AI is Changing Sport FOREVER!

September 01, 2023

Just like that, we are back again with The Sports Road! Bringing you the newest and very best that sports and technology has to offer, you do NOT want to miss this. In fact, some of today’s stories could just help us see what sport may look like in the future… Enjoy!

Here's what we got for ya today:

  • AI is Changing Sport FOREVER

  • This IS What we Want to See

  • Get Excited…

  • Ah, This is Awkward…

Most Valuable Sports Teams:

Let's get into it!

AI’s Newest Sporting Conquest…

No matter what, there’s one thing – across every single sport out there – which will always stand true…

Sport would be NOTHING without the fans.

And it’s for that very reason why some of the world’s biggest organisations are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways for us to engage with their content.

Harnessing technology in a number different ways, recently fans have become accustomed to consuming sport through digital media. I mean, honestly!

Whether it be through projects created in the metaverse, found using sports incubators, or even worn using wearable technology, in today’s sporting landscape technology is used as one of the biggest means to connect with fans.

One technology, though, seems to have captured attention at far larger levels than the rest… We think you know where we’re going with this…

AI is back, baby!

That’s right. Signing a deal to expand their partnership, Fox Sports and Google Cloud have just announced their plan to leverage AI for the betterment of every sports fan around the world…

Alright, alright. We may have been a bit dramatic, but this is cool.

Here’s what we know so far:

  • Planning to use Google Cloud’s capabilities as a platform to integrate generative AI into their system, Fox Sports are attempting to bring fans new content from its audio and video archives.

  • Powered using Google’s Vertex AI Vision technology, the system will be able to process data in relation to live sport events at faster and more accurate rates than ever before.

  • Having the ability to contextualise the information into knowledge of what is actually happening on the pitch, fans should expect new content VERY soon…

“Fox Sports is committed to providing its viewers the best possible experiences across platforms, and that starts with the technology that powers them… By choosing Google Cloud’s AI technologies, Fox Sports is not only maximising its content production capabilities, but also delivering transformative viewing experiences that keep its audiences engaged and entertained.”

Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud Chief Executive

Sport is changing forever and you do NOT want to miss out…

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A HUGE Step in The Right Direction

Before we get into the next story, we have a slightly worrying stat… Last year, the NFL had an overall injury rate of 4.2 a game.

Seeing as the game is one of the most physically taxing sports in the world, unfortunately injuries aren’t uncommon in American Football.

However, with player safety obviously being both fans and leagues’ number one priority, something has to be done.

Last year, the NFL and newly formed partner Amazon Web Services (AWS) set out on a mission.

Attempting to find the newest technologies to combat injury and propel the sport to the next level, the two announced the creation of the NFL Contact Detection Challenge.

Aiming to improve the NFL’s ability to predict player injuries through machine learning and computer vision, the innovation challenge – which called upon some of the world’s most talented data scientists – came to an end earlier this week.

Announcing the winners, it seems like the initiative was a roaring success. With the winner being South Korea-based data scientist Nghia Van Ngoc Nguyen, his product may just change the NFL forever.

In fact, it already has! Having already recognised a 31% improvement over its current model, the product can identify on-field contact more accurately than ever.

Winning $100,000, hopefully Nguyen can continue to develop the system and we will eventually see some hugely positive changes in the scene!

“I am very proud to be selected as the winner of this Contact Detection Challenge. Simulating NGS tracking positions with the various camera angles available significantly improved the performance in measuring different types of impacts, both player-to-player and player-to-ground. I would be honoured if my model is able to make football safer and protect players from injuries.”

Nghia Van Ngoc Nguyen, Winner of the Challenge

See The Game Like Never Before…

Look, let’s not beat around the bush. When we talk about technology’s impact in engaging sports fans, it usually tends to be those watching from home…

Why? Well, the answer isn’t clear. I guess, when technology is innately a key factor in how you interact with something, it becomes easier to implement those types of changes.

Despite that though, to be honest, much more goes into making an in-stadium experience than we think…

Needing to coordinate each facet of the live game, organisers need to ensure that the elements which surround the live game are up to par.

And with the help of Daktronics, it looks like the Toyota Arena – home to a number of American sports teams – are using technology to do just that…

Working together in order to modernise the ribbon boards which revolve around the stadium, the two are looking to open up more future opportunities.

Increasing the boards both in size and display capabilities, the new ribbon will measure 2.5 feet high by 645 feet wide and will feature 10 millimetre pixel spacing. With the last improvement to the setup coming around 15 years ago, these are bound to change the way fans interact with the game.

Being able to coordinate movements and displays with a whole host of other technology already existing in the stadium, these new ribbon boards will boost fan experience by simplifying the game for viewers in attendance.

From outlining key events in the game, to showing statistics, graphics, animations, and other messages, the LED technology used will give fans an easily digestible experience.

“We are grateful to have worked with this venue since it opened in 2008, and this will integrate well with their existing Daktronics centerhung solution and control system… This upgrade will enhance fan engagement and sponsorship for the arena as they will be upgrading the existing ribbon that lasted the previous 15 years. We appreciate the opportunity to provide quality product and support, and look forward to many successful years ahead.”

Robin Hall, Daktronics Regional Manager

We Need to Talk About: The US Open

Ah, well that’s awkward…

A couple days ago we told you about the new technology that was set to revolutionise the way Tennis is being played forever.

And, if we’re being honest, we still think so. BUT, this wasn’t a great start…

That’s right. VAR is back again with another howler, ladies and gentlemen! 😂😂😂

So, to refresh your memories a bit, earlier this week, the US Open announced that for the first time ever in a Grand Slam tournament, a Video Review (VR) system would be in place to aid chair umpires.

Working through a tablet held by the chair umpire, challenged calls could be analysed through a number of different angles and perspectives.

While on the surface that all sounds good, organisers failed to consider one key point… WHAT IF THE TABLET DOESN’T WORK!?

We think you know where this is going… That’s right, it looks like they found out the hard way 😅😅

In a match between former world number one Andy Murray and Corentin Moutet, the system was called into action.

With Murray serving for the win, Moutet challenged a call to check a double bounce – one of the main fouls the technology was put in place to check for.

Putting on her earphones to watch the replay, chair umpire Louise Engzell was set to analyse what had actually happened. But, as you may have expected, she couldn’t.

Why? Well, the tablet just didn’t work…

To make it worse, the play was displayed across the stadium on big screens. So despite EVERYONE in the stadium being able to see what had happened, the umpire could not…

In fact, the whole situation could be summarised by Murray himself…

“It took about four minutes to make a decision. I'm pro using technology to get to the right calls - but you've got to have it working. When it goes like that, it turns into a bit of a farce.”

Andy Murray

Quick Bites

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Quote of the day

“Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time, it takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team.”

Lewis Hamilton

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