A look into how technology is changing athletics.

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Technology In Athletics
Zachary Kanelis
Western Oregon University

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Technology has greatly impacted athletics in a plethora of ways​-​ from how athletes train
and prepare for competition to how competition is run and judged. Today’s coaches and
athletes have access to technologies that their predecessors never did which are elevating
athletics to new heights. Technology is an essential part of modern athletics with many great
benefits and applications such as enhanced data tracking and new recovery methods. As these
new technologies are developed the sports community does its best to keep up and integrate
them as seamlessly as possible into athletics, however many sports are still working out
specifics. Regardless of any initial issues that may arise, technology has never been more
central to athletics. This paper will examine how these new technologies are changing athletic
recruiting, training, competition, rule enforcement, athlete health, as well as fan spectatorship
and engagement.
Recruiting
Recruiting in collegiate athletics has vastly changed over the last 10 years. The
introduction of technology in the recruiting process has made it much more convenient for
athletic departments and the athletes being recruited. Originally, a recruit would receive letters
in the mail from schools and coaches to make initial contact and communicate. From here a
phone call and then an in person visit or meeting would potentially take place. “Coaches are
now using newer communication methods such as web tours, web cameras, webcasts, social
networking sites, scouting and recruiting services, instant messaging, and e-mail” (Thurston,
2015, p.5). In other words the days of using snail mail to reach out to an athlete is over.
Athletes being recruited now grew up with technology and coaches are finding it is easier to
reach them over social media. Having initial conversations online allows coaches and athletes to

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see if they might be a good fit for one another without having to spend money on travel to talk
in person. The process of finding and recruiting the right athletes can take time and resources
which one of the main reasons technology is being used so frequently in recruiting.
Scouting and recruiting services have also created websites where coaches and players
can interact. Some of these sites include: www.ncsasports.org (Next College student Athlete)
where athletes can build a recruiting profile and work with a team of recruiting experts and
rsascouting.com (Recruiting Student Athletes) which allows players to work with recruiters and
connect with coaches and teams who can also build profiles. There are professional​ ​sites such
as these as well as personal ones that athletes sometimes create to upload film, reach out to
coaches, and get instant feedback from potential schools. “Instead of sending out countless
tapes to college coaches, student-athletes are quick to utilize these quicker and more
convenient forms of connections to have multitudes of coaches see their potential” (Thurston,
2015, p.9). In other words coaches and athletes alike benefit from the use of technology in the
recruiting process. Before these convenient sites were created in person visits were a necessity
if a coach or scout wanted to see an athlete play. Recruiting services have greatly expanded the
opportunity for athletes from all across the country to get noticed by schools. Another way
some teams are beginning to recruit is through the use of big data.
Big data has begun to play a role in athletics in just the past few years. Ayers (2018)
explains how big data is starting to affect every aspect of athletics from athlete recruitment to
fan engagement. Professional baseball was an early adopter of big data and others are
beginning to follow. As more data was collected teams made more decisions based on it rather
than making “gut decisions.'' One startup called Profile 90 has created a platform that collects

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data on, and evaluates mental, physical and social factors that assist teams in analyzing and
picking the best recruits (Kennedy, 2018). The use of big data is still very new and can be
expensive so it will take some time to have large impacts in other sports. While professional
teams can cover these costs, teams at other levels may not be able to. College programs for
example do not always have massive budgets with room for something like big data
recruitment. As big data recruiting becomes more common it may become more affordable for
college teams and be used like it is at the professional level. The next section will discuss how
technology is utilized in training.
Training
Video analysis has greatly improved and is used to provide feedback to athletes. With
video analysis ranging from basic applications on smartphones to professional facilities. Some
applications mentioned by Glaeser (2017) include: Hudl Technique, Dartfish Express, and
Coach's Eye. These applications are great for basic things like form, timing and recording.
Professional facilities are better equipped with things such as force plates and inertia sensors
which allows coaches of all experience levels to better “see and understand movement and
guide the development of technique” (Muller, 2014, p.12). In short professional equipment is
helpful to even elite athletes and coaches. Professional devices can time movements with
accuracy up to 1/1000 of a second and provide instant feedback explains Muller (2014). These
specific measurements are great for initial coaching changes and can be used to track long term
changes as well. Long term tracking and data collection is important because it provides insight
to what an athlete’s body is doing through different phases of performance and competition.

