Without a doubt, technology is becoming a more integral part of sports with the passing of each year. Biometric bands, injury rehab through tissue engineering, and a multitude of other innovations can be attributed to the growing importance of technology in athletics. As the eventful year of 2013 concludes, we take a look back at the single most dynamic sports tech advancement of the last 365 days and how it will impact the sports universe in 2014 and beyond.
In November, owners in Major League Baseball unanimously voted in favor of an enhanced replay system to be implemented for the 2014 MLB season. An alteration that Commissioner Bud Selig declared “gigantic” and “historic,” the new system will allow both managerial and umpire challenges. Apart from ball and strike calls, checked swings, and some foul tips, essentially all plays will be review-able.
Under the current plan, each manager will be granted two challenges per game. If a manager’s challenge is successful, he will not be charged a challenge. In other words, if a manager uses both challenges, and both calls are reversed, he will still have both challenges at his disposal. To challenge a ruling, a manager must leave the dugout and inform an umpire before the next pitch. Umpires will be allowed to challenge any play they feel necessary.
Unlike instant replay procedures in other leagues, all challenged plays will be reviewed at MLB headquarters in New York by current or former umpires—the on-field umpires will be in contact with headquarters via headset.
Funding has been approved, but complete details on the official rules, costs, and extent of technology will not be disclosed or finalized until team owners meet on January 16, 2014. In the meantime, owners are working closely with both the players and umpires unions to reach an agreement regarding new replay policies. It has been clearly communicated, however, that the price tag of these new features will be substantial, to say the least.
Instant replay is easily one of the most widespread and influential tech advances in sports history. Since the early days of instant replay in the late 50’s and early 60’s, replay has seen a tremendous rise in importance in numerous sports. A limited replay system was first implemented in the NFL in 1986, followed by the NHL in ‘91, then the NBA and ATP in the 2000’s; conversely, baseball saw no use of instant replay technology until a very limited system was installed in 2008 to review boundary calls.
Why has Major League Baseball been so late to the party? We are all familiar with many infamous blown calls, such as Tiger’s pitcher Armando Galarraga’s near-perfect game in 2010 and Don Denkinger’s missed call that cost the Cardinals the 1985 World Series, yet a large portion of the baseball community has remained vehemently opposed to the video review process for decades.
Despite the reality that officiating mistakes have changed the course of baseball history, the rationale as to why many fans remain opposed to instant replay in MLB covers multiple aspects of the game. The most prominent reason relates to a concept commonly referred to as the “human element.”
Since the beginning of baseball in the 1800’s, the word of the umpire was always final. Calls were made solely based upon naked-eye observations. Until recent years, eliminating key humanistic elements of the sport was nothing short of blasphemy. Only progressives and technological zealots would dare suggest such an immense reshaping of the firm cornerstone of America’s favorite pastime. However, as time wore on, it became evident that baseball was not immune to 21st century influences.
By establishing extensive instant replay in 2014, gone, for the most part, will be the iconic battle between the fiery skipper and the adamant umpire. With the manager only needing to leave the dugout to declare a challenge, the need for argument and intense interaction will be very limited. To the multitude of fans who enjoyed the cantankerous antics of Earl Weaver, Bobby Cox, and Billy Martin, the century-old practice of verbally pleading one’s case will soon take a back seat to high-def evidence.
Secondly, adding a video review system also puts the pace of the game into question. The speed of the average MLB game has remained relatively steady over the past decade, but an excess of challenges could easily extend the game to an undesirable length. With many already complaining about the drag replay can be in football, only time will tell whether the new procedures in baseball can be implemented without significant elongation.
The assertion for replay was clear, but some do not feel as though the NFL-style, challenge system effectively remedies the situation. By solely establishing video review through challenges, the duty of getting a call correct is then put on the manager, rather than the umpire. If a close play were to occur after a manager has lost both challenges, a stubborn umpire may choose not to review the play. Essentially, managers are penalized and prohibited from using the valuable technology designed to prevent such discrepancies, if they are wrong to question the umpire twice. Thus, blown calls are still a feasible occurrence in game situations.
The integrity of managers will also be tested by a challenge system that operates between pitches. Stalling play with a challenge could allow a pitcher time to regain composure or grant a reliever an extra moment to warm-up. Giving a team multiple opportunities to voluntarily slow the game creates both positive and negative strategies that will soon become evident as the 2014 season progresses.
The holy ground on which baseball stands has shifted. A game so deeply rooted in tradition and human custom is taking a step towards a new era—Major League Baseball cannot turn back. The new replay system will certainly come under great scrutiny during its initial season, but it will develop and establish itself as a valid part of the game as replay has in other sports. Regardless, technology has effectively supplanted itself within the sport of baseball. Time for a whole new ball game.