ESPN and foursquare have teamed up to let sports fans check-in and interact with their favorite sports arenas via mobile.

The partnership is part of foursquare?s new event features that let users view additional information about their check-in locations. The company recently announced that the feature will be rolled out across 50,000 locations in the next few months.

"Simply put, mobile is the sports fan?s best friend - it is a critical device that keeps millions of passionate, devoted fans connected to their teams, athletes, fantasy leagues, and the sports water cooler," said Ben Shields, director of social media at ESPN, Bristol, CT.

Interactive games
When sports fans follow ESPN?s page on foursquare, they can view additional sports information, including tips on the stadium and news from the game.

"Through foursquare?s new Events platform, fans will now be able to check in to games, not just locations," Mr. Shields said.

"As huge sports fans ourselves, we know how powerful the in-stadium sports experience can be," he said.

Each ESPN event will be added to the event page a few hours before the game begins.

Users can also receive an ESPN-branded foam finger for checking in.

Once users check-in, they will receive tailored ESPN content about the game with links to the company?s mobile site.

According to ESPN, the first stadium to launch on its initiative is Yankee Stadium.

Live events
The ESPN, foursquare partnership shows the growing trend with location-based services.

Check-ins are gaining traction daily and give consumers incentives and rewards through different applications such as foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook Places and Scvngr.

"ESPN serves sports fans on every screen, platform and location," said Michael Cupo, director of business development and social media at ESPN, Bristol, CT.

"Foursquare is a leading location-based social platform, and with their new functionality, ESPN is contextually extending content to fans at games," he said.

Recently, foursquare ramped up its location-based services by rolling out partnerships with LivingSocial, BuyWithMe and Gilt City that target small merchants (see story).

"For sports fans, mobile is the first screen," Mr. Cupo said. "It is always going to be the best device for sports because of the live nature of it."

"Smartphones can be used for checking in, watching live games, having a companion digital experience with ESPN, sharing on social media platforms, subscribing to alerts and more," he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York