Future Sports Stadiums

The stadiums of today are constructed to show the teams past and provide the fans with plenty of entertainment and refreshments. The big screen at stadiums keep the fans entertained at games by playing video games or asking trivia questions during a break in the game. Concession stands are all over in every park most stadiums even have vendors walking from seat to seat. The new stadiums will be much more technologically advanced. Cisco Field, the future home of the Oakland Athletics is scheduled to open in just a few years and it is going to make good use of advances in technology. A ticket kiosk will scan your ticket and offer seat upgrades if there are any available. Fans will also be asked if they would like any merchandise or refreshments which will be delivered to their seats and they can pay for all of it right at the kiosk. After all the orders are placed directions will be given to your seat. All stadiums will offer free wifi to all those in attendance and allow them to view extra news about the team.

The Future of Sports Medicine

The rate in which athletes recover today is remarkable. Players are in surgery one week and competing the next. The future of sports medicine won't just focus on short term procedures that fix an injury, the new sports medicine will focus on preservation. In a few short years stem cells will be injected in the joints, cartilage, and tendons in athletes as a way to maintain their health and prolong their careers. Over time their joints weaken and their cartilage and tendons wear down, but an injection of stem cells will fix that problem and prevent it from happening. In injuries such as a torn ACL or a torn rotator cuff stem cells would help regenerate tissue and fix the damaged tissue whereas if no stem cell shot is given it would be unlikely that the damaged tissue would repair itself. Some athletes have even already had their own stem cells frozen in case the day comes when they will be able to use this technology to help themselves heal faster. With this advance in medicine there is also a down fall. Athletes could use stem cells in the same way that steroids are used. The injected cells would help the body regenerate its cells faster which is what steroids do, this allows the athlete to train harder and gain muscle mass. With the stem cells it would also be almost undetectable because they would be using their own cells it would be as if there was nothing unnatural about it.

Future salaries of professional athletes

Record breaking contracts are signed on a yearly basis; this year during tough economic times in which millions have lost their jobs and houses the Yankees spent $423.5 million in the off season to sign three players. This is a clear indication that the amount of money an athlete receives will not be going down. With ticket and concession prices continuing to climb year after year and merchandise for all of professional sports selling at steady rates more money will be available to give to the athletes. New stadiums being built are bigger than ever, they will be able to hold more people which means there will be more people to pay for parking, concessions, and souvenirs. This means that the teams and sports leagues will make more money and that money will go to the players. Athletes will also continue to make money through endorsement deals, and as sports leagues continue to expand and play in other countries the opportunity for endorsement deals will increase.

Video Games of the Future

Future sports video games will be far more interactive than anything that is available now. The Nintendo Wii opened the door for a whole new level of gaming that is perfectly suited towards sports. Allowing gamers to control the game through their movements will be far better than pressing buttons. Pretty soon sports games will have people run in place in order to run in the game and actually try to shoot a basketball or catch a line drive. It will be very similar to actually playing in real life, many game will be able to be played in a first person view and it will take real time reactions in order to be good at the games. Online versions of the game will almost be like playing a pick up game with someone in China, California, or Germany.

Future of racing

Will this be the future of racing? I sure hope so. Light cycles speeding through futuristic cities will eventually replace traditional motorcycle racing. We might even give it a little "Tron" twist and players will lose if they hit the other players trail. I wonder how long it will take for this to become reality.

Source:
video- www.youtube.com

Golf on the moon

How much would you pay to play some golf on the moon? Sports may radically change if we ever decide to colonize the moon. No doubt it would cost a huge amount of money if new technology isn't developed but businesses might be able to make money from citizens eventually. Once space travel gets perfected we can start to make moon bases and colonies. Then businesses can charge people to go to the moon and let them play some golf. I'm sure it would be a lot harder because of the reduced gravity but it should be fun nonetheless.

Future of baseball?

Will baseball, or any sport for that matter, eventually become played by robots? I don't think human athletes will ever be replaced but robots may be used in some new types of sports. Instead of athletes, computer programmers will compete to program robots to play any kind of sports. Kind of like the show "Robot Wars" but with fully programed computers that aren't remote controlled. These teams of robots can compete with a different team of robots programmed by a different group of programmers.

