program.”

According to Major League Baseball’s website, the photos uploaded to the MLB Ballpark app are used to generate a unique numerical token associated with each user. MLB assures users that any uploaded photos are deleted once the token is created.

Jake Laperruque, a surveillance security expert at the Center of Democracy and Technology, commented on the technology, highlighting potential concerns. Laperruque noted that facial recognition systems may struggle to identify women or people of color due to their underrepresentation in the technology’s development.

Despite some initial “hiccups” experienced on Thursday, the Astros stated that issues related to facial recognition based on gender or skin color were not among them.