By Harry Bloom, EdD
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs are growing at a rate three times faster than other occupations and are projected to grow 17 percent by 2018. As reported in a recent article in the Huffington Post by Vivian Pickard (cue.tc/PackardSTEM), president, General Motors Foundation, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that over the next five years, the United States will have more than 1 million STEM-related job openings. The Commerce Department reports that STEM workers now command 26 percent higher wages than their counterparts yet, while employers are eager to hire, the number of students pursuing STEM-related majors continues to shrink, especially among women and minorities. Just 16 percent of American high school seniors are both proficient in mathematics and interested in a STEM career, and only 25 percent of STEM graduates are women.
With those sobering statistics in mind, when Sara Armstrong asked me, as State CTAP chair, to present an article for OnCUE highlighting “What’s New – Trends and Predictions,” I was thrilled. Over the years, there have been literally hundreds of articles written by scores of contributors for OnCUE. But I would be willing to bet not a single one of them has focused on technology and sports and the power and promise they hold together to address the STEM issue.
Ever since I can recall, I have been a huge sports fan and, in my younger days, even pitched a year for the UCSB Gauchos, providing numerous opportunities for opposing hitters to present spectators with souvenirs.
Perhaps shining a spotlight on the intersection between sports and technology could enhance students’ interest in the pursuit of technology and science careers. With its dependence on statistics, mathematics has always had a place in the sports world, but now, with the innovations of social media and new technologies, science and engineering are needed as well.
Technology is contributing greatly to the growth of the global sports industry, which today is estimated at well over $100 billion. Innovations are created by scientists, engineers and mathematicians designed to enhance individual and team athletic performance, improve the game-day experience, engage fans, and distribute sports information on multiple platforms. Their work has led to substantial increases in revenues from gate receipts, sponsorships and media rights. With fans becoming more tech-savvy every year, franchises are forced to keep up with these STEM-related sports advancements.
Today’s NFL franchises are now facing their most formidable opponent. It isn’t the other competing sports, an increase in criminal behavior among players, or even an increase in steroid use. No, this formidable opponent that NFL franchises are battling is what New England Patriots Publisher and Vice President of Content Fred Kirsch calls the three Cs: cost, comfort and convenience (cue.tc/Kirsch3Cs). The three Cs are leading more fans to forego high ticket prices, concession stand lines and cold weather for the comforts of a La-Z-boy recliner, strong Wi-Fi connection, Hi-Def television, and a short walk to a private bathroom.
The future holds a world with live sports viewable on Facebook, real-life hologram instant replays, Wi-Fi access for fans at stadiums, and numerous other sports-technology related advancements. Therefore, the sports, technology and educational communities need to work together. Could a focus on technology in sports encourage, inspire and convince this and future generations to investigate, navigate, and master the challenging—and unfortunately still distant for many—worlds of science, technology, engineering and mathematics? By making them more relevant and rewarding, we could entice increasing numbers of today’s students to become more interested in the STEM subjects, even making American students more competitive with their counterparts from the Middle East and Southeast Asia and even helping the U.S. produce more engineers and physicists. Just a thought to ponder.
There is a place where these worlds of technology and sports intersect. SportTechie (www.sporttechie.com), an exciting and provocative site, highlights the latest innovations in global technology. It offers students an understanding of and an appreciation for analytics, variances, mobile devices, emerging social media, and gaming skills. By combining technology and sports (which is exactly what SportTechie does) it is possible for educators to open up a whole new world of career possibilities in the STEM fields to their students.
On that final note, my educational community colleagues, in response to Sara’s request for What’s New – Trends and Predictions, I pose to you these rumblings from the intersection of sports and technology, the interaction between jocks and tech geeks, and applaud SportTechie for its unique focus on technology and its impact on training, player health, game strategy, and fan engagement. Check out SportTechie. I think its exclusive focus on technology and sports has hit a home run and offers tremendous promise for getting more students involved in STEM courses and careers.
About the Author
Dr. Harry Bloom is Senior Director of Technology and Planning at the San Diego County Office of Education. A strong believer in the power and promise of technology as a learning and decision-making tool, he has served as State CTAP Chair, a superintendent/principal, assistant principal, high school teacher, and ASB advisor. He can be reached at hbloom@sdcoe.net.
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