Artificial intelligence (AI) was once a concept confined to the world of science fiction, but groundbreaking technology is now freely available and is transforming various sectors, including professional sports. The sports industry was once dominated by human intuition and physical prowess but is now integrating AI to enhance performance, optimize strategy and tactics, and improve many aspects of the medical side of sports. We are about to explore how AI is reshaping professional sports.
Businesses Linked to Professional Sports Were Early AI Adopters
Many businesses linked to the professional sports industry were early adopters of AI. Websites selling tickets and merchandise were among the first to use AI to power chatbots and virtual assistants that could work around the clock, answering customers’ basic queries and making sales 24/7.
Such chatbots were then adopted by websites specializing in betting online, with those businesses eventually harnessing AI’s immense processing power and ability to analyze swathes of data in seconds. Odds compilers for these companies use AI to analyze an unfathomable amount of data and variables. The result is highly accurate odds and probabilities produced in seconds, where a human would take several hours or days.
AI’s ability to quickly and accurately process data makes it a game-changer in professional sports.
Enhancing Player Performance and Training
Any sports fan who has watched an English Premier League soccer match will undoubtedly have seen the players remove their shirts at the end of the game and wondered why they were all wearing a cut-down vest with a visible box inserted in the back. This wearable technology is all the rage in sports, where coaches want to squeeze every ounce of performance out of their players and find even the smallest of edges in a game.
Wearable AI technology is equipped with multiple sensors that analyze every aspect of an athlete’s performance. The technology records and processes information such as speed, heart rate, and movement patterns in real-time, enabling coaching staff to alter their tactics as the game progresses.
Such technology is becoming increasingly mainstream in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Experts use AI to analyze a player’s shooting mechanics, studying the ball’s trajectory, the speed of the shot, and the player’s ball release point. By examining this data in depth, coaches can provide detailed feedback to players on improving their shooting technique.
Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Preventing injuries is one area where AI has made significant strides. Sports injuries can be career-ended or severely impact an athlete’s performance, so preventing them from happening is high up on the coaching staff’s priorities. The sensors in wearable tech can identify risk factors such as fatigue and a change in the athlete’s regular movement range, allowing coaches to remove them from the field of play before a slight knock becomes a more severe injury.
The National Football League (NFL) teams use sensors in their players’ protective gear, especially their helmets, to analyze if they have taken significant impacts during training or on game day. Medical professionals use this data to help prevent potentially life-changing concussions by substituting a player who has absorbed several heavy tackles and is showing signs such blows are affecting their performance.
AI also assists medical staff in rehabilitating players once they have become injured. Machine learning models track the progress of injured athletes, providing real-time feedback and adjustments to their recovery plans. This advanced approach can help the athlete recover more efficiently while reducing the risk of re-injury. Try out Ortho Bracing, they carry the highest quality for orthopedic surgery recovery and pain relief.
Player Recruitment and Scouting
Scouts play an integral role in a sports team’s recruitment process and have done so since the beginning of time. Scouting fresh talent was a long, drawn-out process requiring a scout to attend several training sessions or games to watch the potential recruit in action.
Teams now use AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data on players from leagues they ordinarily would not look into or know about. These algorithms assess performance metrics, physical attributes, and even psychological factors to identify potential recruits, making it more likely they will seamlessly fit into the team.
Officiating and Fair Play
Both teams and sports officials are embracing AI technology in professional sports. Athletes and supporters demand that everyone compete on a level playing field, and AI is helping ensure fairness across a wide range of sports.
Soccer has adopted the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system, which uses an array of cameras handled by a team of officials in a studio away from the stadium. These “fourth officials” check key moments of a game, such as potential offsides and penalties, plus any off-the-ball incidents that the on-field referee may have inadvertently missed in the heat of the game. This technology helps officials make more accurate decisions by reducing human error.
Tennis uses Hawk-Eye technology to track the ball’s trajectory to determine whether it lands in or out of bounds. First developed for cricket, Hawk-Eye has significantly improved the accuracy of line calls, ensuring fair play and reducing disputes.
Ethical Considerations and Challenges
Although integrating AI in professional sports offers many benefits, it raises potential ethical issues and challenges. Data privacy is a primary concern because vast amounts of personalized player data could be misused if they fall into the wrong hands.
In addition, there is the potential for over-reliance on AI, removing the human element of sports that makes them unique to millions of fans worldwide. Sports fans want games to be a battle of wits between coaches and players, not one revolving around who has the most advanced technology that can alter tactics with little to no human interaction.
Conclusion
Nobody can deny that artificial intelligence is transforming professional sports. It is bringing about unprecedented changes in player performances, injury prevention, recruitment, and officiating. However, ethical considerations and challenges must be overcome. As technology advances, AI’s role in professional sports will grow, enabling athletes to reach new performance highs and making sports more competitive and exciting.
