Technological Advancements in Sports: Fair Game or Unfair Advantage?
by Melinda Burris Willms
Technological advancements have been a true boon to the sports industry, both in terms of making competition safer for players and in making it possible for professional athletes across the spectrum to break old records and set new ones that were once believed to be impossible. This has led to debate among sports analysts, ethicists, governing boards of professional associations, and even fans angry at seeing the records of beloved sports heroes broken in a fashion many deem to be an unfair comparison.
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The non-controversial area where innovation is embraced by those on both sides of the technology in sports debate is in regard to changes that have served to protect players from potential harm. Beyond that one point of agreement however, there are many questions met with a multitude of varying answers or, in many instances, questions that yield no resolution, but rather, raise new questions. Analyst Kevin Loria accurately summarized the core issue involved in the debate when he observed, “The difficult part is allowing technology and sport to develop and grow, while maintaining fair play, for current and past athletes. Innovation in sport must be encouraged, but not in a way which overshadows the core skills of an athlete.”1
Innovations in Athletic Equipment
One area that has been particularly metamorphosized by technological advancements is the type of equipment used in sporting events. While the focus in this article is primarily on the changes that have occurred within hurdle jumping and other track events, examples of how transformations in everything from the physical equipment worn by competitors to innovations in the building materials used to create the very tools used in sports across the board will be discussed to address the breadth of the scope of impact technological advancements have had on athletics as a whole.
Hurdles
Research conducted by N. Linthorne from Brunel University, UK, demonstrates how radically the barriers utilized in hurdles have changed since their inception. According to Linthorne, the original barriers used for hurdles “were solid sheep fences that crossed over several lanes and were staked rigidly into the ground.”2 In 1935, L-shaped hurdles came into being. Current hurdle regulations state the barrier must be built so that “if a force equal to a weight of between 3.6 and 4.0 kg is applied to the top edge of the crossbar” the hurdle will topple over.2 These standards protect hurdlers by decreasing the likelihood of injury, which in turn has the positive effect of alleviating psychological fears of getting hurt that may have impended the performance of hurdlers in the past.2
Other adaptations that have been made to contemporary hurdles include height adjustability and the use of base counterweights that are adaptable, allowing for the hurdles to be used safely, with the overturn mechanism in place, whether the hurdler is a male, female, or junior. Modern hurdles also feature polycarbonate crossbars that do not present the danger of splintering that was an issue with the old, traditional hurdles that had wooden crossbars.2
Cynthia Bir, a biomedical engineer who is featured on the ESPN television program, Sport Science, maintains that more research and innovation is needed in the field of injury biomechanics in order to prevent harm to athletes. To illustrate her point, Bir points to the current debate surrounding traumatic brain injuries such as CTE, a disease that has been seen, with devastating results, in football players.3
Starting Blocks
Starting blocks came into use toward the end of the 920s and made their first Olympic Games’ appearance in 1948. Prior to starting block use, athletes either did without starting aids or they would sometimes dig holes into the dirt and use these to place their feet in as a means of pushing off. In contrast, contemporary starting blocks consist of a heavy metal base with two foot pedals that are approximately 15 cm wide and can be adjusted for length and angle, according to the athlete’s wishes.2
Athletic Footwear
In a wide variety of sports, running shoes are a key piece of athletic gear. Under International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) rules, the athletic shoe is meant to protect the foot while providing stability and allowing the athlete to maintain traction. IAAF regulations prohibit any structural element inside a shoe that would offer the athlete further aid. There is no rule against making running shoes lighter, and different incarnations of reduced weight running shoes have been available for some time now. This is important in track events because lighter shoes require less energy output in distance events and allow for a more rapid acceleration and the ability to reach higher top speeds when sprinting. Lighter workout shoes also enable increased speed for the vertical take-off necessary in the long jump and high jump events.2
Running Surfaces
Until 1964, IAAF regulations called for major athletic competitions to take place on grass or cinder surfaces. That year, the IAAF approved the holding of competitive athletic events on synthetic running surfaces.2
Where is the Line Between Embracing Innovation and Cheating via Technology?
While the innovations explored herein have centered on technological advances aimed at making participation in sports less dangerous for athletes, there are other technologies that have been cultivated and new ones currently being researched that would enhance athletes’ performance based on genetics and biomechanics. It is these scientific experiments and innovations that spark debate concerning the principles of fair competition. As NFL punter Chris Klue mused, “That’s more of a societal question: what do you determine as the limits for your game? Are doping or mechanical assistance allowed? That’s not really so much a sports question as it is a “what do you want from your sports?” question.”1
A discussion of these and other questions surrounding the proper role and boundaries for performance enhancing technology in sports will be further examined in the next issue of Hurdles First in the article “Technological Doping: Can Science Go too Far in Sports?”
References
- Loria, K. (11 Aug. 2015). Science is Creating Super-athletes — and Making Sports Unrecognizable to Previous Generations.
- Linthorne, N. (2007). Design and materials in athletics. In A. Subic (Eds.), Materials in Sports Equipment, Volume 2 (296–320). Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing.
- Borel, B. 7 Mar. 2014. What will sports look like in the future?
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