If you look at the world of mobile phones and computers you can see how far technology has developed over the past few decades.
Another of the areas where tech has really changed our daily lives though is through sports; after all hundreds of millions of people tune into sports every week.
We’re predicting that the technological revolution isn’t over just yet though and here we look at how tech will continue to impact the world of sport.
How has tech impacted sport so far?
Trying to summarize how technology has influenced sport up until this point is almost impossible. The truth is there are so many factors to consider.
The reason these jump out are because they actively change and influence the in-game play. On top of that you’ve got things like referees wearing microphones in certain sports, which aid the fan experience as they can understand decision making in an instant.
Other aspects to consider are the enormous enhancements technology has brought to training, conditioning and player and team analysis. Then you have the different key sporting markets such as player recruitment and, from the fans perspective, gambling and live streaming of events. Just a few years ago a lot of this didn’t exist in the vast way it does now.
So, what does the future of tech in sport look like?
If we’re being honest, we could have easily referenced eSports in the last section with the market already attracting huge attention and featuring up there other sports in both TV viewing figures and on betting platforms. The reason we’ve opted to put it in the ‘what does the future of tech in sport look like’ section is because the ceiling of eSports is still a million miles away.
When you consider that it is tipped to attract more spectators than leagues as big as MLB within the next year or so then you know it’s got a long-term future. You only have to consider how difficult it would be to get older generations into E sports and then think about those youngsters who will become paying punters in a decade’s time to realize growth will be exponential. With more money, big brands and easy entry into the market Olympic status could well await.
Fan led management
When we talk about fan led management you might need to take it with a small pinch of salt. We’re not suggesting you’ll have an every day fan barking on the sideline like Bill Belichick or Pep Guardiola, however, it is plausible that some sports teams start to truly engage with their supporters for certain decisions.
The idea Avant Garde had was utillizing an app where their fans could vote on transfer decision, team line-ups and even in-game substitutions.
Whether anyone at the very top level adopts this – or anything close to it – moving forwards is perhaps unlikely but a similar concept more closely aligned to club ownership could well come to fruition with fans able to easily have a say in key decisions.
Player conditioning
Even today, most elite sports have their athletes wired up so they can gain feedback in everything from how fast their heart beats to how long they sleep for and on to how quickly they run and how high they can jump.
What about recovering from them though? That’s the next step with only the tip of the iceberg uncovered. Anti-gravity treadmills are coming in a big way whilst cryotherapy chambers are the modern day ice bath, which is another growing trend with the big boys. Finally, you’ve got something as out there as VR that some studies suggest aid recovery as it gives the user a better environment in which to complete their rehab.