Three ways big data is changing sports

Big data has uprooted longstanding practices in industries ranging from retail to banking, so it’s not surprising that it’s affected sports too. Here are three ways that it has made a major impact on the industry.

People who play sports in college have opportunities to get some of their college expenses paid for via sports-related scholarships. Star athletes can increase a school’s prominence too, especially if they lead teams to championship wins.

Some universities are aiming to boost the chances of finding the next athletic superstars by using big data algorithms. One is the University of Virginia. It has algorithms that predict a football player’s likelihood of making it to the NFL or attending the University of Virginia instead of another school.

Then, recruiters know how and where to focus their energy and other resources. Although this method might uncover surprising and helpful findings, it’s also crucial that recruiting professionals don’t become overly reliant on conclusions from a database and overlook factors of an athlete not targeted by an algorithm.

There could be a variety of factors — ranging from limited financial resources to family troubles — preventing a person from reaching a high level of athletic potential before getting to college. That means even if the data shows that a potential college athlete is not the most appropriate choice based on hard statistics, it’s crucial for recruiters to get a fuller picture of the person’s background.

Providing more details about concussions in contact sports

Even if people never intend to play sports professionally, they can get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from participating in them. Benefits for kids who play sports include the development of listening skills, an improved ability to work as a team and opportunities to explore various interests. Children also learn to sharpen their social skills and respect others while playing sports.

All sports have risks and contact sports increase the chances of athletes getting concussions during gameplay. Even though many parents recognize that injuries could occur, they often decide that the advantages of participating in sports outweigh the downsides. They realize that by playing sports, their kids could experience things that are positively life-changing and shape who they are.

Plus, high schools are getting better at tracking events like concussions.