Source:
video - www.youtube.com
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-07/does-baseballs-future-lie-their-cold-robotic-hands

Zero gravity sports

In the very distant future, there is no doubt that sports will still be around. I think that advancements in technology will eventually lead space into zero gravity environments. This will add a whole new perspective on the way sports is played. I can see many different sports being played in zero gravity such as football, tennis, and a type of basketball. Zero gravity will surely add a whole new dimension to these sports. There is also limitless opportunity to invent new games. Just think about it, athletes no longer have to be weighted down by gravity and can take their game playing to a whole 'nother level. But gliding around a zero gravity room and throwing around a ball is harder than it seems. Players are going to have to plan all of their moves in order to get to the ball, or anyplace they need to be. Once you bounce off the wall, your course is set and you cant change course until you hit another wall. This adds a whole new level of strategy into the games. The balls are going to have to be light so that less momentum transfers to the player when they hit it. Zero gravity games are definitely going to be hit once the time comes around but it won't be anytime soon.

Source:
http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/sport.shtml

NASCAR Tire Development - A Look Ahead

The Indianapolis Raceway was resurfaced before the 2008 Brickyard race, this caused the tires used to wear down after about 10 laps and caused serious safety concerns. This lead to Goodyear re-examining their methods of developing and testing tires. An optical scanner was brought in by Goodyear to study the surface of the track. The use of the optical scanner to approach the problem from another angle not only lead to better tires being developed for the Indianapolis Raceway but opens the door for optical technology to be used in the development of tires for everyday use. A better understand of road surfaces will help in the development of safer tires for all vehicles. The cycle of raceway developments making their way to everyday road use continues.

References:

Website / Photo: Yahoo.com - 'Unprecedented' effort has led Goodyear back to Indy: http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=nascar_com-enterprise.inside.nascar.goodyear.indianapolis-20090722&prov=nascar_com&type=lgns

NASCAR Sponsorship - A Look Ahead

NASCAR, one of the richest sports, is looking for new ways to generate revenue with creative sponsorship. Looking beyond the sponsorship of cars and their drivers, NASCAR now has track / race name sponsorship. The newest sponsorship is from ServiceMaster Clean in the form of a sponsored yellow flag (yellow flags are used to tell drivers there is a hazard on the race track) in addition when the hazard (which could be trash or an accident on the track) needs to be cleaned up, yellow ServiceMaster Clean cars/trucks will come out to cleanup. This type of sponsorship is a first for NASCAR and signals a new thinking in out to generate revenue. Not only will these types of creative sponsorship help NASCAR remain competitive in tight economic times but allow for new sponsors to display their products to NASCAR fans. Exposing fans to products they made not be aware of will allow for smaller companies which may not be able to afford the costs of full car/team sponsorship to get their products notice by race watching public.

References:

Website: NHLOutsider - Creativity Key In Securing Newest NASCAR Sponsorship For Yellow Flag Cautions: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/111717-creativity-key-in-securing-newest-nascar-sponsorship-for-yellow-flag-cautions
Photos: Sportztoday.com - NASCAR: http://www.sportztoday.com/nascar/

NHL Goalies Masks - A Look Ahead

The primary function of the goalie mask is to provide protection for the goalie's face. Made from new energy resistance materials like fiberglass and Kevlar, the goalie mask has taken on another role, that of self expression for the goalie. This is best summed up in a quote from Toronto artist Dave Arrigo: "The goalie mask is a billboard to that player's soul". The use of the goalie mask as a form of self expression is a growing trend in the NHL. These works of art give the goal a way to standout and connect with fans on a more personal level. Skilled artists are being used to create the look and feel of the goalie mask art work.

References:

Website: NHLOutsider - The Art of an NHL Goalie Mask: http://mvn.com/outsider/2009/02/post-2.html
Photos: Flyershistory.net - Flyers Goalie Mask Gallery: http://www.flyershistory.net/cgi-bin/gm.cgi

Fighting in the NHL - A Look Ahead

In a game that features big fast players making crushing hits on the opposing player, tempers will flare and fights will breakout. General Managers will continue to try and curb fighting in the NHL and at least on the surface appear to clean up the game of hockey. The fact of the matter is fighting in the NHL is a point of attraction for many fans and fights help to sell tickets. Many news and web sites feature fights in the NHL as top stories and show video of the fights over and over. Society has voted and fighting will survive in the NHL for the years to come. The challenge of the General Managers is not to stop fighting but to keep it clean and balance protecting their investment in their player with meeting the demands of the fans.

References:

Website: ESPN.com - NHL general managers weigh in on fighting: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nhl&id=3967982
Photos: SportsClimax.com - NHL enforcer Boulton talks about fight rules: http://sportsclimax.com/tag/atlanta-thrashers/