Hey VAR: How Is Tech Changing Sport?

Technological innovations are altering every aspect of sport, from the monitoring of athletes’ performance to the design of the equipment they use to the broadcasting and streaming wizardry that allow us fans to watch. Indeed, when it comes to refereeing sport, technology increasingly offers the promise and peril of sidelining human officials from the equation altogether. What does the hybrid tech/human model of sports officiating (such as soccer’s VAR, “video-assisted referee”) say about the future of A.I. governance in our everyday lives? How are data-heavy performance-enhancing athletic technologies improving our games, and what promise do they offer for those of us who aren’t elite athletes?

In advance of next month’s Men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, join Future Tense to explore how tech is driving sport innovation.

Speakers:

Kristin Collins
Former Olympic High Performance Director, Beijing 2022
Former High Performance Advisor, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

David Guston
Foundation Professor, ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society

Christina Unkel
Analyst, CBS Sports
VAR-certified Professional Referee

Noah Rubin
Former Professional Tennis Player
Wimbledon Junior Singles Champion
Founder and CEO, Behind the Racket

Moderator:

Andrés Martinez
Editorial Director, Future Tense
Professor, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, ASU