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The Hot Corner
Every month Sports Media Challenge discusses at least one incident or issue in the world of sports news. Most will be case studies or commentaries prompted by exposure in the news. We especially welcome ideas and comments from sports professionals including athletes, coaches, executives at all levels of sport including professional, collegiate and other amateur ranks. We will periodically include your comments and observations.
Latest Update -- February 19, 2001:
Previous Topics
By
Karin M. McKemeyFebruary 19, 2001
"Technosports" - Is it going too far?
They have microphones in the huddles of the XFL and microchips in the helmets of the NHL - Technology is giving sports venues a whole new look and feel and while the fans may be getting what they want, the players may be getting more than they bargained for.
Thanks to a computer chip strategically placed in hockey players' helmets, owners, coaches, announcers and fans can now see how fast a player skates as well as judge the impact of the check in the corner. Computers will generate mounds of data for coaches regarding the speed and agility of an athlete, turning a game into a scientific study - or a "technosport" if you will. Opponents of the merging of the human body with sport technology say it will eliminate the "human factors" in sport. It gets rid of the errors, oversights and eliminates the creativity and freedom of expression, which make each athletic performance unique. As a result - the athlete's performance is no longer as fascinating and in some cases even mystical in its accomplishments. Sports are becoming programmed spectacles.
On the flip side, one could argue that yes, technology has made an impact in sports - but in a positive way. Racecar drivers can now sustain an impact at 125 MPH and walk away. Equipment is made lighter and better to protect athletes, and of course interactive websites have given fans more accessibility to the players they love - and gives the players more contact with those that support them.
But could it be that the new technology that is slowly emerging be pushing the athletes outside the realm of what is humanly possible? We know Hockey players hit and hit hard - but if a player goes down with blurry vision and the new computer chip ticks out on the television that the impact was minimal - what stigma does the player now face? What does the coach do? Will contract negotiators take this data into account when it comes time to re-sign? Society has come to view the human body as an invincible machine. Physiologically, however, the human body isn't designed as a machine, and therefore shouldn't be expected to perform as such. A machine can repeat a movement several thousand times without the risk of breakdown, but the human body can't.
This machinelike view of the body poses the problem that humans, unlike machines, have tendons, cartilage, muscle, fat, a limited energy supply, anxiety and other human emotions, all of which affect the performance of the skill. Franchise owners have already given in to more 'time-outs' for commercials, instant replay so we can analyze every aspect of a slam-dunk and taken the mystery out of a perfectly pitched curve ball. These changes may have already undermined to a degree, the traditional values of sport.
Now, Athletes may be wary of participating in such sports due to a high emphasis on technology rather than natural human performance. As well, spectators might not watch the games because they are unable to identify with robot-like athletes. Athletes have been made increasingly aware that while the cameras are rolling and mic's are on - they need to be conscious of what they say, now it seems with a new age of computers churning out information - they have to watch what they do as well.
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