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How A.I and Machine Learning Affects Sports

Everybody wants to gain a competitive edge. This is particularly true in the world of competitive sports where winning is everything. Back in the old days, professional sports teams would analyze data in an attempt to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of individual players and teams. Of course, the amount of data and statistics available then pales in comparison to what is out there today. And instead of having to invest a lot of time crunching the numbers manually, modern sports data analysis is left to computers that can make sense of it in the blink of an eye.

Bookmakers also use big data in the same way. This is why any apple pay casino nz can quickly put out live and pre-match betting odds. It is also why they can offer odds on so many markets. They too analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their customers to get an edge.

As Bonuses Finder product owner – Tony Sloterman points out, A.I and machine learning affect all aspects of the sports industry. One could even go one step further and reasonably claim that A.I and machine learning could one day make coaches obsolete.

Analysis of Teams

It is widely known that analyzing the plethora of numbers and statistics is standard these days. However, it has now gone far beyond that. This is where machine learning has become such an integral part of the process in recent years. Do you know how coaches and players have been gathering in rooms to study film over the past several decades? Well, that process is being streamlined.

Instead of having to spend hours studying replays, technology now enables organizations to simply feed thousands of video clips into a computer program. The computer then does the analysis in near real-time. A program can identify the strengths and vulnerabilities of teams, individual players, and much more. They can even account for factors such as referees, weather, and the state of the playing surface. Because this information is produced in real-time, players and teams can make the appropriate adjustments to strategy on the fly.

Changing the World of Sports

This technology is already out there and it is having a significant impact on sports. Several sports organizations are investing a lot of time and money into this futuristic approach. It might still take some time to reach its full potential, but it will inevitably get there. It isn’t too hard to imagine A.I getting to the point that it makes the role of coaches and referees redundant.

Consider baseball. A.I could already do a much better job calling balls and strikes or accurately calling a close play at any base. A.I could tell a hurler which pitch to throw to a certain player at any given time. It can immediately instruct the fielders exactly where to place themselves.

In many ways, A.I is already having a profound impact on sports, and its role will only increase over time. Is this what sports fans want? In terms of the competitive aspect of sports, many would say that A.I is a good thing. However, we must also consider that this could result in sports becoming too predictable and, as a result, less entertaining. Nobody wants that.

 

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