The main question being asked is more or less ‘Protection or performance’. All modern day boots have the same aim, to look good, and to have certain aims which improve your performance. The bots are concentrated on o hard now that they have lots of specific designs which improve or enhance certain aspects of your performance, whilst this is going on the protection of people’s feet and ankles is forgotten. And yet there is another point to the subject, people like George Best, Pele and Maradonna never had boots such as those sold today, certainly not Adidas or Nike! And in my opinion there is no player in the modern game that was ever as good as them.
A point could be raised here though which identifies the fact that realistically the modern game is a lot faster than what it was back then. So in a way maybe it does help that there are advancements in technology such as boots. However these advancements have only come about due to advancements elsewhere such as the quality of the pitches and how they are tended to and looked after. Also the quality of the balls, all of these are factors that creates a faster game, the grass is shorter, it is watered before every game, at the emirates stadium there is 1 piece of synthetic fake grass to every 3 real blades of grass, this helps preserve the pitch and keep it flatter. So from this maybe players need boots that will help them to deal with the faster environment
Below is an example of an old fashioned football boot, it weighed 600 grams, the Nike vapour now weighs 96, but do you think Pele cared? Ask him to swap boots with Thierry Henry.
Through the ages there has been a huge advance in the thought behind what the players wear while playing their sport. The matter of the playing jerseys escalated from simply being a different coloured shirt to differentiate the teams to a effecting the way athletes move and the forces that at on them as the play the game.
Below I go into further comparison on the advances in sports technology this time using the developments in the playing shirts as an example.
The image on the left is an example of the earlier playing shirts. These shirts were made from 100% cotton and were very bland in colour the positives and negatives of this shit are listed below
Positives
- The shirts did differentiate the teams
- The shirts were thick so could combat the winter conditions
- The material is strong and resilient
Negatives
- Due to the thickness of the shirt during wet and rainy condition the shirt will soak up moisture and become wet and heavy restricting the players ability
- In hot conditions the shirt with gather heat making the player become hot
- The stitching quality so the shirt would regularly rip at the seems
The shirt just explained above had no thought into its construction and was not considered at the time to have an impact on the player or the game.
Due to technological research into the physics of sport, the technology and the thought put into the designing of the shirts has developed creating the advances you see today.
Below is the shirt that is now used mostly by the 2007 England international teams
Using the technology worn by England and France in the recent six nations, 2 distinct fabrications provide strength, mobility and a performance fit designed to allow the rugby player to perform to his maximum potential. The technology is a constant progression from the previous shirt. The advances have made it easy for the player to perform to show the benefits that technological research has had on the Rugby shirt I have again created the advantages and the disadvantages these are shown below.
Advantages
- This shirt has the same technology as a wet suit but instead of water the material uses the players sweat to adapt the temperature of the shirt to the environment warms the sweat in the cold and cools it in the warm
- The shirt is skin tight making it harder to grab onto making the player more difficult to tackle
- the structure and design of the shirt allows the player to have easy movement to help him perform
- the material used is light weight and will not absorb much water
- the structure of the shirt allows strength in the
- Due to the discovery of the material lycra the shirt are stretchy allowing for more movement available to the player.
Disadvantages
- The material is not indestructible can be ripped
- The materials and research into the shirts is expensive making the shirts costly.
Analysis (impact)
In 1995 when rugby became professional it had a huge positive impact on the game, it brought more players into the game, as they knew that they can make a career of playing as they where going to be paid. More money can be brought into the game, which would mean more technological advancements etc. In 1996 with Leicester Tigers brining SAQ training into rugby, had a huge impact in rugby as it make the players faster and make them more able to evade contact, this would improve the speed of which the game is played, this is a huge positive for the game as it makes the game more exciting to watch and play. When the sin bin was introduced in 1997, it had a both positive and negative affect on rugby. The positive affect is that, it will persuade players not to cheat as they and their team will suffer, as their team will be one player down for ten minuets and they will be off the pitch and not able to play. The negative is that sometimes referees get the decision wrong and sin bin the wrong player which can turn a game and make the team that deserves to win loose. The video replay and video referee has had a really positive impact on the game, it allows teams to sight opposition players for infractions, also allows referees to make the correct decisions. Also the referee can look up to the TMO to see whether or not a team has scored a try. However the video replay can slow the game down, and can annoy fans and takes responsibility off referees and linesmen. The new light weight footballs for football designed in 2001, had a positive affect on the players, as it made it easier for them to get power on the ball with more accuracy and allowed them to do skills easier. However it made it harder for the goalies to judge the ball, also it took the players a while to get use to the new ball design and weight. The new tight skin rugby tops made in 2003, had a huge positive for the backs and fast players when they where attacking, this is due to the fact that the shirts were so tight that the opposition found it hard to tackle them. However when the shirts first came out they kept on getting ripped, also only the top teams could afford these new shirts, so poorer teams, did not benefit from this new technology. The new pig boot sleeve developed in 2004, has improved all players kicking skills, in the sports that good foot too ball control is good, a draw back is that they look ugly and some player would be put off by how they look. The new Gilbert rugby balls developed in 2005 had a positive affect on the players, as it made it easier for them to get power on the ball with more accuracy and allowed them to do skills easier. However it made it harder for the goalies to judge the ball, also it took the players a while to get use to the new ball design and weight. The new Piero system developed by the BBC in 2006, has helped players and teams with analysis of games and of opposition so they can help pick out weaknesses and strengths. However a negative is that not all teams can afford to use this technology so poorer teams will be at a disadvantage.
