The sports industry has changed a lot since technology started entering the leagues. Technology is being utilized to maximize both entertainment of the audience and the safety of the players. It has continuously made everything more efficient despite time-measuring the nature of sports where most things are too fast to be caught by the eyes or too rough that players tend to get injured when playing.
Over the years, people enjoyed sports merely as happy viewers but never really acknowledged the role of technology in all of it. So it is important to see how far the world has come and recognized the genius technological innovations that keep everyone entertained with the thrill of sporting events.
Health Monitors
Health monitors are innovative technologies that continuously watch the condition of athletes. Most of these are wearable gadgets can sense changes in the body while engaging in any physical activity. Athletes everywhere can use them both while training and playing to see their progress throughout the activity.
But not only athletes benefit from this technology. Most people can purchase and link these devices to their mobile phones to regulate their own physical health. From simply counting steps to tracking oxygen levels in the blood, these devices put the health of individuals in the forefront so that they can adjust the activities at hand and their present conditions to fit each other.
Time Measurements
Most sports require speed in their mechanics. This is where time-measuring technologies contribute to ensuring that fairness is always achieved. In the past, referees were tasked to keep the time, but now, technology lets them do the more active role of keeping up the game rules as the athletes play. Some time-keeping technologies employ sensors to more accurately track the timed mechanics of the sport that the naked eye cannot catch. This is also where quick replays come into play, especially when time and speed are necessary to declare a winner.
Safety Gears and Equipment
Safety is one of the most important things to consider when playing sports. Many sports push the body to its limits by exerting stress or colliding with other players and equipment. These can always result in injuries that can range from minor cuts and bruises to serious and life-threatening ones like brain and spine injuries. For these to be prevented from happening, technology is being integrated into the gear and equipment involved in every sport.
Helmets and body pads are some of the most common safety gear protecting athletes who engage in rough physical sports. Sportswear is also tailored to fit the needs of a sport while still reducing the risk of injury that can be obtained. But some sports have more specific needs where technology is made to serve. For example, tennis rackets, football cleats, swimming goggles, and skis like the Black Pearl Blizzard are all well-adjusted to be more efficient yet safe for the users in the field.
Hawk-Eye technology
The Hawk-Eye computer system must be a known term to sports viewers around the world. This technology shows the most likely trajectory of a ball captured on camera for the audience and sports critics. It makes use of many cameras to create a sort of 3D space to track the movements of the moving projectile. Sports such as tennis, football, volleyball, and badminton make use of the technology to better assess the workings of the game. This is also being used by the players during their training courses to review their performances and adjust their techniques to something that has more accurate results.
Live Video and Streaming
Many fans tend to watch a sports event from the comfort of home with the help of video streaming technology. Fans all over the world can now watch and enjoy different sports in real-time from basically anywhere that they can stream the live broadcasts. This is especially helpful in a pandemic where crowds of people huddled in a crowded area increase the risk of contracting the disease. Not only does it keep everyone entertained anytime, anywhere, but it also keeps them safe from the many dangers of physical contact.
With these, sports fans should find a new appreciation for the technology that continuously brings them entertainment. Everyone should be conscious of everything they consume so that they can assess the benefits and damages that they can obtain.
But technology never stops evolving along with the growing needs of everyone. It will surely enhance the world of sports with more innovations that no one thought of before and give the people as much entertainment as possible without taking a toll on the players themselves. With this, the future of sports should be well awaited as the digitization of the world.
