The Transformational Role of Technology in Sports Events

The rapid uptake of various technological products and services transforms many fields of human life, including the sports industry. In the current chapter, we discuss the process of technological transformation in sports for different stakeholders, and the role of particular innovations in this ongoing phenomenon. It extends the literature on the intersection of sport management and technology, followed by vivid cutting-edge examples from the field. In greater detail, we explain how and why new technology innovations are disseminated and used, affecting sports training, performance, judging, and spectating. Consequently, it reshapes tools, and strategies for event and sport management, bringing, on the one hand, uncertainty and ambiguity, but, on the other hand, new marketing and management opportunities for all stakeholders. However, to use these opportunities and to turn them into an advantage, sport management professionals have to profoundly understand the nature, trajectory, and impact of the current technology-centered transformation in the industry. In this chapter, we provide a deep explanation of the transformational role of technology in sports events and the sports ecosystem in general. It is addressed to a wide range of readers: students, scholars, sports, and technology professionals. Complementary, we define the perspective directions and agenda for future research.