Modern life in sports has changed a lot in recent decades. Many technical innovations have appeared in it. Today, the achievements of civilization have become so commonplace that we do not even notice how integral a part of sports life they have become.
Not only has sport and best betting sites on cricket become more spectacular, but the inventions of the last century have also turned it into an exact science. We started to count millimeters, milliseconds more carefully. In our article we would like to talk about the technical innovations that have changed the sport, giving it modern features.
The Oldest Technologies in Sports
Electronic Scoreboard
The first electronic scoreboard appeared in stadiums in 1964, when the English soccer club installed it. The first stadium scoreboards were mechanical. Later electromechanical scoreboards appeared. Today, almost all large stadiums are equipped with video screens to display a TV picture. It is beneficial for competitive sports, such as biathlon or motor racing, where viewers cannot see the whole track.
Timekeeping
Time was measured in seconds for the first time in equestrian sports in England in 1731. The first clock suitable for sports competitions was made in 1820 by the Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet. Since 1973, sports records in athletics have been measured to the nearest 0.0001 seconds, synchronized using a radio signal. In parallel, new developments have appeared in other sports.
Photo Finish
The photo finish was officially introduced at the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912. Today, it is one of the must-haves in athletics, cycling, motorcycling, Formula 1, and many other events with mass finishes. The first mass-produced photo-finish system – the Racend OMEGA Timer, later renamed Photosprint – was introduced in 1949 and was used at the Oslo Winter Olympics in 1952. To this system, we owe the name “photo finish.” Digital photo-finish became digital-only at the beginning of the XXI century.
Artificial Ice
On January 7, 1876, the world’s first artificial ice rink opened in London. The first indoor ice rink was built in Canada in 1912 by brothers Lester and Joe Patrick. The history of improving the technology of ice melting is fascinating. At first, it was rolled by hand, and it was a complicated and time-consuming process: water was supplied from a hose, and workers used shovels, exceptional knives, and towels to smooth the ice. In the 1940s, Canadian Frank Zamboni developed the world’s first ice machine. Today, mass production of these machines has been established. Usually, two devices are used to level ice, making it through the whole arena in three minutes. A synthetic ice rink is gradually replacing the ice rink with artificial ice.
Artificial light
In 1878 the first soccer match in England was held with artificial lighting. Before the invention of electricity, all sports competitions in stadiums were held during daylight hours. The electric lamp immediately found application in everyday life and sports. Electrification of sports facilities proceeded slowly because there was no particular need for it. Mass equipment stadiums began only in the second half of the twentieth century due to television development: broadcasts from the matches dramatically increased the requirements for artificial lighting.
Materials
High-tech materials. The invention of synthetic materials ushered in an era of technology. In 1956, Speedo introduced the first nylon swimsuits, and in 1969 Bob Gore invented the GORE-TEX membrane, which stopped moisture from entering but allowed vapor to escape from the body. The new membrane was first used in outdoor sportswear.
The use of new materials in sportswear has also raised the bar for world records: high-diving poles are now made of fiberglass, and rowing boats are now made of plastic.
All over the world, they are constantly developing new and improved materials that make it possible to improve performance. For example, the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit, which reduces water resistance by 24 percent, broke 182 world swimming records. However, to preserve the sport’s principles of equality, many federations have tightened the rules regarding equipment.
Phantom Camera
Regardless of the game’s speed, in any sport, it is always important to be able to watch a slow-motion replay. The Phantom camera, manufactured by Vision Research, is built using the latest technology. The Phantom is just beginning to be used at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. This particular camera has the uncanny ability to slow down the action shot on camera. It is made possible by the 5,000 frames the camera can capture in just 1 second. The standard slow-motion camera only captures 380 frames per second, far inferior to the Phantom. This technology will become much easier to make decisions in baseball, hockey, and other active sports. The Phantom is used in the same way in soccer, showing key moments in slow motion.
Cyclops Electronic System
If you’re not a tennis fan, you probably haven’t heard of the Cyclops electronic system. Tennis fans know “Cyclops” as the loud beeping sound when a tennis player hits the ball at the net. The Cyclops is a small box located on the edge of the court. It projects five to six horizontal beams of light across the court. A “beeping ” noise is heard when the ball breaks one of the lines; a “beeping” noise is heard. It is superior technology when it comes to playing tennis. As players move faster and faster, it can be difficult to tell if a ball has touched the net during a serve. With Cyclops, however, referees have no such problems.
Graphic System First and 10
Rugby is a central product of the American and Canadian soccer tradition. The first and ten graphics systems have revolutionized the way audiences watch these sports. Initially, watching the game on television was quite tricky, as it was not always possible to follow the lines and markers. This graphics system made life a lot easier for fans. It managed to design images and graphics to feed in real-time. It is the first graphics system to use the “yellow line” as a marker and a variety of other lines and colors.
Sports Ticker
As technology advances, information becomes more accessible. The sports ticker has made things much easier in this case. First used for news in the northern United States in the 1980s, the ticker was adopted by the sports world during that same decade. ESPN distinguished itself with a ticker called “update:28/:58.” – it featured a news line on the screen at the beginning and end of each hour. In the 1990s, the sports ticker became a source of news that ran continuously. ESPN2 introduced this continuous 24-hour ticker and called it “The End Line.” Since then, ESPN’s entire network group has adopted the bottom line and uses it on a 24-hour cycle. As a result, consumers now don’t have to switch from the sports show to get the news. Instead, they can look at the ticker below.
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