Technology is inescapable, touching our lives in countless ways, and sports haven’t been left out of the technological revolution. The proliferation of laptops, smartphones, and tablets has allowed fans to keep track of their favorite teams and athletes 24 hours a day. When fans want to check the odds on their favorite team winning a game, all they have to do is open up an app. Betting is one of the easiest ways for enthusiasts to actively participate in the sports they love, and technology has made it easier for them to wager on sporting events. Sportsbooks like Paddy Power offer free bets to new customers, allowing them to get to know their apps before going all in. As technology continues to advance, these trends will continue. This article explores some of the many ways in which technology has changed sports.
Video Games
If you’ve played FIFA 22, Madden 22, or another sports simulation video game, you know how much technology has advanced these series in just a few short years. These games are visually stunning, immersive experiences that transport useres to a world where they can be players or managers across a 15-year career. As they explore the game, they may decide to use the create-a-club option to design their very own club with a custom crest and home stadium.
Another option is the game mode, where users can build their ultimate team and play online or offline. From the FIFA welcome story to scoring a goal, there’s so much realism it’s hard to believe that you’re playing a game. The same is true of Madden 22; it pulls you in with its realistic portrayal of the NFL, making you forget you’re in a fantasy world instead of real life. Technology has taken sports-themed video games to a level few could have imagined only a decade ago.
Fantasy Sports
As a sports lover, sometimes playing a video game and betting on your favorite team isn’t enough to quench your thirst for the game. That’s where fantasy sports come in, allowing you to assemble an imaginary team of real athletes. The better the athletes on your fantasy team perform in games in real life, the more points your fantasy team accumulates. You go up against others on the internet with the goal of having the most points at the end of the season.
When fantasy sports began, players needed a paper and pencil to keep track of stats, and most competed in local clubs. Today, fantasy sports teams span the globe with apps keeping track of stat lines in real-time. There are leaderboards, and you always know where you stand, adding excitement to the competition. When you play fantasy sports, you learn a sport inside out, making it one of the most exciting ways for sports fans to spend their free time.
Enhanced Training and Conditioning
Athletes have always trained hard to stay at the top of their game. Technology has improved their performance by allowing them to train more efficiently than in the past. Today’s athletes can access gyms with cutting-edge equipment, allowing them to stay in tune with their bodies as they exercise. Since each athlete has unique needs, trainers use artificial intelligence to personalize their routines. And that’s not all; athletes can use wearables to monitor their body temperature, heart rate, brain activity, and hydration levels. Trainers and coaches can use all the information gathered from wearables to help athletes push harder and go further in their training. They can also develop customized nutrition plans based on an athlete’s weight, body type, and other parameters to enhance their training and conditioning.
Enhanced Communication
YouTube has made it easy for amateur and professional athletes to perform at their best. There are countless videos on the platform that provide information on everything from workouts to game plays. Trainers can easily share information with athletes by uploading a video to YouTube, allowing them to train at home during their free time.
Applications such as MyFitnessPal make it easy for athletes to track their food intake and optimize their macronutrients to ensure they build muscle and fuel their bodies properly. Moreover, athletes can share this information with their coaches and trainers to ensure personal accountability and make it easy to adapt their diet as necessary.
Buying Tickets
Technology has not just benefited athletes; it has also made fans’ lives easier. Before the internet, buying a ticket for a sporting event wasn’t a seamless experience. You often had to wait on the phone for hours or call a number repeatedly, hoping you could score a ticket for the big game. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to result to scalping and paying exorbitant prices to attend a game.
Although tickets still sell out quickly, the internet has eliminated the need for fans to wait on the phone to buy tickets. There are even online platforms that coordinate the entire ticket purchasing process, making it easy to buy tickets without stress. Ticket scalpers have also evolved, and fans can often get tickets for a lower price by going through some of these services. You can even wait until the last minute to buy tickets for a game and still have a decent chance of getting them.
Watch Sports Anywhere
At the turn of the 21st century, the best way to watch sports was on your TV. If you wanted to see games outside your local market, you’d have to subscribe to the sports package for your cable service, which could quickly get expensive. Streaming has changed all of that in just a few short years. You can watch the NBA finals or the Superbowl on almost any device with an internet connection from almost anywhere in the world. If you miss a big game, you can always go back and watch it because streaming platforms offer on-demand viewing. You can also get instant updates on your phone about the status of your favorite athletes, injuries, and statistics. If you want to stream your favorite sports analysts, you can do that too. The hardest part is not figuring out how to watch a game; rather, it’s deciding which streaming service to choose.
