My Punishment From Dr.Beedle

Technology and sports
The use of technology in sport has changed the games themselves. The global Positioning Satellites systems; which was develop by the military has leaked in to many of the modern day sports. The G.P.S. has change the way we participate, as well as, view sports.
Participation
A fisherman can mark a spot (locking in the location for future reference) where the fish can be found. A golfer get the exact distant to the pin, with the aid of a golf cart that is equipped with G.P.S. A yacht racer no longer has to navigate by the stars. A hunter can wonder into the swamp with the confidence of knowing he will find his truck at the end of the day. The eco-trekker can climb a mountain to place the signature on a tablet let in a box, on some cliff in the middle of nowhere. A dogsledder can get from Anchorage to Nome in the Iditarod in the hairiest of conditions sure that he will find his way. The skier can takes a helicopter to the top of the mountain only to ski right up to the backdoor of his condo at the end of the day.
Where is the sport in all of this? When you add technology to a sport does it take the skill and the adventure out of the sport? Relying on technology to find your way can be placing your life in the hands of two AA batteries. If a tournament or contest is won by the aid of technology, which is the champion, the machine, the participant, or the sport: “I say none of them!” (Uncle White 2009) According to War on Bullshit .com “the game is so different that quibbling about the relative achievements of players from different eras is just bullshit.’(Wolfe. August 10th, 2007) G.P.S. is only one of technology that has totally changed the way we participate in sports.
Viewing Sports
G.P.S. lets us view sport in a whole new demission. The days were you must eat a little sand in order to view a Baja race is over. Marry up a G.P.S., a virtual world and Google maps one can watch the Baja 1000 sitting in any living room in the world, as long as you can get an Internet signal.
“Map My Tracks turns your mobile cell phone into your personal real-time GPS tracking device. Using a mobile cell phone with built-in GPS or an external GPS receiver you can map and track your location in real-time. Map My Tracks is great for bringing a new insight into your sporting activity; it provides a competitive edge and makes training fun. Map My Tracks let your friends; competitors or parents know where you are right now.”
(http://www.mapmytracks.com)
How will we put the spectator back in the stands, once we take the meaning out of the concept of a spectator sport? If the fans set in his living room with a virtual reality helmet watching the Daytona 500, with a better view than seating at a two mile track. G.P.S. is already the official scorer for Nascar. G.P.S. married up with other technology; will make these billion dollar stadiums empty. Just like the stadiums have price them self out of sight try to take a family of four to a Yankees game get a hotdog, a piece of apple pie, and park your Chevrolet. Maybe G.P.S. is only the start and a good thing for viewing America’s favorite sports “NOT” (Uncle Whitey 2009)
References
Top 7 Reasons Breaking Sports Records is B.S. Kavan Wolfe August 10th, 2007 The war on bullshit. Retrieved April 11, 2009, www.thewaronbullshit.com
What is map my tracks. Map my Tracks. Retrieved April 11, 2009 www.mapmytracks.com
Interview with uncle whitey, John J. White, April 11 2009