2015 has been a breakthrough year for sport all around the world in terms of technological progression. Tracking technology can now follow an athlete right down to the millimetre, virtual reality is changing the game at the athlete, fan and organization level and injury prevention technology is becoming increasingly vital to professional success, and is why scientists are now finding ways to manage and prevent certain injuries that would normally just be ‘part of the game’.
With 2015 coming to a close we have identified the three sports technology trends that stood out this year, and look ahead to 2016.
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Player Tracking Technology
While tracking technology has been around the market for quite some time now, 2015 has seen it rise to the forefront of how teams around the world create their success. This year, the MLB brought in analytics firm, Statcast to provide fans with a world first in data tracking, making all stats publicly available and made an ‘All-Statcast Team’ at the end of the season. The NFL also fully integrated Zebra Technologies’ player tracking RFID chips that were inserted into every shoulder pad in the league to create next generation stats.
Other sports such as rugby, soccer and football have all been making solid investments in companies like Catapult and Statsports to analyze workloads, providing coaches with ideal plans that will bring out the best interest for both the team, and the individuals themselves.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality technology is on the cusp of truly changing sport forever. This year saw many teams use VR in a multitude of ways. Top examples include, the Sacramento Kings utilizing Oculus’ headset to sell and promote their new venue to investors and fans, creating a life-like simulation of anywhere in the building. Similarly, the Washington Capitals teamed up with STRIVR to provide an experience of skating on the ice with the athletes that fans could consume.
However, marketing is not the only way that virtual reality is making its impact. Tests were carried out this year to see whether the technology could be useful in a quarterback’s training. The idea hopes to eliminate the complexities of the playbook, let QB’s practice the exact plays through virtual reality goggles and cut down on physical exertion while not cutting down on mental practice. Many NFL teams adopted STRIVR’s VR tech this season to try and give their QB’s a training edge. Look for other sports and teams to heavily adopt VR in 2016.
Injury Prevention Technology
With injuries becoming increasingly important to a team and it’s success, injury prevention technology is moving forward at a rapid pace. NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, publically came out and said that if it weren’t for the injury prevention systems they had utilized throughout their 2014-15 season, they may not have made it where they did.
Similar to player tracking, companies like Kitman Labs, CoachMePlus and Kinduct Technologies, to name a few, have all made it their business to gravitate towards preventing injuries for elite athletes. Franchises are paying more and more money annually for athletes of great talent, and to lose them to injury is a major lost investment. So any potential to prevent or avoid a hamstring pull can mean millions of dollars of productivity saved for a team.
The intent, of these kinds of companies, however, has not always been for the high-profile athlete or franchise. Particularly in football, concussion has been one of the biggest talking points this year in the injury prevention realm, with new studies finding the large extent of damage that can be done on the brain after repeat concussions. Ways to track brain health and status are now being created, not only for professional athletes, but for everyone who participates in sport at some level and is an enormous talking point for the NFL in particular.
We fully anticipate these three trends to continue to mature in 2016 and recommend keeping an eye on the growing amount of sports focused accelerators as a new trend to watch for in the New Year.