How does AI fit into the future of sports?

In that past year or so, AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been used to optimize the quality and foundations of interaction with sports. From professional teams using AI for scouting and data organization, to determining the offsides in a soccer match. AI is everywhere in sports. But is it or should it be the future? 

The use of AI within sports has been around longer than one might think. Its first use came in the late 90s when world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, was beaten by an AI computer player. Paving the way for the use of strategy and data analytics using Artificial Intelligence. Now we see AI assistance in every single MLB game. For instance, we've all wanted to throw our remotes at the tv because an umpire called strike 3 on a ball a whole foot outside of the zone. Now with the new Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, batters can challenge balls and strikes by taping their heads and the umpire will turn to the ABS AI review. In 10-15 seconds the ball/strike call will be confirmed using AI intelligence to track the strike zone radius to the ball landing in the catcher's mit. An incredibly time efficient addition to one of the most popular world wide sports. 

As a fan, should you be a fan of AI in sports? The short answer is absolutely. As a fan of a team, you want your team to always have the fair chance of winning. A study was done by the University of Boston that revealed that umpires missed over 34,000 ball-and-strike calls during a single season in 2008. HOW!? How could that be possible? There is human error in sports, refs make minute mistakes every game that have no real affect on the game. But 34,000 is just beyond extreme. The problem lingers today as out of the 8,710 total attempts under the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) 4,675 total challenges (outturned calls) were won. Meaning about 54% of calls have been wrong, and that's just considering ones that hitters/pitchers have challenged. The use of AI has given new life to certain teams, outcomes are changed because of this new system. In the NFL, scouting departments use AI to not only organize and combine thousands of high school and college prospects, but also to process game footage, player measurables, and more.Saving scouts countless hours of looking through film. AI is never going to be 100% within sports as the future is never certain. But that's what makes it so special for fans, and AI doesn’t ruin that magic of sports.  AI is often stereotyped for helping students cheat in their classes. But it's so much more than that, the notion that AI can only be used for bad is the same notion made by those who don't know how to properly use it. AI isn't going to take away what makes sports special. If anything, it can make sports better by helping eliminate mistakes and giving teams more information than ever before. There will always be people who don't trust AI, and that's understandable. Nobody wants technology to completely take over something that has always been about human competition. But I don't think that's where we're headed. AI is just another tool that sports can use to improve. The technology will keep getting better, and sports will have to adapt with it. So, maybe AI isn't the future of sports. Maybe it's already part of the present.