Task 2
Here I am going to talk about the benefits of technological developments in equipment and facility design in two contrasting sports. My two sports include football and rugby.
Benefits in football
Equipment –
- Football boots – As shown by the pictures we can see that boots have gone from thick cow hide with the studs nailed in to being made from kangaroo leather with moulded blades or studs. The also screw in to the bottom of the boot.
- Under armour – This is quite a recent development in football, originally used in rugby and made by Canterbury of New Zealand and various rugby brands it is now used in football too. Nike was actually the first to advertise these aids in football through using Thierry Henry in an advertisement. They are designed to wear under your football top and come as a vest, short or long – sleeved. They vary upon what weather you wear them in, some are designed to keep you warm and some to keep you cool in hot weather.
- Shinpads – They are now designed to provide the player with more protection yet they weigh less and are more comfy.
- Team Kit – Italy being the main inventors of this innovation, they teamed up with kappa, a leading sports brand to design a top which fits skin tight to actually aid your performance and comfort.
- Footballs – They are now made from different materials as well as leather, have fewer panels on the outside and are lighter. The less, but larger panels help the ball to move in different directions through the air due to less wind resistance.
- Match Officials – Referees now wear microphones so that they can communicate with the linesmen; this makes it easier for the referee so he can make a decision quicker without having to look around.
Facilities –
- Stadiums – They are now being expanded by clubs so that they hold higher capacities of fans. Along with this they are also developed by world leading architects to decrease the risk of danger, such as stands collapsing etc… Another good point is moving pitches; some stadiums have rollers under the pitch which moves it under the stands of the stadium to preserve it better, and some stadiums also have roofs which slide n and off. In the 2002 world cup England played against Argentina in Korea, they actually played indoors of the stadium so that it was cooler conditions and not so unhealthy.
- Gyms – They now include different facilities and electronic weights machines reducing the risk of injury to players. They have facilities which include VO2 max testing centres and various anaerobic machines.
- Rehabilitation – Clubs now provide their players with ice baths and Jacuzzis which help the recovery rate of muscles through extreme water temperatures, this also aids recovery.
- Analysis suites – Here teams can sit and watch their previous performances and analyse how they played, various software can show how far players ran in the match, areas of the pith covered etc… This gives the manager a good idea on who is worthy and has the greatest skill/potential as he cannot see every player on the pitch.
Benefits in Rugby
Equipment –
- Scrum caps – These were quite an early innovation in rugby and prevent small head injuries, and things such as cauliflower ear. This is a defection of the ear which causes them to form into a kind of ‘scrunch’. Thus causing you to have very strange ears.
- Gloves – This helps grip on the ball rather than just bare skin. And it prevents you from dropping the ball and improves your catching.
- Under armour/skins – This is also used in other sports such as football and basketball and they were originally used in rugby for the same reasons they are now, for warmth and coolness.
- Body pads – These help to protect certain parts of the body and are made for different parts of your torso.
- Better balls – They are now lighter than they were and made from different materials. There was actually an investigation into the latest models after Johnny Wilkinson made a complaint that they were too light in the recent six nation’s tournament.
- Lighter boots – Although football boots used to be ankle high they changed much earlier on whereas the style of rugby boots didn’t really change until the game became professional.
- Skin tight tops – Just like the Italian football tops they are now skin tight, this is to stop the chance of players holding your shirt etc…however this didn’t really come into effect until the year 2000.
- Flag posts – The posts are no longer wooden and they are now made from a flexible plastic so that players do not sustain injuries if they slide or get pushed into one.
- Post covers – These are massive innovations which were used quite early on. The cover the try posts so that you do not get knocked into solid metal when tackled etc…
Facilities
- Video reference – Video reference is a huge help in rugby as it has taken the place of a fourth referee, it provides a live replay straight after an incident which can help the referee to give decisions over awarding try’s etc.
- Microphoned Referees – The referees now wear microphones just the same as football so they are able to communicate with the other officials consistently.
- Sky sports – Since the game has gone professional it has taken up a lot of television coverage from sky sports and has gained massive popularity, big games are also shown on standard television at present.
Critical analysis
Through the years of sport massive advances have occurred in more ways than just sports attire but the way the game is played, the media that surrounds the game and the money involved this assignment has mainly focused on the advances of technology in the football boot.
The football boot has move on through time along with its sort changing consistently to suit the needs of its environment becoming lighter, weighted, slimmer, fatter, thinner or thicker material, breathable or not, studded, bladed, or moulds, laces to the side front middle back, ankle support toe capped. All these different changes to the football boot make it more comfy to wear more efficient to perform a skill in like the addias preditors had a grip on the side of the boot in order to control the ball better.
But the best way to critically analyse to advances in technology is to file it down to advantages and disadvantages of the progression in sports technology.
Advantages:
- Shoes and clothing becomes more breathable meaning hygiene during the game improves
- Attire becomes climate applicable, you can get top that keep you warn in winter and cool in summer
- Protective attire is more design to the joint due to research and therefore prevents any further injuries
- Newly engineered boots allow better movement and support for players
- Wearable protection prevent injuries
- Lighter weight clothing allows more movement and comfort
Disadvantages:
- Newly engineered protection allows a harder more aggressive game to be played which could result in injuries
- Newly engineered sports equipment allows a faster game
- New products with added research cost more to purchase and insure
Although the positives out weigh the negatives by far there are still some draw backs to the advances in technology. The advances in technology allow the game to become harder faster and therefore the risk of injury becomes greater. The sports adapt to the technology allowing the game to grow with the research and developments.
