Automated Strike Zones
Historically, few decisions in sports have been as hotly contested as umpires’ ball and strike calls. Baseball’s rulebook may define one strike zone, but each umpire personalizes it to the point that reputations spread across leagues and tendencies are analyzed in daily scouting reports. MLB has long used technology to grade its umpires—beginning with the controversial QuesTec system and then using PITCHf/x and now Statcast—but in 2019 meaningful games were finally played with technology making the final call. MLB developed its Automated Ball Strike system and implemented it first in the independent Atlantic League (with whom MLB has a testing partnership) and then in the Arizona Fall League, the first such games with players from MLB organizations using the so-called “robo ump.” The verdict: pretty good. This first iteration used TrackMan radars and went well enough that commissioner Rob Manfred has pledged a program expansion to some full-season minor league ballparks in 2020.
Baseball Hitting
As Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow has said, “We’re now starting to see a much deeper understanding of the swing.” Advanced data and technology helped pitchers first, but the research and devices supporting hitters have caught up rapidly through the proliferation of wearable tech (K-Vests), bat sensors (Blast Motion and Diamond Kinetics), ball trackers (HitTrax and Rapsodo), virtual reality (WinR, TrinityVR and Monsterful) and even vision training, force plates and more. While the reduced drag of the baseball itself played a big role in the record number of home runs in 2019, overall offensive production was up big across the board with a league-wide on-base plus slugging percentage of .758 that was 30 points better than 2018 and the majors’ highest in 12 seasons.
Computer Vision
The worlds of biomechanics and performance analytics are in the process of moving from sensor-based systems to those run by computer vision. Numerous marker-less optical tracking systems are proliferating within general health and wellness categories as well as in sports-specific ones. Facilities such as P3 are tapping Simi Motion for new injury prevention insights. Companies such as Sportlogiq are developing real-time systems for the NHL and the National Lacrosse League. Many sports do not permit the use of wearable technology in games, only allow certain ones or have trouble getting athlete compliance when they are allowed. Camera-based solutions harnessing computer vision don’t have that problem.
Load Management
The idea of trying to preserve an athlete’s energy over the course of a season isn’t new—bench players exist in all sports—but the way teams and trainers are able to monitor workload has changed drastically over recent years due to advances in technology that track activity and recovery via wearables and data collection. Teams are now able to measure the distance a player traveled in a game, for instance, or monitor heart rates during practices. During the 2018-19 NBA season, star players missed games due to “load management” three and a half times more than the 2012-13 season, according to Fansure, a startup that offers fans an insurance policy for games where their favorite player might be missing.
Virtual Sports
From cycling to running to racing, virtual sports became a major trend in 2019. At the very end of 2018, Zwift, a multiplayer online training and racing platform for cyclists and runners, announced a $120 million Series B fundraising found. The capital raise was meant to help grow its treadmill-based online running platform and support pro cycling esports endeavors. This year, Zwift’s platform was used in the KISS Super League, the first professional esports cycling league. Meanwhile, the New York Road Runners’ virtual racing series expanded through its partnership with the athlete social network Strava. Unlike esports, virtual sports still require participants to take part in the athletic activity on which they’re based, but they allow racers to compete with each other from afar either live or by logging their miles on a treadmill, stationary bike, or the real road via mobile apps. In 2018, NYRR offered 10 virtual races, including a version of the New York City Marathon that had just 424 finishers. This year, NYRR has hosted 12, and its virtual marathon counted nearly 3,000 finishers.
