Will Technology Ruin the Competitive Nature in Sport?
by James P. Outreach & PR ExecutiveSport and technology are inextricably linked and perhaps
this statement couldn’t be truer than it is in 2020.
Now, more than ever before, the role that technology is
playing in all disciplines of sports is unable to be ignored. Think back to the
beginning of lockdown in mid-March when the ‘run 5k’ phenomenon took off — the
fuel behind it was technological advancement. Being able to track your runs and
share them with your social media companions.
At the top level, however, is technology fuelling successful
development within sport or is it simply destructing any form of competition? In
this article, Charles Tyrwhitt
take a look.
Straight-up tech
On 12th October 2019 Eliud Kipchoge took part in
what was titled the INEOS 1:59 Challenge — a bid to break the sub-two-hour
marathon barrier. On that cold, misty morning in Vienna, not only did Kipchoge
successfully complete the challenge, he did it with 20 seconds to spare, and added
another incredible achievement to his already impressive list.
Despite eclipsing his own personal best and the world record
by almost two minutes, the 1:59:40 did not stand as an official world record
due to the conditions under which it took place. It wasn’t a race by definition
or in the words of running commentator Toni Reaves it was “a second chance
marketing exhibition for a plastics manufacturer and springy shoes.”
A laser-like system projected from a car moving along in
front of Eliud detailed the required pace of the runner to beat the time, road
markings on the track suggested the quickest possible route, and aerodynamic
specialists had labelled a seven-person windbreaking system as the best
possible way to counteract drag.
The most contentious aspect of the feat however centred
around the athlete’s shoes—the Nike Vaporfly have caused ructions between the
manufacturer and World Athletics, with critics suggesting they should be banned
because they are virtually ‘technological doping’. The shoe, which combines a
rubber known as Pebax with carbon fibre plates in the sole, works to deliver a
percentage of the energy the runner puts in back.
Despite the shoes not being banned by the governing body, it
has been suggested that the advantage which they offer users is incomparable to
alternatives.
Injury
While innovative technologies are often on the receiving end
of abuse, one area they impact upon, which cannot be discredited, is fitness
and prevention of injury. However, even the most technophobic fans wouldn’t be
able to suggest that this inhibits competition.
In rugby for example, we have seen the introduction of a
number of new pieces of equipment that reduce the risk players are placed
under. GPS trackers sewn into the back of shirts return data that allows
coaches to see when the body is being placed under significant strain, such as
in scrums or in periods of contact. These various data points allow for
decisions regarding training, substitutions, and even additional training.
Concussion
is a main area for concern in rugby, with players who’ve suffered from head
injuries in the sport going on to develop chronic traumatic encephalopathy. With
doctors on the touchline having to depend, in some degree, on the players
honesty when it comes to head injury assessments, a development made by OPRO+ is truly
revolutionary.
The company has started implementing impact sensors into
their gumshields, which can relay information linked to the collision and allow
for a more accurate assessment of the injury. Linear accelerometers built into
the shield measure the impact of a specific force in a specific direction, whether
that be forwards, backwards, up, or down.
Data Analysis
Whether it’s a high school hockey coach sitting down with
his players ahead of a final to discuss the opposition’s penalty taking trends
or Brad Pitt running information through a generator in Moneyball to
discover the exact players that would allow him to win, data analysis has
always played a major role in sports.
What we’re witnessing more prominently now, however, is the
implementation of an evidence-based approach. Video analysis is allowing coaches
to sit with players and detail every aspect of their game with pin-point
accuracy.
Deutscher Fußball-Bund, the German Football Association,
cross-referenced goals in games across the entirety of a season and were able
to detail that repetitive sprints were the single most important factor in the
creation of lucrative goal scoring opportunities — encouraging investment into
players who were not only fast, but could build up that rapid pace in the
shortest time period.
Across all disciplines, meanwhile, data analysis of
performance has encouraged in the introduction of improved training techniques.
The likes of HIIT (high intensity interval training) has been drafted into a
number of sports thanks to the ways in which it allows athletes to utilise explosive
power.
There is little in regard to the introduction of enhanced
analysis technology into sport that you could suggest limits competition.
Environment
A Ted talk discussing whether humans are getting faster and
stronger draws comparison between Jesse Owens’ world record in the 100 metres
from the 1936 and Usain Bolt’s from the World Championships in 2013.
The speaker notes that when Bolt had finished, Owens would
still have had 14 feet to go. But, here’s the thing — Bolt was running on an
impeccably designed running track, developed to allow the fastest travel
possible. Owens on the other hand? He was running on the ash from burnt wood,
which rather failed to offer the same buoyancy, alternatively snatching energy
from his stride.
Compare the footballers of then with the footballers of now.
Take Premier League legends like Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney for example.
They were strong, muscular characters who forced their way onto the ball and
used their power to jostle opposition players out of the way.
Nowadays it’s a rarity to see strikers with a similar
stature. Instead, players are getting lighter, taller, and ultimately, faster,
using pace as opposed to power to grab goals.
Why is that though? Professor Alan Nevill of the University
of Wolverhampton places significant emphasis on the development of playing
surfaces. Nevill
notes: “modern pitches are immaculate and well-maintained and not the mud
baths that they used to be. Pitches used to get very heavy and soggy,
particularly in mid-winter, which accounted for players being bulkier and more
muscular.”
One would then have to ponder how the stars of yesteryear would
perform in the league of today or vice versa. Would the likes of George Best,
depicted as one of the most talented of all time still shine on such a
fast-flowing surface and would Raheem Sterling be able to dominate and dazzle
on a continually water-logged pitch?
However you look at it, technology is here to stay. In
certain circumstances, it is easy to see why it has been criticised,
particularly when it fails us. However, by actively making sports safer and
improving the overall ability of athletes, it wouldn’t be fair to suggest that
it has been a hindrance.
Sources
https://www.wellspring.com/blog/2016/08/17/olympic-innovations-how-technology-impacted-swimming
https://www.oregonlive.com/soccer/2019/06/is-technology-like-var-ruining-sports-commentary.html
http://drmonto.com/blog/2016/11/16/harde
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Created on Nov 20th 2020 07:22. Viewed 187 times.