20 Things You Didn't Know About... Sports Technology

How science makes modern athletes go higher, move faster, and stay safer.

By Andrew Grant, Dean Christopher, and Susannah Locke
Aug 14, 2008 5:00 AMApr 19, 2023 1:19 PM

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1 Engineers with the U.S. Olympic Committee keep improving timing and measurement technology. Light beams now record racers’ times to within a thousandth of a second. 

2 Even John McEnroe can’t complain: Not to be outdone, professional tennis has adopted a computerized tracking system that shows whether a ball is in or out.

3 Who doesn’t want bigger balls? Unlike most other sports, tennis is looking to slow down. Blistering serves and short volleys can bore spectators, so game organizers have looked at using larger balls on slower surfaces to keep fans’ interest alive.

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