The Impact of Technology on Major League Baseball

There probably isn’t an area of our lives that hasn’t been impacted by technology over the years. Whether it’s a simple change like introducing an electronic version of your diary for jotting down important dates and appointments, or even more specialist developments like telehealth equipment that allows doctors to monitor your vital signs whilst you’re sitting at home instead of in a hospital. The advancements really are remarkable.

But how has technology affected the way we view our sports and the way in which they operate? Well, we’re going to take a quick look at a few ways in which technology has changed the world of Major League Baseball (MLB), and whether the changes have been seen as positive, or whether fans and players would rather somehow change things back to the good ol’ days.

More access than ever before

When Baseball was first around, there were two ways to catch the live action. You could go and watch it in the stands, or listen on local radio. If you missed it, you’d have to read all about it in the papers. Nowadays, you can watch it on the TV, on your computer, even on your smartphone via the likes of a specific broadcasters app. It has never been more accessible.

Then you’ve got all sorts of news and blogs that will offer live text coverage on games, or at least write about previews of games and roundup the highlights. There is so much content out there that we’re truly spoiled for choice.

Even when it comes to betting we no longer have to go down to a local sportsbook to place a bet in person, that can all be done online too or via a good baseball betting app. And what’s more, you’re not just limited to placing bets, you can sometimes watch content on there, track live stats, and even now, cash out your bet halfway through the event to make some profit in case you’re worried the result you bet on is likely to change.

To improve and strategize

It isn’t just all about the outside of the game, allowing fans more access than ever before with numerous ways to watch the game, technology has also helped on the field too. For instance, a specific technology created by Sportvision that has proved helpful in helping players improve their pitching, and allows teams to strategize better is called PITCHF/x.

The way this technology works is by tracking a pitcher who throws the ball. It analyzes the pitch, gathering data based around speed, direction, and other characteristics, then forwards this to the coaching team. It can be used to show pitchers which throws need more work than others, where they may be going wrong. But as well as that, they can see what kinds of pitches work best against certain opposition players, allowing teams to adapt as they move through the innings to gain the best chances of winning the game by getting opposition players out quicker.

Likewise for batters, there are other technologies that work in similar ways. They analyse each swing and help batters know how they need to adjust to better connect with certain balls. One specific system for this is called SwingTracker, a device that connects to your bat and transmits data to an application that will monitor and analyse your swings in real time. 

Monitoring player fitness and health

Without players, we wouldn’t have the game. So it’s important to protect them at all costs. One way technology has improved the way this is done is through biotracking. Rather than focusing on performance, which this can monitor as well, it more focuses on the player’s vital signs, like their heart rate and oxygen levels. This way, if they were at risk of going into cardiac arrest, then the coaching staff would be able to tell before it happened and get medical staff in place.

These can be very similar to devices like a FitBit. But one of the main providers of this tech is a company called WHOOP, as they specialise more in monitoring professional athletes, rather than giving the average joe a gadget to monitor their daily exercise. This can help keep track of a player’s health, and help coaching staff look at ways to adapt training to meet specific needs of players who may be facing certain health issues, whether that be a mild illness or an injury.

Conclusion

So as you can see, technology has had a massive impact on MLB. It’s not only managed to help develop ways to protect players and monitor their health, but also to help them improve their game. It helps teams to strategize. And from a fan point, it has helped give them more access than ever before. So whether they’re out and about and want to watch the game on the go, or just like to catch up with highlights if they miss something, it’s now easier than ever thanks to the advances we’ve seen in technology and baseball.

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