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Applications can assist in almost every facet of training. The use of global positioning
systems (GPS) allows athletes to track activities including; running, biking, swimming, rowing,
and more. GPS is important in training so that an athlete can track progress and accurately
track things like pace. Most applications and some watches have GPS, time, and some have
heart rate monitors. Athletes can then workout in specific heart rate zones depending on the
type of workout they are doing. Detailed summaries are instantly available ​ ​and can be easily
shared. These same applications will also track diet, rest, energy levels, etc, all important things
to consider when training (Muller, 2014). These features are helpful for amateurs and
professionals alike. Having one application that can track and easily share this data has
immensely reduced the time it takes to gather and review it. This data is important to athletes
as they try to fine tune their bodies to reach maximum performance.
Outside of training and analysis, many professional athletes will share this data with
fans who want to see how they train and what they eat. Athletes share this information
because fans want to train and eat like their favorite athletes. It is also a good way for a
professional athlete to grow their following-creating opportunities for brand deals or
sponsorships. These technologies used in training are crucial for athlete development and
greatly impact performance in competition. How technology is being used in athletic
competition will be discussed next.
Competition
The way competitions are officiated, and how rules are enforced, are areas that have
made drastic changes for the better in recent years with the help of technology. The National
Football League (NFL) is a great example of this. NFL Football Operations (2021) describes the

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use of Pylon cameras to capture different angles; one down the sideline, the other across the
goal-line. Pylons are primarily used as markers on the goal line so officials can see if a player has
crossed the line on not (scored a touchdown). Now if there is a close call on the field, the pylon
cameras add yet another angle that officials can use for review. All reviews and challenges in
the NFL are sent to the Art Mcnally Gameday Central. Here technicians monitor every game
that is being played, as soon as something needs to be reviewed they begin looking for the best
angles and communicating with referees on the field. From the control center technicians can
select and show referees the best angles so they do not waste time looking for them (Gameday
central review process, 2021). The use of multiple camera angles helps NFL referees get the call
right more often to uphold the integrity of the game.
While it is widely accepted that technology is now a central part of athletics; it is not
always clear when or how to use it. There is still a lot of work to be done before technology is
seamlessly integrated in athletics. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been working
through some of these issues over the past few years and it is an ongoing effort. Last year they
implemented a new rule allowing coaches a challenge. Before video replay was only used when
referees deemed it necessary or when the rules dictated it needed to be used. The NBA could
look to the NFL’s successful integration of replay technology as an example going forward.
Currently however, there are a few issues that still need to be resolved which will be discussed
in the next section.
NBA coaches have several complaints on challenges and not everyone agrees. Sprung
(2020) shares differing coaches’ views. For example, Eric Spolstra of the Miami Heat does not
like the coach’s challenge because it slows the game down too much. Billy Donovan of the

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Oklahoma City Thunder thinks if coaches get their first challenge right they should be awarded
another until they get one wrong (a popular opinion around the league). Two successful and
respected coaches have very different views on the new rule. The NBA is trying to find a
balance between these two common perspectives because the NBA maintains the goal of
calling games as accurately as possible, but they also want to speed up the game. With current
replay rules, it appears to be one or the other, at least for now. Replay review technology
allows referees to go back and look at multiple angles to get a call right, but they cannot go
back and look at every single play or the game would never end. Balancing how and when to
use the available technology is not always clear.
The NBA is not alone in its struggle to use and regulate technology in competition; the
track and field community is having its own problems with new technology. The current hot
topic in track is footwear. Dawson (2020) explains that there has been a lot of debate and
criticism over Nike’s Alphafly series. The shoes are made with advanced foam and carbon fiber
plates which return more of an athlete’s energy. The Nike Alphafly which were worn by Eliud
Kipchoge in his world record marathon are not considered competition legal as they exceed the
40mm heel height limit imposed by World Athletics. Nike’s Next% shoes remain legal with only
one plate and a heel height of around 40mm, while the Nike sprint spike Viperfly is banned
because of the plate construction. There is concern that the rapid improvement in shoe
technology is giving some athletes an unfair advantage while others with different brands lag
behind. “Various studies have found the shoe improves running economy by 4-5%, depending
on the model, which likely translates to an improvement in race times of between one and two
minutes for elite marathoners” (Dennehy, 2020, is the Vaporfly really that effective section,

