Perspectives on the Intersection Between Sports and Technology

Bhaskar Basu ()
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Bhaskar Basu: Xavier Institute of Management, XIM University

A chapter in Sports Management in an Uncertain Environment, 2023, pp 143-168 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The sports industry is witnessing impressive growth due to opportunities presented through innovative technologies and big data (Michelman in ‘Why sports is a great proving ground for management ideas’, 2019; Ratten in ‘Sports technology and innovation assessing cultural and social factor’, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). Technology affects nearly all aspects of sports today, like athlete training, fan engagement, and sports governance. Factors like increased spending on emerging technologies, changing customer expectations, and proliferation of digital channels are expected to drive the adoption of sports analytics, technologies, and management. Moreover, not all technologies have been accepted undeniably on the sports field by the players, officials, broadcasters, media, or fans. Some sports organizations are reluctant to adopt technology because of a wish to maintain the status quo (Mallen in ‘Emerging technologies in sport: implications for sport management’, Routledge, 2019). Also, environmental uncertainty, often caused by crises such as a global pandemic, natural disasters, geopolitical events, and financial turmoil, hurts sports entrepreneurship (Ratten in ‘Introduction: innovation and entrepreneurship in sport management’, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2021). Lately, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have created global uncertainty, and consequently, the sports ecosystem has also been affected. However, these uncertainties create opportunities for new sports products or technologies to emerge catering to specific needs. Hence, there is a need to apply new or emerging technologies in sports management to reduce uncertainties where it exists: be it in the sports arena or outside it. The author provides perspectives on the intersection between sports and technology through a secondary study by reviewing contemporary sports literature and published secondary data, with a particular focus on sports management. The objective is to leverage emerging technologies to create value for stakeholders in the sports ecosystem. The chapter attempts to explore areas where the technology may play a vital role in the future, like the enhancement of player or team performance, fan engagement, and alternative sports consumption. The chapter also offers a glimpse into a futuristic sports metaverse where fan experience and athlete training are taken to a completely different level, albeit with certain limitations.

Keywords: Technology; Business of Sports; Fan Engagement; Sports Training; Alternate Sports (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-7010-8_7

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