Technology in Sports
“From custom insoles made to change an athlete’s foot posture, on the field technology has been used to improve the performance of athletes. Technology advances everyday, and there are new products being endorsed to give our fellow athletes that competitive edge.”
The rhythm of the ball before shooting it into the hoop. The step by step process of dribbling a ball before you kick it into a goal. Slipping on new cleats you were just recommended online. Technology has shaped the aspect of every sport we play nowadays – from the automatic external defibrillator used to assess the state of Bronny’s heart state to the various gadgets and advancements in shoes, watches, and more. Many people believe technology can lead to the downfall of society as we know it. Let's determine the answer to this question, as it relates to sports.
From custom insoles made to change an athlete’s foot posture, on the field technology has been used to improve the performance of athletes. Technology advances everyday, and there are new products being endorsed to give our fellow athletes that competitive edge. One of these is a connected sensor known as the Yopi that is worn on the arm to measure oxygen consumption through electrolytes. According to one source, “Yopi shows the wearer’s respiratory exchange rate and which macronutrients — carbohydrates, fat or protein — the oxygen in the body utilizes more to create energy.” You can change your nutrition based on the amount of sweat you perspire in order to be at peak performance for game day. Watches have changed over the course of history in sports from being able to tell time to now being able to measure many data points. Brands like Garmin, Coros, and Apple can now tell your mile pace and your max oxygen intake. From my personal experience with sport watches, I can see a increase in my performance and pacing while jogging and sprinting.
Tech has even advanced in regards to our footwear, with different brands releasing carbon fiber shoes, with carbon plates that can “improve rigidity and increase propulsion." Carbon fiber has been revolutionary with increasing the performance of a beneficial running stride and improvement in heel striking and different running patterns. Statistics have shown an increase in running times in various distances with people using carbon fiber shoes. What are carbon fiber shoes you may ask? It's a shoe with a carbon fiber plate in between the sole and the shoe. Carbon fiber is way more reactive than metal and more lightweight, so it's a win-win in running because it is both lightweight and more cushioned, which equals better running and less energy is being used.
I asked some people to speak more to the aspect of what they believe tech does for them in sports. John, a 12th grader, believes “Using tech helps me track my calories for my fitness goals. I can also use tech to go on the internet and find new workouts and better ways to train, also helps me train harder and more optimally. Sports in tech is only increasing. Players can use it to workout, and treat injuries faster and easier.”
From phones to even watching workouts recommended to you on Instagram, technology shapes the way we train for our sports. Or, as Moh says, “Personally, the way technology has shaped the way I play sports is by allowing me to have something to work towards. Whether it be a certain time or distance, it provides me with more accurate ways of timing myself, and finding ways to make me enhance my performance. Even minor things like recording myself to improve my form have been beneficial.”
Technology has its negative aspects in the world but many people use it everyday. It's what you choose to do with it that benefits you from trying out a new workout from your favorite creator or gluing your eyes to the phone during the night. Some people may think that new technology is cheating because every little thing gives you an advantage on the field. But in my perspective since the dawn of time we have used every little thing to gain an advantage on the field from early practices and working when no one is working. I am not saying tech will take over, but let’s even up the advantages and see how much further humans can push themself to the limit.