The emergence of new digital technologies has impacted almost everything in our daily lives, opening the door to a new chapter in innovation that now encompasses the world of sports. Athlete performance and fan experiences are being enhanced by wearable tech, training regimes and virtual reality, to name just a few of the new technologies that have been introduced into traditional sports.
This article delves deeper into technology’s impact on sports.
Table of Contents
The Impact of Data Analytics and AI
Data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) have turned the sporting world on its head, changing many aspects of competition. Whether it’s insights on player and team performance, the status of a game, or suggestions to improve performance and outcomes, big data has undoubtedly played its part. Teams use this data to learn their opponents’ patterns, as well as to optimize strategies and improve player performance, ultimately leading to better on-field results.
It’s not only sports teams that are gaining an edge from this data. Even at the fan level, enthusiasts are crunching the numbers as they decide which team has the best odds of winning and how to place their bets. Sports betting has become increasingly popular in recent years, so many fans turn to comparison platforms like OddsChecker to learn about websites like Fanatics Sportsbook that offer bonus codes to new customers. One promotion offers customers $100 every day for ten days when they sign up for a new account. The platform also brings together data about teams and odds from leading bookmakers.
There’s a lot of data out there for sports teams and fans to interpret, but as AI algorithms improve, they’ll continue to help everyone better understand what’s happening on the field.
The Rise of Wearable Technology
Athletes and coaches are using wearables to track health, training and to monitor performance metrics, allowing them to train and compete with more information than ever. Fitness trackers and smartwatches are now standard tools on athletes’ arms, where they keep tabs on metrics such as distance run, heart rate, and hours slept. On the soccer pitch, a player’s vest might include a GPS tracker that provides heat maps of their movements so coaches can study their stamina minute-by-minute.
Coaches also use wearables to monitor the medical conditions of their players in real time so they can run players through individual and adapted workouts. The result is that wearables don’t just track performance; they also dictate training and recovery, which is a fundamental shift in sports science.
Virtual and Augmented Reality in Training and Fan Experience
The rise of AR and VR technologies, along with their applications for simulating real-world scenarios, has had a profound impact on the athlete training and fan engagement, and that’s just for starters. Through immersive experiences that mirror real-world environments, athletes and teams are able to use VR when practicing in order to refine their skills with realistic scenarios and interactions.
Although these virtual realms resemble competitive conditions, they are free of the physical implications. This allows athletes to improve their neuro-muscular development and decision-making without physical stress, and perfect their technique without an opponent.
In contrast, AR applications overlay digital components over their immediate physical training environment. This can provide instantaneous feedback on everything from batting, to throwing velocity and launch angle.
Fans who are looking to engage with games in new ways are also reaping the benefits of AR technologies, as they serve as a smart game experience. Instead of tracking their fantasy stats from home, fans can now don an AR viewing apparatus and see projected stats on a screen in real time. Or, they can watch a game and experience it on a whole other level, with digital effects superimposed over the top of live game footage.
By uniting the virtual world with the real one, AR and VR are setting new standards for engagement and performance in the sports industry.
E-sports and Digital Competitions
E-sports have rapidly grown to become an influential part of the sports industry. They feature competitive, digital multiplayer video games that attract massive audiences. E-sports now find themselves in the company of traditional sports on the international stage.
The emergence of e-sports is symbolic of the changing landscape —a future in which technology meets competitive entertainment. This represents a tremendous leap in technological progress and a path towards a new global sports culture.
