big data
& IoT
Each sport
has its own set
of statistical
markers, which
coaches pour
over in order to
find out where
the athletes are
excelling and
where they’re
flagging.
History of analytics
in sport
In January 2017,
Steve Bate and
other leading
figures in sports
and sports
analytics came
together at a high
profile event at
Manchester Town
Hall to discuss
analytics in sport.
as you train. For me, harnessing
instant and accurate data couldn’t
have gone better. It helped me
get in tune with my body and
performance to get everything
right on race day, and it helped
me walk out of Rio2016 with three
Paralympic medals.’
That’s the view of Steve Bate,
one of the many British Paralympic
and Olympic heroes who can
testify to how wearable tech and
Big Data analytics is giving them a
competitive edge in their sport.
In January 2017, Steve Bate and
other leading figures in sports and
sports analytics came together at
a high profile event at Manchester
Town Hall to discuss analytics in
Few sports are quite as rich in data
as Major League Baseball. For the
uninitiated, a BA of .321, an SLG of
.612 and an RBI of 123 over a season
might seem like random numbers.
But for the baseball insider fan
these, and others, can tell them
everything they need to know
about a player’s form and potential.
Each sport has its own set of
statistical markers, which coaches
pour over in order to find out where
the athletes are excelling and
where they’re flagging.
Until recently though, these
statistics had to be both collected
and analysed manually. Athletes
would have to train in laboratory
conditions, covered in wires. Despite
the best technology of the time,
this could not accurately replicate
competitive field conditions.
However, the simultaneous
development of both wearable tech
and Big Data analytics has driven
analytics capture and analysis into
the digital age.
Wearable technology
allows real time collection and
transmission of a wealth of
performance critical metrics such
as heart rate, blood pressure,
respiratory performance, muscle
performance and speed. These
sport. What was the impact? What
difference was it making? And was
it taking the ‘soul’ out of sport?
June 2017 | 21