RUNNING HEAD: DIGITAL DETOX RESEARCH

Lauren Hawley

Digital Detox Research Paper: Technology in Sports

EL 601: Technology for Educational Leaders

Dr. Melissa Askren-Edgehouse

June 1, 2020
RUNNING HEAD: DIGITAL DETOX RESEARCH

Technology in sports throughout the past few decades has evolved in ways that some of

us didn’t even know was possible. At one point, it wasn’t even thought of to have the two mixed

together. When we look at sports now, we see all different types of technologies being used.

Most devices are being used during contests, but some devices are used for preparation for thoses

contests. With being a coach, I have found that technology plays a huge role in helping my

student-athletes become successful.

Barry D. Wilson states in the Sports Technology Journal that “camcorders and digital

video linked to computer capture and control provide inexpensive training tools for coaches. The

objective is to enhance coach and athlete performance through a better understanding of all

aspects of the athlete’s performance”. At Mount Union, as a softball coaching staff, we have

found that our student-athletes responde the best when they have the opportunity to see

themselves performing the tasks that they are working on. We record every practice that we have

and we also record individual practices of the athletes hitting and pitching so they can watch the

footage later with the coaching staff to break down what they can work on and change later.

Wearable technology has also become one of the biggest training tools that coaches and

athletes use. Ohio University states that “athletes wear sensors that convey real-time information

to a trainer’s tablet, GPS accurately pinpoints motion, smartphones keep everyone current and

wearable tech can prevent injuries”. Athletes can wear technology such as: Apple Watches,

FitBits, Garmin Smart Watches, and HR Monitors. By wearing this technology, athletes and

coaches are able to see the workouts that they are completing, their heart rates, and the different

paces they are going.

Instant replay is something remarkable that came into play what seems like not that long

ago. An article that I found on Sports Management Degrees Guide describes instant replays as “a
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technology that allows officials to be able to see exactly what happened, providing a second

perspective on sports events”. At the time, instant replay was only offered for so many sports,

now it is in play for just about every sport. Unfortunately, at the Division III level, we do not

have the advantage in softball to do any type of instant replays because most of our games are

not filmed. Sometimes I feel as if we should have that opportunity, but I also feel that it would

take away from the game that we grew up playing.

At one point, you weren’t able to watch sporting events unless you were watching them

in real-life, not on a technology device. With the luxury that we have today, we can watch a

sporting event basically at the tips of our fingers whenever and wherever we want. Sports

Business Journal adds “every major sports programmer gets most of their digital traffic via

mobile, and no rights deal of any consequences negotiated without mobile video rights”. When

we went to Florida for our spring trip, fans were able to stream our games through the app and

website FloSports. The sports streaming platform is huge now and I believe that it can only grow

from here.

Recruiting athletes can sometimes be difficult when you cannot watch them play in

person or if your team is playing the same time as theirs. Bleacher Report states that “scouting

talent has, since the beginning of time, been based on guts, feelings and instincts. Now, through

technological precision, scouts have an entire sheet of information on how fast an athlete can

run, how high they can jump and how accurate their passing is”. There are so many recruiting

websites and platforms out there that athletes can use to help them get recruited by colleges. This

is a great way for coaches to be able to see skills videos, and stats from their previous seasons.
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References

Barry D. Wilson (2008) Development in video technology for coaching, Sports Technology

Fisher, E., & April 30, 2018. (n.d.). Technologies that have revolutionized the sports industry.

Retrieved from
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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2018/04/30/Technology/Tech-

milestones.aspx

Five Exciting New Technologies Being Used in the Sports Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.sports-management-degrees.com/lists/five-exciting-new-technologies-being-

used-in-the-sports-industry/

How Technology is Revolutionizing Sports Training. (2020, February 3). Retrieved from

https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/how-technology-is-revolutionizing-sports-training/

Schindel, A. (2017, October 3). 20 Ways Technology Makes Sports Better. Retrieved from

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/773227-20-ways-technology-makes-sports-better