User:LowIQPotato/sandbox

Plan for Biometric Data with an athletes subsection:

While the article Biometrics already exists, I want to emphasize the data aspect of biometrics in this new article. In doing so, I will be able to cover more specific instances of how biometric data plays a role in society. I would mainly like to cover privacy issues while also explaining biometrics impact in other fields (of course I will focus more on privacy, but to be more complete these sections will be added). One of the sections I hope to write about more will be centered around biometric data in relation to athletes and sports of amateur and professional levels.

Biometric Data in Sports:
Biometric data relates the human body to numerous measurements, allowing scientists and statisticians to quantify human attributes. Biometric data is playing a growing role in the realm of athletics, as the information has proven to be beneficial to numerous aspects of sports. Some sports leagues have already implemented biometric data collecting technologies in an effort to reduce injury and optimize their athletes. While the most used method is wearable items that track biometric information, there are new methods that could provide more accurate information.

With any new technology, there are always related risks and concerns. In terms of biometric data collection as it relates to athletes and sports as whole, there is a growing fear for the privacy, autonomy, and privacy of athletes. This new technology can impact the power dynamic between leagues, teams, and a team's athletes.

Why Biometric Data
Much of the reasoning behind using biometric data in athletics the assumed precision of the data in an effort to increase ability and longevity of players. Sports teams and individual athletes can optimize their abilities as a result of biometric data allowing for an understanding of how to best handle and improve one's capabilities. In addition, this information can also be used to help prevent and rehabilitate injuries that could be soon to occur or have already occurred, respectively.

How Data is Tracked and Recorded
There are numerous ways in which athletic clubs and individual athletes track biometric data, but the most well-known is wearable devices. Wearable devices provide a form of communication with the human body and tracking technology; by wearing a specified device information on heart rate, pulse, location, and so much more can be tracked as long as the individual keeps the device on. The devices come in various shapes, from watches to torso vests, there are many ways in which athletes can have their bodies be extracted for information. Typically, but not always, these wearable technologies make use of bluetooth to transmit the collected data to a database or other device for storage and later usage.

What Using Biometric Data Lacks
While biometric data collection does provide a new form of understanding an athlete's body from a data perspective, the ways in which this data is collected and used may be lacking.

As previously discussed, there are various to track and record data. Yet, even in those various methods, how the athlete is recorded and who operates the recording process of the data can lead to faults in accuracy. This may be a result of something as simple as the person whose data is to be recorded making minor movements that disturb data collection, or as intricate as faulty recording devices that may be outdated or bugged. The person operating the device may also cause another human error in the collection process. More qualitative data, such as how much pain a player may be experiencing, can be subjective in nature, and as a result be unreliable as a source of information.

Even when data is captured properly and accurately, problems may arise in how the data is interpreted and used. Much of this data is used in an effort to prevent injury and optimize performance. However, when interpreted improperly by someone who may not completely understand the data, the results can be massive: season ending injuries, players being pulled off from practice before feeling tired, and more.

Surveillance and Privacy
The use of wearables devices to track an athlete's biometric information is inherently up-close and personal. While these devices serve the purpose of collecting data to enhance performance, these technologies can also be used to track players beyond their respective fields of play. In addition, people beyond the athletes and coaches will be privy to the information collected. This raises concerns on who gets to see the information, what is tracked, and when are athletes being tracked. This data can be extremely valuable for teams as the results may help influence contract decisions or would prove extremely beneficial to outside groups that could capitalize on the data for their products. The interests of players, coaches, teams, sports leagues, and other entities may conflict in what one group may want to collect and how that data will be used.

Employers Making Decisions
Not all athletes are protected by some form of a collective bargaining agreement. Student athletes, for example, may have no autonomy in terms of whether their college wants to use wearable technologies to collect information on them. Furthermore, they may have no say in the agreements the college may make with companies to sell that information. Ultimately, the authority an institution may have over an athlete can result in a loss of their own biometric data without any form of resistance.