Can technology make sports more equal, or does it only widen the gap between competitors?

F1 is one of the most dangerous sports in the world! I think it is extremely dangerous since it has caused many deaths to F1 and F2 drivers. That's why the halo was introduced. F1 decided in 2018 that it would become mandatory for formula drivers to have a halo fitted on their cars. It has proven to reduce injuries (Lewis Hamliton in 2025 US Grand Prix) and saved lives such as Romain Grosjean and Zhou Gnanyu in 2022.

In football they have created better technology which is a built-in referee called VAR and it stands for Video Assistance Referee. VAR has improved accuracy in football by a whopping 82% to 96% since it was introduced. VAR is used to check back footage and check goals and whether red and yellow cards are given to the right person. It was introduced for the 2018 world cup; the premier league adopted it for the 2019/20 season.

I personally think that technology is a great way to reduce mistakes while handing out penalties. On the other hand, I think that it might cause upset between poor and rich teams as it could seem very unfair to less wealthy sports teams who won’t have the same access to tech.

I’ve not experienced tech in sport in real life but I know some friends who have definitely experienced VAR or other technology in their sport. The sports that include tech are Football, F1, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics (running), Rugby, American Football (NFL), Swimming, Cycling and finally Equestrian. As you can see there are many sports that use technology but at the end of the day, we are left with the question that determines if technology widens the gap between sport teams or does it make sports fairer.

Now technology is great but does it widen the gap between sport teams? I think technology widens the gap between sports teams because it might seem fair to more wealthy people but to poor teams it’s harder because they are not as fortunate as other teams so they can’t always afford it. In my eyes it does seem very unfair. On the other hand technology is also very captivating because it tells you if (for example) someone scored a goal in football or if they missed. Technology is also interesting because it has caught many people cheating in the past.