Sports excite people as a triumph of human effort. Behind the scenes there are a number of things that go into that triumph, and at the top is technology. The sports world today is getting tech savvy by combining natural, athletic talent with advanced analytics and even artificial intelligence (AI) to produce the best possible outcomes on the playing field. Everything from reviewing player performance, improving areas of weakness to even predicting optimum actions for future players is being tapped into.
When we look at the current state of the sports industry, stats and analytics play an important role on player and team decisions. From analyzing specific player information to the accuracy of plays versus specific opponents, data analytics teams are now a common thread among a team’s staff. As coaches and owners continue to strive for a better understanding of trends and data to improve a team’s winning chances, new technologies like AI are emerging as key opportunities to stay ahead of the competition. The future of sports technology is bright, new innovations in hardware and software combined with the human athletic performance will lead to a truly connected sports age for players, coaches and fans.
Case in Point: Analytics Technology
Practically every major professional team, from the NFL to the NBA to the MLB and the NHL, have analytics departments to analyze and to track players both on and off the field. Importantly, this information has proven to assist teams in understanding field dynamics, a player’s strengths and even an opponent’s weaknesses. Take for instance the Baltimore Ravens. The team’s department analyzes information to make decisions on everything from personnel to game play. To date, the Ravens have led the league in aggressive acquisition of compensatory picks, decisions that were all driven by data. Coach Jim Harbaugh has even talked about logical game-time decisions he’s made that have been based on numbers and assessment of the potential outcomes or risks compared to the potential reward.
Baltimore Ravens first round draft pick Ronnie Stanley, center, holds up his jersey with head coach John Harbaugh, left, and general manager Ozzie Newsome, before a news conference Friday, April 29, 2016, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Artificial Intelligence: Taking Analytics to a New Level
When thinking of the term AI many people immediately relate it to smart, human-like, robots taking over everything and running the world. In reality, we all know that this is not the case. One form of AI is machine learning. Its predictive capabilities allow for coaches to make educated decisions based on a multi-level analysis that pulls upon a number of factors. Machine learning goes beyond simplistic analytics and gathers specific information that evaluates a player’s unique stats and can provide a greater view into probable player performance based on that information.
With this technology, teams no longer have to look back and wonder why a player missed a catch or shot. Coaches and general managers can now anticipate these errors and plan accordingly by either putting in a different player or focusing on these plays in practice. Additionally, coaches now have the ability to view a play from multiple angles. As humans – with only cognitive observance capabilities – it’s impossible to see a play from every vantage point – but a machine can take one play and compile information on every angle. Don Norman states in his book, Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine, “the power of the unaided human mind is overrated. Human memory is well tuned to remember the substance and meaning of events, not the details […] Humans can essentially attend to only one conscious task at a time. We cannot maintain attention on a task for extended periods.”
Although technology was not anywhere near what it is today when Norman wrote this book in 1994, his insights on the relationship between human perceptions coupled with the power of technology ring true. We can apply Norman’s thinking to what’s happening today in sports, as data collection, AI and machine learning technologies are enhancing coaching tactics by providing better intelligence for better game-time decisions. But just how far will it go?
The Future of Sports Technology
There is no doubt the integration of technology in sports will continue to surge and wearables, health data along with connected “smart” equipment are poised to have a great influence over the industry.
Wearables and health data: These technologies have hit the mainstream tech industry with a force, especially in the area of activity and health tracking. In the short term, we are starting to witness the integration of wearables in sports being limited to practice sessions. Teams like the Golden State Warriors have introduced the technology as a way to prevent fatigue and injury. However, it’s likely to be a long road before we see wearables deeply integrated into real-time game play. Discussions around the privacy when it comes to a player’s personal medical information comes into question as well as the ability to obtain necessary approvals from player unions, league owners and sports organizations.
Connected Smart Equipment: From baseball bats to tennis racquets to golf clubs, smart sports equipment has entered the arena. For instance, smart bat company, Zepp, utilizes a sensor that is attached to the bottom of the bat and collects real-time data allowing baseball players to analyze swings and visualize the data directly from a smartphone. The immediacy of this information allows players and coaches to take an extremely detailed look at every action taken and identify any areas for improvement. Consider the high level of engagement fans will be able to obtain with their favorite athletes when smart sports equipment is introduced in official, real-time games and the correlating information is made available to the fans live. Fans can more closely study the body positioning, swing motion and force with which a professional athlete strikes the ball.
The evolution of technology in sports to date has been rapid and there is no doubt that the future of sports and technology will continue to evolve. As the integration of sports analytics and technology continues, coaches and teams need to be aware and receptive to adopting new practices to stay ahead of the game or risk losing on multiple levels. Technology will have a far greater impact than ever before, the exciting part will be to see to what extent technology will drive human actions and performance.
