Xs and Os and 0s and 1s: Sport’s Algorithmic Culture

• In Event: Science, Technology and Sport - I: Sporting Technologies and Narratives

Abstract

Interactive charts, static graphs, and moving dots are just a few of the countless ways data is algorithmically crafted into consumption by players, fans, coaches, and management (among others) in the commercially- and performance-driven terrain of sport. The creation of this visual user interface – the translation of the Xs and Os of sport to the 0s and 1s of binary code and back again – requires a number of human and non-human actors and enactments. Hardware, firmware, software, industrial designers, electrical engineers, and software developers (among others) are parts of the, often algorithmic, processes that enable the collecting, storing, sharing, and interpreting of sporting data. Drawing upon recent conceptualizations of critical data and critical algorithm studies, this paper traces the varied practices used to engage with algorithms in sport. In particular, the ways in which sports analytics company STATS ‘enacts’ their SportVU data will be examined through patents, research and white papers, and institutional and industry documentation.

Author

• Jennifer Sterling, University of Iowa