Has Technology Changed Sports?
As the world of technology continues to improve, sports are going to continue to use it to try to get an advantage over the other teams in their respective sport. However, there is definitely an argument that technology has hurt the level of the game as it has gone from a battle of athletics to more of a game of chess.
Whether you use technology to study game film, set your fantasy football lineup, or check the NFL schedule Week 10, there is nearly no limit to the number of ways apps, computer programs, and tech advancements can impact our consumption of sports entertainment. Today, we are going to dive into if technology has hampered sports as a whole.
The Entertainment Factor
Sports are about competition, but they are also about the entertainment aspect as well. People would not love the world of sports if they were not entertained by the level at which the game is played and dissected. Let’s take a look at one of the biggest culprits in using the technology and information that it is affecting their game: Major League Baseball.
The technology that baseball uses has gotten so solid in terms of their production from it that the sport has a group of people per team that is focused on analytics, where they look at the technology and information in order to assist the manager in creating lineups, figure out which pitcher should come out of the bullpen, and figure out where to position the fielders to give them the best opportunity to make a play and reduce the chance of a hit.
However, the issue has become incredibly transparent as all the information is good to put the team in the best position to win, but it has changed the way the game is being played as it feels like it is a game of which computer can spit out the best numbers for their respective team. Hitters are going for a three-true outcome approach (home run, strikeout, walk) instead of trying to slap a pitch to the opposite side of the field and get a few hits to create a rally and instead are looking for the three-run home run to produce their offense.
The Way Games are Played
This is definitely not just a baseball thing either as technology is changing a lot of the major sports as well. The National Football League is showing us that the information is being used to try to maximize their chances of winning as each team also has people that use analytics to determine things like going for two points after scoring a touchdown at times and looking for an advantage in terms of in-game planning to help assist the head coach in order to determine what the opposing team is doing and the odds of success vs failure.
The sport of basketball has really changed the way the game is played when diving into the available technology. One thing is the fact that load management is being used more as their numbers are showing that players play better if they continue trying to play in all 82 games in the regular season. Another thing is that the mid-range game is essentially being eliminated from the game as the numbers have determined that a long-range two-point shot is not as worthy as driving to the basket or stepping back and shooting a three-pointer. It makes sense as now teams are attempting three-pointers with more regularity and ditching the 15-20 foot midrange jump shot.
Conclusion
If you do not adapt to the technology and the times of the world, you are potentially going to get left behind, and that is happening in sports as well. However, it feels like sometimes the older generations of coaches and players have a difficult time adapting to the technology. It should be used to help the team as a whole with machines and formulas to produce more winning, but should not be used as an exact science as there is still “feel” to the game as well.
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