Do Technology and Sports Mix?

            Many sports have adapted technology fairly well. Football has incorporated instant replay to make sure the officials on the field get the correct call. Basketball also has instant replay, but it is used more to make sure that a player gets the shot off before the clock runs out. It can also be used in basketball if there is a question about a player shooting a two point shot or a three point shot. Nascar has also incorporated new technology to make their cars safer. However, some sports have changed little over the past 100 years. They have resisted the use of technology because they feel it hurts the integrity of their sport. Baseball refuses to allow instant replay to make sure the umpires on the field make the correct call on the bases. I believe this is hurting the popularity of the sports and turns it off to younger views.

            In today’s world, most of the people who watch baseball watch it on television. That means that they know right away if an umpire gets a call correct or not because close plays are replayed over and over on television. 95% of the time this does not matter much because the calls aren’t that close. A runner is usually clearly out or clearly safe. But there are some close plays that umpires get wrong, and it is hard for baseball to continue to justify not using instant replay as the technology advances. I believe that baseball is hurting themselves with their stubbornness. A diehard baseball fan is going to watch baseball no matter what, but this turns off casual sports fans from the sport. An average American who watches sports and sees how well instant replay works in football and basketball is turned off by obviously wrong calls in baseball that would easily be over turned if there were instant replay. Our entire society has adapted to the technology, so why hasn’t baseball? I don’t think it will hurt the game at all. Baseball will still be a sport with a lot of tradition, and it does not have to abandon its roots, but adding instant replay would make it more exciting for everyone.