The Use of Technology in SportsDaniel Bristow, Peter Gong, Bronte Davis

and Devin Haslem

Computers should be incorporated into athletic events to eliminate the human errors made by sports officials. This incorporation would allow the best athlete or best team to be victorious and not have athletes or teams loose because of an error by an official.

Introduction

Tracking the flight path of a shot◦ FlightScope

Rangefinders◦ Calculate the distance from the ball’s position to

the pin on the green

Golf

Hawk-Eye Technology◦ 2D, 3D and 4D images combine to show trajectory

and where the ball lands◦ Heat maps track player movements to help with

statistics

Tennis

Video Goal Judge◦ Has final say over disputed goals◦ Located in Toronto

Communicate instantaneously with referees to confirm or deny goals

◦ On-ice referees do not have access to monitors for reviewing plays

Hockey

QuesTec◦ Pitch Tracking

Shows strikezone and whether a pitch is a ball or a strike

◦ Video Review Implemented for the 2014 season Managers and the crew chief of the umpires can

challenge a call Stats for September 2014

48 calls confirmed 58 calls stood 111 calls overturned

Baseball

Goal-Line Technology◦ Smart Ball

Soccer ball with location sensors imbedded inside When they cross the plane of the goal, it sends a

signal to the referee’s watch within a second◦ Hawk-Eye System

Combines images from 3 cameras fixed within the goal posts

Captures footage at 600 FPS Sends an audible tone to the referee’s headset to

indicate that a goal has been scored

Soccer

◦ Goal Ref System Uses radio frequencies fixed to two magnetic fields

One within the goal Coils affixed to the posts

One around the ball If a goal is scored, it sends a pulse and a message to

the referee’s watch

Soccer (cont.)

Referees will refer to instant replay in the event of being unable to determine possession after the ball goes out of play◦ Can only be used in the last two minutes of a

game Instant replay also used to determine if

there is a shot clock violation or not

Basketball

Perhaps the most technologically advanced mainstream sport

Referees use enhanced virtual reality to determine calls◦ First downs◦ Confirming field goals

Instant Replay◦ Used for confirmation◦ Consulted for challenges to calls made or not

made The referee has 60 seconds to determine whether

the footage is “incontrovertible visual evidence”

Football

Only the replay assistant in the booth may challenge a call on a scoring play, turnover or a play taking place after the two minute warning in either half

Football (cont.)

Reduce Errors Helps human judgment Benefits outweigh the costs Accuracy

Pros/Advantages

May not be a 100% reliable The role of a referee is reduced Cost of technology

Cons/Disadvantages

Examples of Technology in Sports

Pitch tracking Major League Baseball employs

technology that tracks pitches and measures strike zones, monitoring home plate umpires with cameras and computer analysis.

Electronic line judging The Cyclops computer system debuts at

Wimbledon, using infrared beams to help determine whether shots are in or out.

Hawk-eye system

During football games, broadcasts use yellow lines to show the distance needed for a first down. Like instant replay, the technology could move from the broadcast booth to an electronic aid for officials.

Virtual first-down line

Video

Data is recorded and used with complicated programs to create usable statistics

Large databases are used to track statistics with computers

Statistics in sports

Television development

Life before the TV Sound equipment computer

improvements High definition Graphical design artists

Player improvements

Fitness regimens OptimEye Other devices

NFL Investigation

Investigation description How computers were used in

investigation Outcomes of study