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para.1 ). These results have led athletes to complain that they are losing to others who are
wearing prototype shoes they cannot access. A ton of research is going into shoe technology,
while there are not specific figures on shoe research and development alone, Green (2017)
reports it is estimated that Nike spent around 2.5 billion dollars on research and development
over a five year period. To combat the rapid development as a result of this spending officials
are trying to determine what rules are fair as more and more companies develop gear to give
their athletes an advantage.
Health, Recovery, Injury Prevention and Treatment
The National Football League (NFL) is working on implementing technologies to make
the game safer for athletes. “health monitoring and brainwave analysis could help with the
concussion crisis and injury recovery” (Diaz, 2017, para. 4). In other words, the NFL has the goal
of eventually adding Bluetooth sensors that can measure acceleration and deceleration to the
helmets of players. From this data team doctors and trainers can instantly determine if a
collision between two players was enough to cause a concussion. This technology is already
present in shoulder pads and cleats, but from those locations sensors cannot detect how hard a
player’s head is hit. Data from shoulder pads and cleats is used to see what is really happening
when elite athletes hit each other at high speeds. Similar data is collected in other sports to
help with injury prevention and treatment. This data is crucial in determining causes for injury
and then creating the best treatment plan possible so athletes can return to competition.
Distance running does not see the massive collisions that the NFL does, which is a large
reason why there are much different injuries in running. In sports like track and cross country,
performance and injuries can often be linked to a runner’s form which is why wearable

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technology that can provide accurate feedback is highly sought after. Sensoria is a company
that makes artificial intelligence sportswear: such as their sensoria socks. Antony (2017) reports
the socks can “detect foot strike, weight distribution, and rhythm of movement to find out any
variation from usual data which can be used for early injury detection” (Para. 10). To clarify, if a
distance athlete begins to run abnormally in any way it is an indicator that they have an injury
or could be developing one. Injuries in distance running commonly come from overuse and
develop over time; which is why early detection from wearable technology is important. Other
wearable footwear Antony (2017) mentions includes Stridalyzer, which is an insole that
identifies force and pressure, and Runscribe which is a chip that attaches to shoes and produces
a stress record for athletes. Data and reports can often be easily accessed through mobile
applications. This allows an athlete, coach or trainer to quickly look at data and at the very least
get a baseline to an athlete’s health and performance.
Technology is not always able to prevent injuries from occurring. An unfortunate but
ultimately inevitable part of sports is that athletes will get hurt. When these injuries do occur, it
is important to get athletes back to full health as soon as possible. The longer an athlete is out
of competition for the harder it can be for them to return. Fortunately, just as technology has
made great strides in preventing injury, it has also made it easier and more efficient to treat
injuries that do occur. The Medical Futurist (2018) says “Regarding diagnostics, portable
medical devices and real-time visualization will make a difference in the future” (Sports Injury
Rehabilitation section, para. 2). This is important because the faster an injury is diagnosed the
sooner a treatment plan can be created. Professional teams in the NBA and NFL have team
doctors who can usually perform an X-ray at the stadium. Orenstein (2015) reports that all 32

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NFL teams have an X-ray machine in their stadium, and that almost every game at least one
player is X-rayed. This way teams can quickly clear a player or determine he cannot return to
the game, reducing risk for further injury.
Once an injury has been diagnosed doctors and athletic trainers have access to new
technology to make the recovery process smoother. A great example of this is the Alter G: an
anti-gravity treadmill. Ortho Sport Physical Therapy (2021) mentions several functions and
benefits to the Alter G treadmill. A user can select anywhere between 20 and 80 percent of
their body weight to run on allowing them to rehabilitate lower body injuries with less pain and
reduced impact. This presents an athlete the opportunity to continue working out and maintain
full range of motion through injury that would normally keep them off their feet. Another
company called “VRPhysio'' is using virtual reality (VR) games to treat injuries. The VR makes
physiotherapy exercises much more enjoyable for patients and is easy for doctors to monitor,
explains The Medical Futurist (2018). This VR technology being used in therapy is a great way to
make a patient’s recovery a little easier. There is already enormous stress put on athletes which
is why keeping their spirits up an especially important part of getting them back to competition.
Fans and spectators
Technology is changing athletics for fans as well- how the game is viewed and how fans
interact and connect has been forever changed in recent years. Fan engagement and
interaction has become a more central focus for many sports teams using digital technologies.
Karp (2019) says “Social media has become a driving force in the sports industry. Teams and
athletes invest in extending their online presence by developing and promoting team-based
content to stay connected with fans while they are at an event and post event” (para. 2). In

