ESPN and Sport Science

My weekend morning routine of a bowl of cereal and SportsCenter have seen some changes over the past year. In addition to the new anchors updating the sports stories every minute they have now taken an even more in depth look at certain aspects of sports with their newest feature, Sport Science

Sport Science is a segment on ESPN where the creators use technology to uncover myths and mysteries about sports.   The show has covered everything from Ndamakong Suh’s sacking ability, Kevin Love’s rebounding, to Denard Robinson’s speed and agility.  By breaking down each of the athletes’ movements into their highly specific submovements, it definitely gives the viewer a new perspective to the sport and explains far more about an athlete than his or her stats alone.

Sports Science is changing ESPN and the way we watch sports, but is it really something people want to see while they are watching SportsCenter? Or perhaps they just want to hear the scores and analysis and just move on with the program?  Are the comparisons too outrageous  (like sumo wrestlers colliding together with the same force as a pyramid of cheerleaders falling on your chest)? I wonder whether Sports Science really is worth the few extra minutes on SportsCenter, or if a different outlet on ESPN would be more appropriate. Next time you are watching the sports program on ESPN give it some thought.

By: Chris Swift

(Photo by Mike Lindsey under a Creative Commons license)