When we talk about blockchain technology, we immediately think of terms purely related to new technologies: computers, microprocessors, computer systems, electronic information storage devices and everything that is directly or indirectly related to computational terms and actions related to them. However, in spite of the described terms that we inexorably resemble with the terminology, the implications and technological advances resulting from the study and experimentation with this technology in question have led to its application to other sectors much more current and commonly used by society beyond the professionals of information technology and communication. Thus, there are currently several sectors in which the characteristics of blockchain technology are applied, either partially or in their entirety. blockchain technology.
In this context, the characteristics of this technology should be briefly described. First of all, we must know that it is characterized by being made up of non-centralized distributive networks. This means that the information moves through the network via multiple servers and in the absence of a single central server, which means that there is no central body in charge of controlling what information moves through the network, up to what limit or what the information is. This mode of information transfer is called, terminologically speaking, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network. (peer to peer, P2P).. However, this characteristic is particularly relevant in that it provides security by preventing control of the information (due to the absence of a central server). Secondly, another feature of this technology is its exhaustive recording and chronology in the sense that all transactions, operations and/or movements carried out are recorded without any possibility of alteration, modification or elimination of the transaction, which means that everything is immutably recorded.
Having briefly touched on its characteristics and having a general idea of blockchain technology , it is worth highlighting its other areas of application: health sector, education sector, public sector, transportation sector... and even in the field of physical and body wellness. This being so, we will continue this article with the links of blockchain technology in the sports industry. While from a first prism we conceived the idea of doing sport under a weight room in a gym along with specialized machinery for this purpose, the use of new technologies in the physical activity of sport has encouraged the emergence of new applications responsible for promoting and, above all, facilitate physical work by incorporating stimuli aimed at achieving a positive and prone attitude towards physical exercise.
Now, what are the main applications of blockchain technology and the sports industry?
Firstly, programs for monitoring and tracking our physical activity, either actively during sports sessions or passively during the development of daily activities (walking, climbing up and down stairs, jumping, etc.). Thus, through blockchain-based applications we can obtain a daily and continuous record of our activity, including the number of steps, distance traveled, steps climbed or descended, calories burned during the day and even a comparative graph of our activity in relation to subsequent weeks or months and a projection of our activity.
Secondly, and related to the first of the examples described above, we can also make use of new technologies through the use of mobile applications related to nutrition, where we can record the food we eat and obtain a detailed account of the nutritional value of each one of them as well as a recommendation of caloric intake according to our objectives (loss of body fat, maintenance, increase in body fat, volume, etc.). Nowadays, more and more nutrition professionals carry out their profession through technological applications and internet.
Thirdly, we can refer to personalized training programs adapted to our objectives. This modality has a very diverse character, and we can find applications that record our body shape in the electronic device and this undergoes body modifications as we move during the workouts, showing the user both the movement being performed and the projections and physical changes that are expected to be obtained. In line with the training through new technologies, we also find the link between the sports industry and the gaming world , where we find various applications that, linked to a camera and a television, favor the performance of physical activity. An example of this can be found in the interactive sports game for Nintendo Switch Ring Fit Adventure or Let's Get Fit, where, through an avatar, we play sports in a more interactive and dynamic way through the use of games in motion.
Fourth and finally, another implication for the sports industry, and more on a technical level, would be the security of payment transactions through a fast and secure payment process. This would allow classes and training services to be booked online and immediately.
After reading the article and summarizing the above, it is possible to affirm the impact of new technologies in sectors in which, at first glance, it does not seem to be related beyond sports routines applications. However, after reading it, we can obtain a much broader idea of its implications and considerable advantages, abandoning the idea of blockchain technology entirely and exclusively in the IT and technology sector. Undoubtedly, this influence is only the beginning of its potential and its manifestation can be seen, in addition to the above, by the initiatives of sports clubs and institutions through NFTs, such as, for example, the Barça Fan Token ($BAR) or the collaboration agreements of the company Chiliz Blockchain Campus with soccer clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain or the Argentine National Team.
