The Number Games -- How Machine Learning is Changing Sports

Elite sport is now awash with data. As athletes and management look to gain every competitive advantage they possibly can, they are gathering information about all aspects of individual and team performances in booth training and matchplay, as well as a raft of other metrics. The confidence with machine learning often needed to get coaches to the pinnacle of their field means that some are still reluctant to cede ground to algorithms and machines, but inherent prejudices and the fallibility of human memory mean that the brain is an inefficient tool for processing complex information, especially in the time required during sports games. This is especially true for team sports, where they must monitor a number of players at once. Machine Learning can be applied to sports in a range of ways, with data now accessible about almost anything.