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other words, organizations are making an effort to post more content and updates on events
while also responding and interacting with fans over social media. Many sports fans are very
loyal making social media a great way to share content with them while potentially building a
larger fan base.
The National Hockey league (NHL), in an effort to reach new fans signed a deal with
Snapchat. Karp (2019) outlines some of the contracts details; every week on Snapchat there is a
NHL top 10 plays reel, every NHL stadium has its own geofilter, and every team has its own
bitmoji outfits. A Snapchat geofilter is a special filter or sticker a user can add to their Snapchat
based on location, and a bitmoji outfit allows a Snapchat user to dress their avatar in whatever
style they want. These are great ways to keep fans engaged and allow them to represent their
favorite team's gear. The deal has also put the NHL in a great position to reach new, younger
fans on the platform as they “see fans sharing millions of images on snapchat every day” (Karp,
2019, para. 6). This means the NHL has done a great job in creating content for its younger fans
on social media and every time they use it all of their friends see it as well. The NHL has
leveraged social media to reach the maximum number of fans and potential fans it can.
Fans can interact and participate in athletics in ways other than social media; sports
betting and fantasy sports have grown in popularity in recent years. Isidore (2015) says fantasy
sports are when “fans choose from real players in an online selection process, or a draft, to
assemble a fantasy team. The players' real-game statistics are compiled and compared to see
whose fantasy team has done the best” (Para.3).​ ​Baker (2020) reports that there are 19 states
where sports betting is legal- 12 of which have full-scale online betting, four states that have
passed bills and are in the process of making it fully operational, and 9 states that currently

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have active bills. Even with only around 30 percent of all states having access to legal sports
betting, Purdum (2020) says that since sports betting first became federally legal in 2018 more
than 20 billion dollars has been bet with U.S sportsbooks. Online sports betting is not only
changing how fans interact with sports but the U.S gambling industry itself. DraftKings and
FanDuel who started out in daily fantasy sports are both now full online casino operators who
according to Purdum (2020) are “well ahead of more traditional gambling companies like MGM
Resorts and Caesars Entertainment”(Para. 7). In other words, online sports betting through
sites that used to be primarily for fantasy sports are now becoming more successful than
traditional gambling companies in the sports world. Fantasy sports are no different, with
around 60 million players it has become a multi-billion dollar industry that has led fans to watch
specific players rather than teams, and focus attention on statistics rather than just the overall
game (Serazio 2019). There is a huge market for both industries in the sports world and more
growth is expected.
Fans' love of sports betting and fantasy sports have played a role in how younger
generations view sports, as has social media. Younger generations do not follow sports the
same way older generations did explains Baker (2020). Furthermore he says they are less likely
to consider themselves fans, and less likely to watch sports. Generation Z is much different
from other generations; “They watch highlights, not games; the follow athletes, not teams,
they’re just as interested in an Instagram story as they are in last night’s box score” (Baker,
2020, Para. 6). To summarize, being a sports fan is not the same as it used to be, people follow
their favorite players through fantasy sports instead of watching games-all the good plays will
be on social media anyways. It is for these reasons that teams have social media managers,

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often more than one, who do nothing but respond to fans and curate content for social media
accounts.
​Conclusion
Technology has not yet been perfectly integrated into athletics. There is however, no
doubt that it has changed, and continues to change athletics. From how fans spectate and
interact, to the competition itself. Big data and social media now play a bigger and bigger role in
recruiting. Through social media fans can interact with their favorite teams and players like
never before while also seeing top plays and statistics. New technology used to track and
enhance training is not only helping athletes reach new heights in competition but is also used
in injury prevention and recovery. New replay technology and rules such as the ones being used
in the NFL are helping officials get the call right more often. There are still bumps in the road as
leagues try to keep up with regulating new technologies that are ever changing. While large
companies are spending billions in research and development in an attempt to provide their
athletes with the best gear and technology. It may not always be clear how and when to use
technology but one thing is certain, technology impacts every aspect of athletics.

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