The 21st century will always be remembered for technological development and growing number of businesses. Looking at technology developments, there seems to be a broad range of new technical breakthroughs in reach. Further rapid progress is expected in information technology, new materials, genetics technology and environment protection, to name just a few.
Technology is improving every day and being adapted to the necessities of people. Sports around the world is important due to the fact that technology in sports has evolved over the years and changes the way which everybody sees it nowadays. Technology affects many aspects of sports from performance on and off the field to spectating and the public profile. Increasingly, advances in technology influence grassroots as well as elite sports.
With modern technology now, implementation in professional sports has helped to make the games fair. Instant replay is the most important luxury in our sports today. State of the art technologies are used to optimize performance in sports as diverse as cycling, speed-skating, swimming, golf, skiing, surfing, soccer ball, tennis racket and ball, running, facilities and many more. The use of technology in contact sports has grown a lot in performance enhancement. For instance, injury prevention, injury recovery as well as an athletes’ health maintenance.
They have also helped in increased accuracy in time measurements of sports performance, improvements in the design of sports equipment and apparel while also providing spectators with better viewing. The use of advanced high speed and high definition cameras, fit bits, along with the development of biomechanical software has allowed teams to have an in-depth view of athletes’ movements.
Technology has an extremely large impact on soccer through innovations and improvements in products such as boots, equipment, kits, balls, and fields. Spectating and officiating have improved soccer drastically and have helped transform it into the game it is today. Many new technologies are considered being implemented such as goal line technology and video refereeing.
The use of the metrics of GPS trackers, teams are better able to determine training loads for athletes, ensuring they can practice smarter. Coaches and medical staff are able to access data through the GPS tracker regarding the player’s performance, competitive advantage on the field. This allows them to establish benchmarks for the team or program. Therefore they can provide players with the best customized training, fitness, and better avoid the risk of injury.
Fans of the popular game still believe that the integration of tech in soccer can go further. Key moments can change game outcomes entirely and there is nothing worse than a wrongful decision. Purest fans or officials may not like the human touch (mistakes) taken away, but at the end of the day everyone wants the proper result. Technology more and more provides this.
The dawning of the new millennium, certain changes in the way we live, think, and work are inevitable. The use of competitive online gaming aka eSport first took place in 1972. It gained popularity by 2010 and now the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled sharp growth in viewers and engagement with esports. It has contributed to the growth of its market. As technology is flourishing, so the video content, inventions, and competitions are mounting up.
eSports has turned out to be transitioning pop culture and retransforming the ways that young people consume entertainment. Playing video games stimulates areas in the brain associated with memory, attention, motor, and tactical planning skills. In fact, electronic games can help people learn, focus, and multitask.
Traditional sports fans are turning to esports for their entertainment. Some TV networks are broadcasting esports tournaments to fill timeslots left empty by other sporting events. eSports offers various benefits but has enforced a temporary suspension to traditional sports to attract mainstream consumers. The pandemic has accelerated an already fast growing sector of the new age of sports viewing.
Along with all the advances technology has to offer in sports there have been a few exceptions. The challenges faced by players, parents, coaches, and sports medicine providers, are multiple and complex. They have varied across ethnic backgrounds, gender, communities, and socioeconomic levels. An emphasis on fun while instituting a balance between physical fitness, psychological well-being, and lifelong lessons for a healthy and active lifestyle are vital for success. That’s where the rub lies…
Technology appears to create a global network bringing people together, but in fact, this replaces real-life communication and ends in social isolation. When we replace real-life with online interaction, we lose the ability to read social cues like tone of voice, facial expression, body language, and direct wording. On top of it, violent games and videos kill empathy and bring destruction into an individual’s life.
Another dangerous effect of technology is a sedentary lifestyle. Constant staring at the screen without physical fitness and lack of involvement in traditional sports can cause bad posture, joint pains, provoke depression, and stress. New technology is not always correct. Being way too reliant on it can lead to speculation, confusion, and even distress among players and spectators.
It has also promoted the use of illegal substances to enhance player performance in various sports. Another massive negativity of technology is that it is so expensive that it puts families under a lot of financial stress just to provide their children the best of opportunities with premium products and services. These factors creates a very unhealthy environment if not managed properly.
Technology is gradually changing every aspect of our society, from healthcare to manufacturing and sports. This includes better equipment to improved training technology. Now software gives little to no error when it comes to helping referees decide whether a mistake has been made or not. Technology is a valuable tool and it should be used. But it is better to supplement the content that can be created through social media and traditional broadcasting, and to reach a wider audience and not an ends to a mean…