Technology for Sports……….Revolution or Illusion?
Sports and games have been part of human society for thousands of years. The importance of these things should not be underestimated. Much of young children's learning comes from participating in sports and games, and this same participation as adults can lead to happier, healthier and more productive lives. Sports is the only platform where billions of people comes together from diverse region, race and culture to express their values and talent. Now when it comes to the technology, it has been an evolution in every aspects of sports, whether in a broadcasting or game playing. But there are still lot of discussion whether the sports needs technology or it should be remained the same.
We all know that technology plays a major role in sports. If it weren’t for new inventions and innovative ideas, half the sports we know of wouldn’t exists. If it weren’t for technology we wouldn’t have the instant replay, the headset for coaches to throw or even the wireless microphone for our referees to mix up their words on. In fact, tech has become so prominent and important to the game that we now come to expect gadgets and slow-motion video to determine important outcomes, such as Whether Virat Kohli has just hit the 4 or 6 to grab his incredible century or whether Roger Federer has just hit the winner at Wimbledon. However, technology has come a long way since those early discoveries.
In every Sports today, various technologies has change the gameplay from top to bottom. Like with goal-line technology, referees can make the correct decision so the results can’t be impacted. This technology was introduced to overcome the problem of Goal declaration which happened in FIFA World Cup 2010 match between England and Germany. With the team 2 – 1 down in the 38th minute the Uruguayan linesman, Mauricio Espinosa, failed to spot that a shot from Frank Lampard had rebounded down from the cross bar and had crossed the line. Denied the opportunity to draw level before half-time the Germans went on to rout England 4 – 1, the team’s heaviest ever loss in a World Cup finals. Due to this controversy, goal-line technology is now in placed in some of the leagues and competition. But it is still affecting the game because of that. Offside decision, Penalty decision and many more gameplays are still affecting because of the lack of the technology.
Currently the NFL is facing a problem of declining ticket sales across the league. Their TV ratings are incredible and there is no loss of interest in their product. Part of the problem is the stagnant economy that sees a far too large % of people unemployed. And those who are employed are much more discriminate with their disposable income. The increased cost of an NFL ticket and parking and concessions makes a Sunday afternoon trip to the stadium an expensive affair. There are lot of debates like “Why we should implement millions of dollars of equipment, when most of the countries are facing the financial crisis? ”. If every decision was spot on there would be no talking points and the game would become very predictable and even if there is technology, it is still down to the opinion of that one person viewing the image and making the decision. Who’s to say they will get it right? It also takes decisions away from the ref who may have seen it differently and not agree with the decision.
New technology is generally quite a new and exciting concept when it comes to football. New boots, soccer balls and jerseys are very exciting when they are released to investigate them and maybe purchase them. Today companies are using premium materials to create their products to keep improving them. Understandably this comes at a cost and generally a very high cost which results in families getting put under a lot of financial stress. I know as a kid I wanted to have the latest and greatest Nike boots but we couldn't afford to get a pair of shoes that costs Rs. 2000 a pair. This is a massive negativity with technology because it is so expensive and so many people are unable to purchase these products. Sometimes due to Technology, the chance of player’s injuries also get increased. In MotoGP and F1, the technology has made the cars and tracks so fast that it’s more fun to watch but the chances of injuries has been increased notably 30% more due to that. Death of Marco Simoncelli is one of the great example. But there is also an example that because of the Death of cricketer Phil Hughes in Australia due to shorter helmet, the new protective helmet has been created using new technology.
It also is very time consuming which takes up playing time. This annoys people because millions have been put into the review systems but obvious mistakes ate still made. Technology has created more ways to cheat. This is bad because it gives teams or individuals an unfair advantage. For example in cricket players may use drugs to bowl the ball faster and with more aggressions or to hit the ball harder and further. In cricket bowlers can cheat by changing the ball which makes it move in different directions.
In the end, I would like to conclude this matter on a high notes with some required changes that should be implemented. Technology has surely give us some great advantages that will be historical forever. If it wouldn’t have for technology, we will not able to see the winning six of M.S Dhoni which ended the 28 years drought of Cricket world Cup. If it wouldn’t have for technology, we will not able to see the winning goal of Mario G?tze which led Germany to win their first FIFA World cup after the reunification of Germany. It’s almost impossible to try and imagine where technology will take us next. Will there one day be tiny live cameras and microphones inserted into basketballs, footballs, and baseballs that allow fans to get an even closer view of the action? Will we all one day be playing video games with holographic players on a life size field? Will advertising one day be controlled using our brain waves? It may all sound far-fetched but the technology is there, and it may be on the market sooner than you think. But the use of the technology should be implemented as per the necessity, so it can reduced the expenses and the excitement of the game can be sustained.