Technology and sports are becoming more intertwined then
ever before. The sports world is starting to use technology to better itself
and how athletes train. This past weekend in Toronto at the NBA all-star game
it became very clear: technology is changing sports like never before. This
article discussed how NBA executives spent time hearing presentations from
technology start up companies and discussed how technology could positively
impact the sport of basketball.
One of the
major points made in the article was that a company called PUSH is using new
technology to help create a better training regiment for athletes. The
technology PUSH discussed with NBA executives was a way to monitor if an athlete
is being overworked or underworked during training exercises. This would be
beneficial for the NBA because it would allow teams to see if they are getting
the best out of a player as well as helping prevent injuries to ahtletes. According to PUSH’s website:
trainwithpush.com the company would utilize this technology by giving athletes
an armband that would give feedback to athletes and NBA teams about weather or
not they can keep pushing or need to ease up on the level of intensity.
Another
major point in the article is how technology has already transformed the way we
look at sports. One thing that is sighted in the article is how the rapid
increase in people who use social media has changed how people follow sports.
Normal people have been able to use technology such as smartphones to change
the way in which sports are followed. Major sports leagues such as the NBA have
taken note of the growing number of tech-savvy fans and expect that it will
expedite changes to the sport in the future.
A third key
aspect of the article is the development of a new sports media accelerator that
will connect sports based technology companies with mentors in the sports
world. The hope is that this will lead
to connections with major sports leagues and major media outlets that cover
sports that will utilize the products these companies are using. This is an
innovative idea that will help startups get there foot in the door and will
help grow the amount of technology that will be used in how sports are played
and how they are covered by major media outlets.
While the
article was quite insightful about how sports and technology are combining,
there were a few things that were left out. The first thing that was missing
was if the technology used by PUSH in the NBA was being used in other sports.
It would be beneficial to all athletes yet the article fails to mention if any
other leagues are using it. Another thing that could use more explanation is
the type of changes the NBA expects from tech-savvy fans. A final thing the
article lacks is an explanation for how the accelerator discussed plans to
establish connections between start-ups and sports leagues.
Article:
Outside source:
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the article and your blog post. I think an important aspect that was missing from this article is how this technology affects the fan experience. I see you mentioned how these sports leagues are considering how people interact with sports through mobile phones and things like that. But what I would have liked to see mentioned in the article is what happens as these sports teams put more and more money into technology for their athletes, the game itself, and for their stadiums. Technology now a day is so expensive and I worry that the more these sports teams pay for this new technology the more ticket prices will increase. And let's be honest, most tickets to football/basketball/baseball tickets are so ridiculous as is. As of now, I do not feel that comfortable paying so much money to watch a sporting event so if prices went up I feel like I would not go to another sporting event for years.
I also wish we could have gotten an insight to how the players feel about this rise in integration of technology into the game. I wonder if some players would be nervous about this. This technology can give us a more real understanding how these players are performing and I wonder if this would worry the players.
John,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your article and completely agree with you. Sports are changing on an annual basis, especially in regards to technology. Today there are so many products that measure the wear and tear an athlete may experience during training. The Fitbit, Nike fuel, and even smart watches have the ability to measure how much energy we exert. Not only is technology impacting the way players prepare and perform in game, but it is impacting the way we watch the game. The MLB uses pitch movement monitors, and the sports of football, hockey, and soccer all have goal line technology. I see a trend occurring, and maybe you would agree, but as sports technology advances the sport itself becomes too robotic. Major sports use technology to give its viewers the best experience, and best accuracy. In reality this broadcast, rule checking, and reviewing technology just slows down the games. Lastly, how do you specifically feel social media could impact the sports world?