For many years, major sports remained relatively unchanged – the game that was played in local parks and on school fields was pretty much the same as the game played by the professionals.Â
There were a few tweaks here and there, but radical changes were rarely applied to on-field matters. But in the last few decades, all that has changed, and professional sports have evolved into something new. The games we watch now are played against a backdrop of theatrics that, while pleasing certain spectators, have left many purists reeling. So, just how did technology help to turn sport into theatre?
Big-Screen Drama
One of the first major pieces of technology to transform sports was the big screen. These giant TVs allowed fans to see more of the action and to watch replays of crucial moments. They also allowed the match hosts to display team line-ups and to play around with fancy graphics and advertising. It was like bringing the armchair experience into the stadium.
The first giant-screen was known as the Jumbotron and was developed in Japan by Sony and Mitsubishi. The largest was 10 m tall by 33.5 m wide and was located at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre) in Toronto, Ontario. Today, we have LED screens such as the centrally-hung video screen located in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium which measures 72 x 160 feet and has an HD display of 1920 x 1080 resolution, 45 times that of the Jumbotron. While the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium boasts a world-beating 360 degrees halo screen measuring 58 x 1,100 feet.
Boxing theatrics
Boxing is another sport that has been transformed by technology. Today, when elite boxers enter the ring, they use elaborate light, sound, video and costume productions that can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. When Deontay Wilder lost to Tyson Fury in 2020, he claimed the weight of his walk-on costume had weakened his legs. Despite his excuses, the American is still the outsider in the latest betting odds to win the much-anticipated rematch due in the near future. What kind of theatrics will Wilder use next time? Or will he learn his lesson and just keep it simple?
The VAR Pantomime
The next big change came with the introduction of Instant Replay systems, first used in American football in 1986. The system used multiple camera angles to determine the accuracy of the officials’ decisions. It was initially met with skepticism and was dropped for a while until the current revised system was re-introduced in 1999. A Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced into professional soccer in 2016 and was used at that year’s World Club Cup. It was later rolled out in the major leagues and was used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup but has proved to be controversial, with many fans claiming it has ruined the spectacle of the game. The team in the VAR room have become like the pantomime villains of soccer.
A Hawk’s Eye View
A more popular form of technology is Hawk-eye which is used in multiple sports including tennis, cricket, rugby, soccer and volleyball. It can examine incidents where the human eye may have erred – such as whether a ball has crossed the line, or a try has been scored. This tried and tested technology has been mostly welcomed to the sporting world, and has added to the drama of sports such as tennis and cricket.
These are just a few ways in which technology has turned sporting events into theatre – for better or for worse.
