Slideshow: Top 10 Tech in Sports

11/13/2012 1:08 PM EST

I think photo finish is still my favorite of all of these. Looking back to the olympics this past summer, it's that hair of a difference that can determine gold's from silver's and bronzes. Good stuff

11/13/2012 9:03 PM EST

Looking at this, it's really hard to imagine sports today WITHOUT all of this technology.

There is an interesting discussion to be had (it's already had all of the time) about why some of this technology is used for telecasting games, but is not incorporated into the games themselves. Big examples are the first down line in NFL games (doesn't it HAVE to be more accurate than the current referee eyeball approach) and the use of the pitch zone pitch locator for calling balls and strikes in baseball. I'm not saying I'm for it, but it's certainly a much debated topic.

11/14/2012 2:17 PM EST

You featured Stan Honey twice, but take a look at his latest feat for Sailing at: http://www.americascup.com/en/about/liveline

11/15/2012 7:57 PM EST

I always wondered about those Skycams in football games and imagined they were tiny unwired drone helicopters. Maybe in the next generation!

11/16/2012 1:24 PM EST

In my opinion Football could take a few more technological steps to solve a major problem for viewers: stopage. I've grown soooo tired of watching those Three Hour Men's Products Infomercials...uh, I mean "games", that I don't really watch them anymore. (Notice to advertisers) I just pop in and out to check scores and scan for the rare good play.

One easy step would be first down lasers. My God, how difficult should it be to determine a friggin' first down? A ref spots the ball, everybody gets out of the way, laser disrupted - FIRST DOWN! Laser detected - FORTH DOWN! NEXT PLAY. Other technologies could be used for this function as well.

Next would be booth officials, instead of field officials, doing instant replay. Do we really need to wait that agonizing five minutes for the field officials to saunter over to the replay booth - after announcing that they will do so, do their business behind closed curtain and then saunter back out to tell us what they just did? (I often wonder if they aren't having a little coffee break in there.) Anyway, Tennis uses chair judges, why not Football?

Those are just a few ideas. There are many more. All are needed to make the viewing experience enjoyable again.

11/27/2012 7:50 PM EST

you mean the yellow line is not real???

11/27/2012 11:15 PM EST

I think technology can add a lot to the viewing of sports, but can there also be too much of a good thing? It seems like the last football game I saw was so filled with image gimickry, replays, nth angle shots, and graphics shooting all around the screen that it was actually slightly annoying. It left you with the feeling that you watched a whole movie in one play. Give me back my game!

It always amazed me as a kid when my older brother and his friends would be watching a football game and their ability to catch off-sides and other violations when I had difficutly even following the flow of the ball through the a given play. Not having the technology forces you to sharpen your skills of observation. And having refs instead of a laserbeam determine an offsides violation keeps the game more human, and I kind of like that. In the end, it is all about humans, and it is a human contest. Sure, fans may argue over a call until the next season begins, but that is part of the fun as well. ;)