The Role of Technology in Professional Sports - Yuvraj Lakhotia (Guest-writer)

In the twenty-first century, sports have transformed from skillful games to competitions of analytical ability. Nearly every major league makes use of the latest technologies to improve game quality, enhance athlete performance, and promote itself among a larger audience.

An example is the use of VAR in professional soccer leagues. I’m a dedicated viewer of the English Premier League and knowledgeable about the recent addition of the video assistant referee (VAR). This “fifth referee,” a room of off-field officials reviewing game footage and communicating with the on-field official, has not only overturned game-deciding decisions but also brought with it endless debate and controversy. VAR can be reviewed for almost any call, such as events leading up to goalscoring opportunities, denial of an opportunity, card decisions, and much more. VAR’s cousin, goal-line technology can be used to decide if the ball crossed the line, awarding or rescinding goals as a result. The NFL’s Pylon Cams similarly provide an ant’s-eye view of the goal line and are reviewed by NFL referees to finalize the ruling.

In general, the rapidly expanding powers of modern cameras and tools such as computer vision have been utilized to the maximum and taken their place in sports. But again and again, upon one unfavorable call that goes viral on social media, the legitimacy and fairness of these technologies come into question. So, do technologically advanced tools really belong in professional sports? The countless benefits that technology brings with it onto the field are faced by fans who wish to maintain the “purest game” untainted by the newer additions. And while I, too, appreciate the beauty of every sport, my unique intersection of interests also excites me to see the extent to which technology can influence it.

Already, we see the unreal level at which athletes are performing compared to a few decades ago. Such staggering improvements have been greatly aided by the analytics, which AWS (Amazon Web Services) is well-known for. Not only do they highlight areas of weakness, but they can also minimize injury by predicting it. These AI models are fascinating and definitely an area to look into if you’re interested in the field.

Moving away from the direct impact of sports, technology makes the viewing experience more pleasurable. Constantly evolving camera angles, filming techniques, and higher-quality streams allow those (like myself) unable to travel halfway around the world to feel connected with the events occurring far away.

Overall, the possibilities are, really, endless for the different roles technology can fill in the various sports played across the world. Instead of simply being a tool used by referees, could we reach a point of sophistication where the computer is the referee? Or even extremer, could humans be completely replaced by robots on the field, and the sport becomes BattleBots 2.0?

I’m just kidding; I don’t think that’s realistic – for now, at least.