In this paper, we aim to explain a phenomenon of “Sports Spectators’ Customers’ Experiences’ (SSCX) locations”, overview today locations of sports consumption experiences for sports fans, find the changes in these locations, and define the main drivers of shift. It provides a concept for studying the effects of new technologies on sports spectator experiences, with the intention of future research at the intersection of topics Customer Experience (CX), Sports Spectacle (SS), and Technology. The main novelties of this study imply a rapid technology uptake and appear of absolutely new ways of sports spectating and locations. The culture of sports consumption and fans’ habits are the subject of changes, accordingly, it impacts SSCX. This study draws on pieces of literature spanning from technology, Sport Spectacle, Stadia, CX, Optimization strategy and combines them with data collection and analysis in the spirit of grounded theory. Data was collected in semi-structured interviews (N=10) with professional sports managers or technologies specialists. The outcome is a new conceptual framework on Locations and Relocations of SSCX. This question is important in the framework of the study of technological impact on SSCX. It helps Sports Managers and Marketing Professionals to better understand the research target audience, outline technological trends, find links and interrelation and define their impact.

The new pandemic lifestyle advocates new rules for sport at all levels, from amateur to elite. Consequently, it has transformed the ways in which sports are performed and consumed, provoking demand for new technologies and/or the development of existing ones. This paper aims to identify, describe, and visualize the process of sport transformation as radical internal and external industry changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended to qualitatively explain the current ‘metamorphoses’ in the field and subsequently answer the question of how the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed all aspects of sports and physical culture. The literature and empirical dataset (qualitative open-ended written interviews, N = 147) were analysed in the spirit of grounded theory, referring to the holistic approach. The results demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on sports by touching on all aspects, levels, and stakeholders. The paper also outlines challenges and opportunities for the industry in these extraordinary times. The key dimensions of transformation are identified and explained. The findings of this research have significant implications for the understanding of how COVID-19 gave rise to the transformation of sports in different aspects. This study adds to the growing body of research on the positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 on sports, new technologies demand, and the transformation of sports.