Sport is about as old as humans are. Throughout our history, we’ve always channeled our competitive spirit by challenging our friends and others in contests that test our mental and physical limits.
Today, this is split into professional, semi-professional, and amateur sports. The former is the major leagues and tournaments that we get to enjoy on TV, and the latter mostly being made up of people taking part for fun and to stay fit.
Of course, what we play, how we play, and where we play may have evolved, but much of the basic premise of the sport remains unchanged millennia after our cousins first tried it.
That said, technology has a big influence at every level. It’s making sports more accessible for players and spectators, improving safety and fairness, and allowing athletes to push their limits further than ever before.
Here are some of the main ways in which tech is doing this.
Collecting and Using Better Data
In most US sports, data and statistics are incredibly important. Commentators will turn to these numbers with almost every breath, using them to justify arguments and make predictions about what is about to happen.
In the past, this data was collected by eagle-eyed people sitting at the side of the field, court, or arena to note down when particular events happened so that they could report it back later on.
Technology is being used to make this process more efficient. And while the spotters still exist, high-speed cameras and other forms of sensors are being used to replace and augment them.
This data can then be collected and reported in real-time rather than after or at set intervals during a game.
Having faster and more accurate information is invaluable for many reasons.
Firstly, it can be packaged and used to support the sports betting market. The iGaming market is incredibly competitive, and bookies are always looking for ways to get an advantage over their rivals.
One way to do this is to, like FanDuel, offer big free bet promotions to encourage new customers to sign up for one site over another. However, harnessing this data is another option, as it allows the bookies to offer more live betting markets, giving fans the ability to make wagers on in-game events while the action is still taking place.
It’s also used by sporting officials like referees and umpires to make more accurate calls. For example, in soccer, VAR is used to review tackles and check whether a goal should be allowed.
Improving the Show
Professional sport is all about putting on a show for fans so that revenue can be generated from people who want to watch.
In the past, this was done solely by selling tickets, but since the second half of the 20th century, more money has been derived from television than it has from in-person spectating.
TV has been the dominant force in almost all professional sports for decades, but it is slowly losing its crown.
Technology is helping sports leagues and teams improve their show by allowing fans to consume content in other ways.
The most prominent example is the development of over-the-top (OTT) streaming services that use the internet to broadcast video footage instead. While the most common use for OTT services is to simply replicate what can be found on TV, it is being used in more novel ways too.
For example, Formula 1 fans can download a companion app for their smartphone or tablet that provides them with more information about a race or other on-track session while it’s live.
For a monthly fee, subscribers can view live on-board footage from several drivers’ cars, a live map that shows the position of every driver on the track, and timing data that makes it easier to understand the relative performance of rivals as they battle for position.
Social media also provides new ways for fans to interact with their favorite sports, giving direct access to athletes, teams, and other key figures in ways that were not possible before this technology evolved.
