(NOTE: This story was originally posted to CRN.com Feb. 2.)

Into The Game

Does the sports market hold the promise of opportunity for solution providers?

Norman Rice of Extreme Networks thinks so.

Extreme Networks, the official wireless and analytics provider of the NFL, spent three years vying for the contract to provide Houston's NRG Stadium with a network for the first time. After a year of work and preparation, Super Bowl 51 - between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots - will kick off Sunday night and the NFL will count on Extreme Networks' software and wired and wireless infrastructure to support the 80,000 people in attendance and the millions watching at home.

Rice, executive vice president of corporate development, global marketing and supply chain, oversees the vendor's stadium business. He spoke with CRN about Super Bowl preparations, what will happen during the game, the role virtual reality will play inside future stadiums, and why solution providers should jump into the sports market.