Exploring AI’s Undeniable Impact On Youth Sports

The emerging age of artificial intelligence has fueled both dire warnings and utopian visions about what this powerful, rapidly evolving technology will mean for humanity. Evidence of AI’s influence can already be found in some unexpected places — like youth sports.

Helpful tool or too much pressure?

Traditionally, young athletes learn the basics through practice and advice from a coach or parent who knows how to play the game. But these days, there’s a new service that wants a piece of the action.

There are several AI-powered tools on the market designed to analyze an individual’s sport-specific performance and provide a host of data as well as advice for improvement. On the surface, it might sound like a beneficial use of AI, and there’s certainly a profit motive for brands like Balltime, an AI service used by a growing number of youth athletic departments.

Ashley Brown coaches a volleyball team that her daughter happens to play on, and she said Balltime has been a beneficial addition.

“It has helped me already this season with some of the difficult conversations I’ve had to have with players and parents,” she said, noting that she can tell them “it’s not because I don’t like your kid, this is a computer system and software system that are rating these things based on these parameters.”

“There’s this pit of loneliness”

While there’s little question that the information collected by these AI tools is valuable, it remains to be seen whether giving it to young athletes is a great long-term strategy.

Ben Bahr, the coach of a volleyball team that uses Balltime, cited the potential downside.

“There’s this mad rush right now to use these tools to self promote and there’s this pit of loneliness that can happen when you don’t get that attention,” he said.

Chris Agee October 5th, 2024

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