Author Description

When people think of sports, they often think of athletes, coaches, and sports broadcasters. But they often don't realize the key roles that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professionals play in athletics. Engineers, scientists, technicians, inventors, and other STEM professionals design and build stadiums, wearable technology, protective gear, and other things. Others collect and analyze massive amounts of data to help individual athletes and teams obtain a competitive edge. In recent years, the letter "A" (for "arts") has been added to the STEM acronym to acknowledge the artistic creativity and innovation that are involved in STEM fields. The "arts" in STEAM include music, writing, fine arts, drama, design, digital art, and other creative disciplines. In Sports & STEAM: Mathematics, you'll learn how mathematics (with the help of data science and artificial intelligence) is being used to improve sports performance, training regimens, and player safety, as well as make it more fun to attend or otherwise watch sporting events. Some of the topics that are covered in detail include the physics of sports performance, the growing role of sports analytics in improving sports performance and in fantasy sports, the use of statistics and data analytics in ticket pricing, wearable technology, and careers in sports analytics. Each volume in the Sports & STEAM series spotlights a different STEAM field and details how it plays a major role in the sports world. Discussions of emerging technologies-such as artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, and advanced robotics-demonstrate how these technologies are being used to help athletes and teams, as well as improve the fan experience. Information on STEAM-related career paths in sports is also provided.