From Wimbledon to VAR, is tech making sport less dramatic?

Of course, there is a temptation to think of technology as something new in sports.

It’s anything but, according to Professor Steve Haake of Sheffield Hallam University, who says the sport has always evolved with modern innovation, with even the Greeks adapting sprinting to the ancient Olympics.

“From the beginning of the sport it has been a spectacle, but we also wanted it to be fair.

“That’s the essence of these technologies. This is a trick we need to get right.”

Technology continues to add spectacle to sports – think of the 360-degree rotating photograph used for illustration dramatic conclusion in the men’s 100m final at the Summer Olympics.

And while it’s true that some traditional jobs, such as line judges, may disappear, technology is also helping to create other jobs, especially when it comes to data.

Take, for example, Opta’s sports analytics system, which allows athletes and fans to receive streams of data to measure performance – a process that is accelerated by artificial intelligence (AI).

While it may not be the same as a tennis player’s emotional outburst to a linesman, its proponents argue that it provides a more intense connection of its own as people can learn more about the sports and players they love .

And of course, the frequent controversy over systems like VAR presents a huge opportunity for technology to get the heart pumping.

“People love sports because of the drama,” says Patrick Lucey, chief scientist at Stats Perform, the company behind Opta.

“Technology makes it stronger.”