We track athletes. We connect athletes. We quantify athletes. But not all athlete-tracking data is equal. From wearables to cameras, there’s an endless array of information being generated: internal versus external, personal versus positional, biometrics versus biomechanics. Technology produces data that can be used to improve recovery, improve training methods, improve performance, and other data that can potentially be monetized for sports betting.
While the collective bargaining agreements across U.S. professional sports leagues are skewing towards voluntary participation with regard to wearable technology, many of the major leagues already use some combination of optical, radar, or radio tracking.