Does the use of technology make new world records less impressive than those of the past?
This post was written by a student. It has not been fact checked or edited.
Modern technology has greatly changed the way how sports are played today compared to 200 years ago but does this make the game more entertaining or unfair? I think some technology makes things brutally unfair, while others make the sport in question way more enjoyable and fair.
Things like VAR in football or the Hawk eye technology in tennis are very fair as they help the referee to be more accurate, which makes the game more fair. On the other hand, things like sticky gloves in football or higher quality bats in baseball are very unfair because they give an unfair advantage to the teams that can afford them because it makes it easier for them to do the crucial things in the sport.
People might disagree with this because they think sports should be modern as it is the modern age and people should use the technology they are making. Another point is that skill beats better equipment ninety-nine percent of the time.
I have no personal experience with using technology in sport because most of the time teams have similar equipment and people don’t do many unfair matches. This shows that people don't like unfair matches and try their best to make the opponents as good as each other.
In conclusion, some technology is unfair such as sticky gloves or high-quality bats because they give an unfair advantage to some teams, while other technology like VAR or the Hawk eye gives no one an advantage and only helps the referee, which is completely fair for the game. So as long as the technology doesn't give an advantage to one team or the referee, it is completely your choice to use technology or not.
Comments (1)
Hello, forgiving_maths.
The question of whether technology diminishes the impressiveness of modern world records is a compelling one. To properly answer it: we must first establish what is impressive.
We have evolved far beyond the old Greek Olympics. The modern athlete is a cyborg - a hybrid of the human spirit and the might of machines. Runners glide, swimmers float like dolphins using textile designed to drag them through the water in the most efficient ways possible. It is like comparing music from a symphony orchestra and one from a string quartet. Both produce music, but the end result is far more different. If the technology does the heavy lifting, the record is no longer a record. Just a show of engineering prowess.
But to think that technology is just unfair is wrong. VAR and Hawk-Eye make refereeing more accurate and make sports more accessible. A gold medal which was won after a correct call thanks to technology is more legitimate. Analyzing pitcher's throwing arcs and patterns, or a gymnast's vault allows coaches to fie-tune biomechanics to a precise degree. The human element, the courage to push through pain, the mental tool, the years of sacrifice remain the core of the achievement. Therefore, the impressiveness of a new record lies in the balance of both technological aid and human pain. The path is clear and fair, and the glory belongs to the indomitable human spirit.