5 sports that were changed by technology

  Love sports? Then you’ll know how important it is to get good sporting gear.

The best ones will enhance your gameplay and give you that edge over other players. It’s because millions of dollars are spent researching and improving sporting gear each year. Thus you’ll get new technology on the courts, fields or tracks all the time.

That’s a far cry from the 720 BC Grecian games when athletes once competed in the nude!

In this post we’ll look back at 5 sports that were greatly changed by engineering and technology since their naked beginnings:

#1: Marathon

In the past… athletes (aka Roman soldiers) ran in sandals over gravel, dirt and whatever else during the race.

Now… they rely on hi-tech running shoes to balance and cushion their feet while running. The shoes are a fairly new invention, having only been created about 40 years ago, but we’re coming back to a full circle as researchers and athletes wonder if sports shoes are needed as some marathoners have completed races on barefoot, which led shoe makers to analyse how barefoot running could design new shoes.

Vibram FiveFingers Shoes: designed for barefoot running/use (by Wired)

#2: Swimming

In the past… swimmers wore itsy-bitsy swimming trunks.

Now… the LZR Racer bodysuit created by Speedo created much controversy at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Swimmers who wore the suit won 90% of the medals and broke 23 world records! The suit was shown to improve swimming performances by cutting down on water to skin friction, which may have given swimmers an edge over their competitors.

LZR Racer Bodysuit: frictionless swimwear (by TVNewsRelease)

#3: Soccer

In the past… soccer balls were once made from animal skins or bladders.

Now… they’re usually made of waterproof leather or plastic. In fact, the ball’s material can determine how far they fly and how well they can be controlled by the player. For example, the adidas Fevernova ball used during the 2002 FIFA World Cup was made with 11 layers of foam. That change improved the ball’s kicking accuracy and increased the rebound effect. Of course there were detractors who criticised the ball as too light, too big and the cause of major upsets during the tournament.

adidas Fevernova soccer ball used during World Cup 2002

#4: Tennis

In the past… tennis racquets were of standardised size and weight. They were once carved from laminated wood.

Now… tennis racquets come in all sorts of sizes and materials to suit the player. Racquet frames are now aerodynamically-shaped for a smoother swing; the grip is ergonomically moulded for a more comfortable fit… in fact there’s a long list of improvements to create your own tennis racket! After all, Rafael Nadal wouldn’t use an off-the-shelf racket if he could get one customised to his needs, yes?

What are tennis rackets made of? (by expertvillage)

#5: Golf

In the past… golf balls were leather pouches filled with feathers.

Now… they are made from synthetic materials. In fact the dimples on the golf balls help them fly further with more predictable trajectories. Although golf balls have been created with other patterned dents, the dimple pattern offers the best aerodynamics. Check out Andy Brummer’s article on how technology has changed golf over at the PeachPit for a breakdown on different golf balls.

Visualisation of golf ball dimple aerodynamics (by golf)

Obviously this isn’t an exhaustive list of sports that were changed by technology. If you’ve got something to share about sport & technology, please leave it in the comments.

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