It is almost certain that by the time of the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, many of the world records posted at this years Games in Paris, beginning next month, will have been comfortably surpassed, with rapid advances in sports technology being of much greater relevancy than athletic prowess. This reality foregrounds the unresolved question as to whether the benefits of sports technology, principally those of objectivity and certainty, outweigh its inherent disadvantages, including some ongoing ethical concerns. The recent debate by English Premier League (EPL) clubs regarding the continued deployment of Video Assisted Referee (VAR) technology in Europe’s richest soccer league was framed by some as one between traditionalists, who are largely prepared to accept the inconsistencies of decisions made by match officials in return for the preservation, as they see it, of football’s authenticity, reflective of its long heritage, and modernists, including mostly younger supporters, for whom data now constitutes an indispensable aspect of their fandom.
Generation Z fans, especially, now expect sport broadcasters to support their viewership with evermore detailed data points. By contrast, the subjectivity of opinion, including that borne out of earlier playing experience, is now considered increasingly irrelevant. Indeed, it is accepted that within the next decade, how we consume sports will evolve such that most consumers/fans will follow (live) sports in augmented or virtual reality, bringing them closer than ever before to the ‘live’ action. However, this evolution creates concerns around use of data, privacy, and misinformation (particularly the use of deep fake technology with its ability to produce highly realistic and convincing synthetic audio and video content) and thus is something of a ‘double-edged sword’ in sports entertainment. That being said, just as automated data processing has significantly improved in recent years, allowing athletes to make better data-driven decisions around their sport (e.g., ai-generated training plans or the optimisation of their sporting technique), so the modern viewer has an expectation of being brought closer to the ‘live’ sporting experience in a way considered almost unimaginable only a few years ago.
The sports technology sector is now estimated to be worth more than $12 billion US, with a conservative 385 million regular users (Mertala, 2023), including of health and fitness apps like MyFitness. The so-called ‘datafication’ of all aspects of modern life means our dependency on technology, including in sport, has become the dominant theme of sports innovation. Naughton et al. (2024) considers the impact of automation and artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT, and predicts a rapid and profound change in human’s interactions with it across all aspects of society. However, their seminal work warns, too, of the negative outworking of this evolution, including how it may serve to increase inequalities, meaning some groups will receive the full benefit of these changes, whilst the gap with those unable to access them will continue to grow.
As such, despite some welcome progress, it is a truism that certain groups of athletes continue to meet challenges when receiving help from the rapid advancements of sports technology, principally females. Two main factors – that of inclusivity and access – mean that comparatively little academic research, for instance, has been undertaken into the role of technology in the lives of sportswomen (e.g. there have only been 32 published academic studies into women’s football despite its global pervasiveness) whilst most equipment used by women, certainly up until the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, was designed for men. Even in the recreational sphere, it was only in early 2024 that Garmin, considered to be the market leader in wearable fitness technology, launched a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) aimed exclusively at the female market. With the rapid advancement in machine learning, and predictive-AI, we can expect to see evermore sophisticated and optimised training and physical activity programmes, alongside personalised technical feedback for all, democratising the health and fitness sector and reflecting the bespoke requirements of consumers, shaped by a rationalisation and compression of time and space. It is still the case, therefore, that AI and machine learning systems can sometimes perpetuate gender biases if not effectively managed, so it is essential to develop these technologies with inclusivity in mind. To ensure this, brands simply need to realise the commercial potential of catering for the female sports market. At present, in China, India and Brazil, female sports fans exceed their male counterparts by 6% points, for example, whilst analysis of female postings online confirm that women are up to ten times more likely to engage in positive commentary around sport, and sports participants, than most men (Research by Arwen AI, 2024). The benefit of female followers, therefore, as ‘brand builders’ is self-evident and whilst the full market potential of women in sport has yet to be achieved, it appears only a matter of time until this is the case.
In the rapidly expanding field of E-sports, the emergence of women has been noteworthy. Some sports governing bodies, recognising the potential of gaming as a useful indicator of sporting prowess, have looked to use the e-sports sector as an untapped source of future talent identification, especially in underdeveloped regions where sporting infrastructure may be less developed. The creation of an official fantasy soccer game for the Women’s Euro 2022 tournament, alongside the decision of EA Sports, best known (until 2022) as the makers of the hugely popular FIFA game to add women’s teams, all serve to drive audience engagement and build market share.
Some women have already recognised the potential of advancements in sports technology. One of the most pervasive issues for female athletes, including in soccer and field hockey, is damage to the anterior crucial ligament (ACL), an injury experienced often because of physical twisting and turning of the body. Physics graduate, Laura Youngson, is the co-founder of IDA Sports, and has designed a football boot specifically for women’s feet and physique, reducing the risk of enduring such a career-threatening injury. Similarly, the recently retired tennis legend Serena Williams has, through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, invested well over £1 million in Opensponsorship, a sports marketing technology start-up founded by Ishveen Jolly, one of Britain’s foremost female entrepreneurs.
As suggested, it is reasonable to conclude that within the next decade consumption of sports content by consumers will rapidly progress towards shorter, segmented, and bespoke content, one that is, above all, data led. What will be interesting to see, is whether the way in which sport is mediated impacts and shapes the rules and formats of many established sports. Indeed, sports governing bodies may have to consider ways in which their sports evolve to meet the needs of broadcasters and consumers in what is likely to be a period of rapid change unmatched in the history of codified sport. The consumption of sports content will, itself, continue to change significantly, defined by a remarkable level of data richness, more immersive formats, more digital, shorter highlights sequences and taking ‘behind the scenes’ experiences in sport to an entirely new level. With the opportunities presented by advancements in technology and generational shifts, the era of full-length games and long-format broadcasting is rapidly ending as global and national governing bodies of sport accept the future is digital and build large parts of their mission around their media presence and reach as they pursue new and expanding audiences.
According to the Womens Sports Trust, the value of women’s sports will triple, to over £1 billion, by 2030. Offering inclusive and accessible sports technology for women, both active participants and sports fans alike, is the future for all sports governing bodies.
