Every athlete wants to push him or herself to be their very best. Diet, exercise, and every other possible physical effort that top athletes can make to beat the competition become intense objects of focus. But some people are starting to wonder: with the rise of so many synthetic foods and physical aids, are we moving too far beyond the point of simply being physically fit? Might it be time to go back to old school athletics at some point?
There are different opinions about this, of course. And the debate will likely continue for years to come. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly the arguments on both sides are, and where the conversation seems to be heading.
Super nutrition
There is no question that having a good diet is critical for athletes. Getting the right nutritional components is essential for being able to train long hours, maintain muscle mass, and perform in pressure-filled competitions.
But the sports nutrition industry is going far beyond the basic food groups these days. First of all, there is a global obsession with protein drinks among athletes. People look at the super buff bodybuilders who promote these powders and pre-made drinks, and they think that this is a ticket to superstardom. Some of these drinks contain substances that are or ought to be banned by sports authorities, though, such as selective androgen receptor modulators. Some people think this is taking the competition too far.
Another thing to note about these sports drinks is that they are not regulated by authoritative bodies and could eventually have other harmful effects. Sports drinks contain untold amounts of metals and other potentially harmful substances.
Artificial intelligence: helpful or harmful?
The AI revolution has also come to top-level sports, and in a big way. Elite athletes are able to track and monitor pretty much their every movement these days, and thanks to increasingly-developing AI tools. But are these tools taking the micro-analysis thing too far?
Let’s take a closer look at what AI in sports is able to do:
- Performance analysis. AI tools are able to track pretty much every muscle in an athlete’s body and determine how they can move more efficiently and effectively. Sophisticated programs can go through an athlete’s performance frame by frame and inform them of precise points at which they could have moved differently to gain speed, agility, etc.
- Game strategy enhancement. When it comes to whole teams, AI can be hugely assistive because it uses algorithms to figure out exactly how one team can gain an advantage over others at every point of a game.
- Fan engagement. Fan engagement is part of the game, of course. We all remember the 2020 Olympics when people tried to compensate for the lack of spectators using artificial noise machines, etc. With AI, systems can measure exactly how and to what degree fans become more and less engaged in games.
What is controversial about these things?
Upon first glance, some of the things that are making modern athletes superhuman might not look that bad. Certainly figuring out your faults and being able to target them accurately is a normal thing, right?
Some would actually argue that it isn’t. Just as people criticize technology for diminishing the power of our memories, reasoning capacity, and even creativity, so too do some people believe that athletes shouldn’t rely so heavily on technology to improve their performance.
And this principle could apply to team strategy, as well. If we allow technology to figure out how we should beat our competitors, what does it really say about us as people?
One thing that is clear is that sports are getting more and more exciting to watch all the time. And this is great news for fans. You can even wager on your favorite sports by downloading https://india1xbet.in/en/mobile on your phone. Give it a try and see how you do!
The debate could go on…
This debate could continue indefinitely, of course. What is clear is that athletes are continuously getting better and better all the way around. And so too is outsiders’ ability to assess athlete performance. Let’s see where the state of sports is in 50 years: one thing is for sure – these top athletes will continue to amaze us with their performance.
