There’s no doubt about it, AI-assisted technology is well and truly swinging its way into the sports arena. And with great success, at that.
Enhancing audience engagement, assisting with the analysis of performance data, and encouraging fairer judging and umpiring, among other digital developments; AI is setting the sports media scene ablaze – in a good way.
With these changes taking place, sports journalists and those completing their sports journalism masters must stay up to date with how AI is impacting sports media today and into the future. They should strongly consider keeping abreast of academic research journals and publications on the subject, and reading articles such as this one.
Let’s continue.
Sports, Sports Media, and Artificial Intelligence – A Winning Combination?
Yes, we live in an age where digital is dominating. And, this wave of digital domination is not set to slow time any time soon. In fact, digital technology changemakers now even have their sights set on the arena of competitive sports. According to some experts, AI technology in particular is set to score big in the future of sports.
Let us elaborate. Here are just five examples of how AI is seeing the future of sports – and sports media – evolve with it:
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AI-Enhanced Audience Engagement: The Utilization of AI Technology in Sports Media Transmission
Utilizing AI technology to enhance audience engagement is an area that must be capitalized on if we want to see ongoing consumption of sports media. While currently, live sports viewership in the United States is sitting at as many as 57.5 million viewers nationally, with the help of AI-enhanced engagement, this could be set to grow. But how will AI achieve this?
First, through the facilitation of personalized communication with viewers, as well as the enablement of real-time viewer interaction with active gameplay through AI simulation. The use of this technology offers viewers not only an incredibly immersive experience, but also allows at-home spectators to feel they are physically attending the match – breaking down barriers of geographical, financial, or time constraints. As well as this, sports broadcasts can be enhanced using AI-generated graphics, which can create a more thrilling and engaging viewing experience.
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Premeditating Performance Data: How AI Delivers on Sports Data Analysis
In sports performance data analytics, AI can be utilized to great advantage.
AI tracking tools can be used to analyze, assess, and monitor sports performance statistics – with major league baseball and the NFL in particular both seeing abundant success in using AI to assess their player stats. Using AI technology to analyze sports data can also help to predict and premeditate future outcomes in similar game-play scenarios.
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High-Tech Sportswear Solutions: The Development of AI-Augmented Sporting Gear
Are you scratching your head in an attempt to come up with ways AI can be used to enhance sporting equipment?
What about the recent implementation of Google’s digitally tagged footwear insoles to track and analyze football players’ movements on the field? Genius! Similarly, AI-augmented tennis racquets have also been seen on international courts of late. And in golf and Formula 1? Machine learning and AI simulations are bringing on never-before-seen advancements in these sports, improving area layouts and other performance-enhancing particulars on golfing greens and racing tracks alike.
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Tech-Enhanced Sports Training: How AI Can Assist Athletes to Aim Higher
Can AI assist athletes in their training? In short, the answer is yes. But how?
For starters, using AI for real-time performance monitoring and playback can assist greatly with enhancing results. Areas of improvement can be identified and analyzed immediately, with on-the-spot fixes being facilitated and refined through AI-assisted evaluation.
On the field, coaches can use this type of AI technology to make snap strategy decisions. This can be critical to beating fierce competition and winning a close game.
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Fairer Judging, Better Sportsmanship: AI-Supported Sports Umpiring
And finally, fairer umpiring on the field. Good sportsmanship is being supported by AI-infused technology, such as real-time performance play-back and on-the-spot action analysis.
Specifically, the example of the utilization of AI-assisted 3D sensors in gymnastics championships helps for better and fairer judging and umpiring of the sport. The use of this technology also takes away any guesswork – and minimizes the controversy of the seemingly ‘bad’ umpire being scapegoated and disruptively ‘boo-ed’ by the spectating audience.