Sports have always been a great way to stay fit and healthy. But now, technology has made it easier than ever before.
The use of technology in sports is not new. In fact, it dates back thousands of years. Ancient Greek athletes used weights and springs to improve their performance. They also had special shoes made out of leather and metal. These were attached to the foot using straps. The athlete would run on sandals or barefoot.
Technology helps athletes improve their skills and abilities. In addition, it helps coaches and trainers to develop better training methods. Moreover, it helps referees to make correct decisions during matches.
Roles of Technology in Sports
Instant Replay Technology:
Nowadays, Instant replay is an excellent example of technology that is used in sports. With the help of this technology, officials can see exactly what happened, also providing another perception of sports events. Instant replay is mostly used in games such as cricket, football, rugby, soccer, and combat sports. However, instant replay briefly explains the happened view and makes a situation to make the right decision during the game.
Sensor Tools Technology:
Sensor tools are often used to analyze a goal. It tells about whether the goal is valid or not valid. In different sports, the usage of sensor tools is the most popular. For example, cricket’s Hawk-Eye technology judges the sound to determine if the ball shattered into the bat before it was caught.
Hawk-Eye is also used to examine where the ball would have landed. On the other hand, tennis sensor tools use laser beams to determine whether the tennis ball fell in boundaries or not in boundaries. Sensor technology is helping to accurately determine the position of the ball at a given time.
Timing Systems Technology:
In the sport playing system, no one used a stopwatch for the timing of races anymore. Such differences in response time no longer affect the exactitude and reliability of a racing event. Today In many races, the starter pistol is used to as a clock. Once the pistol fires, immediately the clock times starts.
Besides this, swimming sports are using a touchpad placed at the finish lanes and wearable inertial sensors to measure the performance. Many racing events are using laser beams and photographs to decide winners—the results of timing systems provided to the nearest thousand of a second. The world “Olympic” records are only recorded to the adjoining hundredth of a second. This technique was recognized to remove inconsequential errors.
RFID Chips Technology:
RFID chips are used to time individual contestants on occasion. These devices are used as an antenna that conveys wireless signals. RFID chips are used in long-distance races, which help the viewers to check the exact locations of a player during the race.
There are two types of chips that are used in races; active and passive chips. Active chips have an inbuilt battery, which determines the exact time a participant crosses a precise line. Passive chips are only used with sensors placed in a wad because they don’t have an in-built battery.
Equipment Development Technology:
Safety is a significant factor in sports. Equipment manufacturers have developed specific devices to reduce injuries on athletes and accrue during playing. Such as special helmets are used in the National Football League, and most of the players have experienced concussion injuries. The helmets are designed to absorb distress caused by collisions and protect athletes from suffering head and neck injuries.
Technology is used for games like auto racing and hockey to enhance the safety of participants. Many professional players have embraced new technologies featuring specific machinery and gadgets to protect athletes and make it easier to supervise the games.
Officiating assistance:
Everyone knows that referees are human and make mistakes. Technology has to change it and solves that problem. With the help of instant replay technology has been around for a while, VR and 360-degree cameras are now giving an exact extraordinary view of the action.
It’s a need for the show, how it is hard for a referee trying to keep an eye on different players at a time, and all have an object of winning and effort for their selves. It is too much difficult to follow the action which is coming from the couch.
Young athlete development:
It is too much significant development of young athletes and technology is also helping to do this purpose. The latest tracking tech suits of players are not just for significant players, but it is also available for local high school baseball, soccer, football, and many other sports teams. Platforms such as “FieldWiz” and “PlayerTek” are helping coaches and players to capture the data and examine it and also use it to improve performance.
For the soccer Dribble Up, having the same rule for practice.
In the next, maybe, as player goals become more advanced, more apps and platforms will appear with the help of technology.
E-Sports and new types of competition:
E-Sports continue to astound traditional sports organizations and their selected branches in the sense of viewership and continue to drop significant sporting occasions. But there is also a significant thing that the sports franchiser isn’t turning a blind eye, in fact, they are looking to partner with eSports leagues, teams, and players. There is also a fantasy league for e-Sports. This is a question “should video games be considered a sport?” The reason for this question is because that comes out of the e-Sports. If we take a look, it is harder to describe.
Summary:
Technology invented many digital and latest tools in the sports industry such as; instant replay, sensor tools, timing systems, and sports Chips like RFID chips, which are very helpful to determine the right decisions and examine the exact timing during the game. As well as, technology is beneficial in the sports industries in another way, like giving digital training to new trainees and helping the assistant empire as a referee.
