« Vault Versus Bubka |
Main
| Holy Moses, Man of Science »
August 03, 2004
A Potential Sports Technology I Hate Hate Hate. I Hate It, I Tell Ya
Posted by Nick
Here's a story about a soccer technology I hate, hate hate:
Perhaps the most difficult rule to call correctly in the sports world is football's offside. Leave it to the Italians—who have complained about more than their fair share of dodgy calls—to dive into solving the problem. Experts at Italy's National Research Council are developing a computer-based system that could change the way the game is judged.
Here's how it would work: a camera installed on the sideline at midfield would offer a 180-degree view of the field. The camera's footage would be processed by a computer capable of distinguishing not only each player's position on the field, but also that of the ball in order to determine if a player is offside. At the moment of infringement, the machine will then wirelessly signal the referee.
I'm all for using technology for better officiating... in theory. In practice, I particularly dislike this one.
Yes, everyone knows officials botch the offsides call in soccer all the time, sometimes blowing the whistle when a player is not offsides, and sometimes failing to blow it when he clearly is offsides. There's human error involved and we all know that and we live with it.
The problem I have is how this technology will undermine the art some players have developed over years of practice of fooling players and officials to get that extra step. Great footie players are deft at faking their way offsides without getting caught. It's part of what's great about the game -- the element of risk, the artistry involved in fooling officials and fans and players. The application of precision offsides calls will undermine that skill that the great strikers developed over time. It would be a shame for the game.
Comments (5)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Soccer
- RELATED ENTRIES
- › Pushing the Limit
- › Bad Innovations
- › A Good Walk Indoors?
- › The Flux Capacitor It Ain't
- › The Crippling Effect of Drugs?
- › Stealers Win
- › Play Time
- › Pebble Beach, Anyone?
Nick Schulz is the Editor of Tech Central Station and has worked in media circles and the ideas industry as a writer, editor, television producer and policy analyst. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Slate, The National Post of Canada, The Baltimore Sun, Investor's Business Daily, The Washington Times, National Review, Reason, Policy Review, and several other publications. He is also, it should be said, a rabid sports fan whose fandom is inversely proportional to his overall athletic ability.
1. Geek Gurl on August 6, 2004 12:02 PM writes...
hi-o,
tell you what i don't hate ... you. you're good! i'd lure you away if i could pay ya enough. man, i dig them headline-writin skills of yours.
with relish,
Geekgurl
Permalink to Comment2. Disagreer on August 10, 2004 04:57 PM writes...
I disagree with you. 90% of the time the referee calls offside when there is none, the opposite rarely happens. That said I don't see how such a technology could ever work. The most often missed offsides calls are the ones where the official fails to recognize that while a player may appear to be in an offside position when they recieve the ball, they were not at the time of the pass.
Permalink to Comment3. Kirby Puckett on August 10, 2004 07:23 PM writes...
Can someone explain why there even IS an offside rule in soccer or hockey? I've never played either game and I don't understand why it should be a penalty for an offensive player to enter the defender's "zone" ahead of the ball or puck. It seems to me that doing so creates risk for the offensive players that they could choose to take, or not.
Permalink to Comment4. Robert Schwartz on August 13, 2004 04:44 PM writes...
Kirby: A more fundamental question is why is there such a thing as soccer? As we both know baseball is the perfect game and real football, basketball and hockey exist to fill in the space between the World Series and Opening Day.
Permalink to Comment5. Eliot on August 19, 2004 12:53 AM writes...
The offside rule is flawed because it requires its enforcers to do something humanly impossible - focus on two locations simultaneously. Therefore, I support efforts to develop technology to help enforce the rule. Though I think that'll be a long road.
I don't know what to make of your argument, though. You're saying you think that you prefer inconsistent enforcement of the rule because you'd miss the skill some players show at cheating?
Sounds like a slippery slope to me... What if there's someone out there who enjoys the balletic grace of strikers diving in the penalty box?
Permalink to Comment