The sports industry that’s made up of traditional sports and professional sports is founded on human experience and physical prowess. Recently, this sector has been subject to transformation spearheaded by modern technological advancements. How? By improving athlete performance to making sports experiences accessible to fans worldwide.
Technological advancements are influencing the way we play, watch, and manage sports events. This article delivers context on how modern-day technology is playing a pivotal role in reshaping the realm of sports. With the help of our guest author Evelyn Balyton from MightyTips we’ll highlight their impacts in fan-favorite sports like boxing, basketball, and football.
New Sports Technology Redefining Sports in 2024-2025
The future of sports technology is looking great with the following innovations:
AI Coaching Bots
AI coaching bots is a significant technology in sports training. These intelligent systems go through datasets from training sessions, delivering personalized feedback to sports teams and athletes.
For example, AI bots give recommendations on how football players can position themselves for effective counterattacks. These bots are also vital in basketball, as they play a pivotal role in video and motion analytics. For context, these systems gauge shots and suggest techniques to increase accuracy.
AI coaching bots can help boxers refine their punching capabilities by giving context on data bits that might be overlooked by human coaches. These aspects include punch angles and the timing of defensive moves.
DID YOU KNOW: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in the sports market is expected to reach an estimated value of $6.59 billion by 2028. As such, it’s only a matter of time before this innovation becomes widespread.
Wearable Tech and Performance Analytics
Wearable technology has become part and parcel of modern sports. Associated devices deliver insights into a player’s real-time performance. In football, players wear mobile GPS tracking devices and heart rate monitors to get information on distance covered, speed, and physical exertion. Using the detailed data analytics and sports analytics from these devices, athletes and coaches can create training schemes to prevent physical exhaustion.
That said, wearables are used in sports like boxing to gauge the power and speed of punches, helping boxers optimize their performance in the long run. Wearable devices are also instrumental in basketball as related tools measure jumping height, ball recovery timelines, and acceleration. Armed with this information, these elite athletes can prevent injuries while improving their deficiencies.
Immersive Broadcasting With AR
Technologies like augmented reality are enhancing the way people watch sports events. With AR sports broadcasting, fans can enjoy sports and view their favorite events in real-time and get a hold of statistical data in-between broadcasts. This makes the viewing experience thrilling, engaging, and informative.
In football and basketball, AR can give an overlay of the goals/points, distance covered, and recoveries gotten by certain players within the team. Augmented reality in the boxing world sheds light on stamina levels and punch counts. The detailed insights tied to AR broadcasting makes the sports experience more accessible and understandable to casual viewers.
Video Assistant Referees
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) systems have become important in ensuring fairness during sporting events. With VAR, on-field sports officials can review footage of what happened to make informed decisions.
In football, these systems are instrumental for reviewing offsides, handballs, and fouls, ensuring crucial verdicts are delivered accurately and swiftly. Similarly, in the game of tennis, VAR comes to the fore to deliver verdicts on close calls, ensuring officiating is pinpointed from start to finish. Since one decision can change the outcome of a boxing match-up, VAR is now being used in the sport to help judges determine if an athlete threw a clean or foul punch.
That said, if you intend placing bets on this sport without hassles, consider the best sites for online boxing betting by Mightytips. Besides giving you a listing of the top boxing gambling sites, we deliver tips and strategies you can employ to make informed bets that’ll steer you toward decent to astronomical payouts.
DID YOU KNOW: The idea of the Video Assistant Referee was born as a part of the revolutionary Refereeing 2.0 project created by The Royal Netherlands Football Division in 2010. This system sought to use technology to ensure on-field decisions taken by referees were void of errors.
Digital Injury Prevention
Injuries can bar professional athletes from participating in their respective sports games. Modern technology, especially in the area of sports science, plays an important role in relegating these injuries to the background. Certain digital platforms utilize AI to gauge techniques that can lead to injuries.
Related systems are used in football to detect workloads and recovery training sessions, alerting coaches when a player is vulnerable to injuries. In boxing, digital injury prevention devices come in handy to weigh the frequency and intensity of sparring activities, minimizing the risk of muscle tears and concussions. These systems are also utilized in basketball, helping players steer clear from the overuse injuries peculiar to this sport.
Virtual Reality and Game Simulations
Virtual reality (VR) is changing the way athletes train, as it places them in virtual environments to practice and develop their skills without exerting too much energy.
VR sports simulations mimic real-world football matches, giving players an idea of how their opponents will shape up and how they can nullify associated threats. Back in 2015, Temple’s Coach, Matt Rhule, had this to say about using VR for game preparations:
“We have been using virtual reality for about a month now and have found it to be very helpful in our game preparation. We are probably just scratching the surface of its capabilities, but our quarterbacks, offensive line, linebackers, and safeties are really getting the benefit of extra practice reps each week.”
Virtual reality simulations also help boxers to test out newer techniques against other professionals, thereby improving their reaction times and strategic reasoning. Basketballers also use VR drills to practice shooting and free throws, using parameters obtainable in real-world courts.
But it doesn’t end there! In the sports betting world, virtual reality and game simulations can give bettors insights into sporting events they intend to wager on. Although these simulations won’t mirror the real thing, they’ll come in handy to make successful bets.
Data-Driven Talent Scouting
Gone are the days when sporting scouts would need to take long trips to colleges and local favorite teams to see how athletes performed. Modern technology at the fore has led to data-driven talent scouting efforts, enabling athletes worthy of recognition to get what they deserve. Related tools utilize AI to scour through thousands of data sets, giving scouts detailed performance analysis of a player without seeing them play in real-time.
For example, football scouts use these tools to assess a player’s speed, dribbling, vision, and defensive/attacking positioning. Data-driven talent scouting also comes good in boxing as it helps scouts find players with otherworldly physical and mental strength. In basketball, these systems help teams identify players with terrific shooting and rebounding attributes they can add to their ranks.
Blockchain Technology and Secure Ticketing
“Missing out on the big match after falling victim to a ticket scam can be devastating.” – BBC.
Blockchain technology has many use cases in diverse industries, including sports. This technology opens up new possibilities in ensuring secure ticketing in various sports. As such, the risk of scalping (a scenario where people sell stadium tickets for twice or thrice the price to unsuspecting fans) is practically non-existent.
Smart Stadiums and Increased Fan Engagement
The smart stadium concept is paving the way for an immersive fan experience. A technology-driven venue allows fans to access revolutionary add-ons such as 5G-enabled WiFi, immersive viewing tied to AR, and other personalized attributes that appeal to modern-day sports audiences.
In sports like football, basketball, and boxing, stadiums or venues that integrate these smart features deliver real-time access to statistics and replays. This scenery creates an immersive and engaging viewing experience that’ll see fans hungry for more.
