[A man analyzes a soccer game beside the pitch. Photo Credit: Pexels] 

In recent years of remarkable AI advancement, artificial Intelligence is becoming an increasingly powerful influence in professional sport, transforming everything from how athletes train, to how games are played and refereed.

AI now assists athletes in enhancing performance, coaches make decisions, and referees call games more accurately.

Given that professional sports have always had massive data sets to take advantage of, AI is able to detect patterns that may be overlooked by the human eye , while also making real-time predictions.

As a result, this facilitates the development of personalized training programs and game strategy recommendations.

For athletes, AI optimizes performance by tracking such features as speed, endurance, and movement patterns.

In soccer, for instance, players often wear wearable devices that track their movements; AI can take advantage of this by suggesting to coaches which position works best for a certain player in a specific game, based on the data provided. 

Furthermore, trainers can use information to suggest specific methods of improvement and in the prevention of injuries. 

AI enables comprehensive-depth monitoring of the athlete’s movement and physical condition , allowing AI to identify potential problems early on.

Specifically, AI will notify coaches and athletes when fatigue or improper technique will most likely lead to injury, which means coaches can take the correct precautions to protect players.

Beyond training, one interesting aspect of AI is that it is also being used to make on-field decisions.

AI can achieve this by scanning game footage and suggesting adjustments to coaches in strategy based on real-time input.

Already, soccer teams such as Liverpool FC have implemented AI technology in order to decide the best strategy for corner kicks.

Rumage Jeff, "AI in Sports: 6 Ways Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Game." Built In, 20 Mar. 2025.

Beyond just tactics, AI may also analyze the strategies of opponents in real time, allowing teams to better prepare and negate the tactics employed by the opposition. 

Lastly, AI isn't just changing how players compete, but it is also influencing the way referees officiate. 

In sports such as  gymnastics, AI is now being utilized to support judges in making more accurate calls.

Fujitsu, a camera company, partnered with the International Gymnastics Federation to create the AI Judging Support System (JSS).

Buntz Brian, "AI-Assisted Gymnastics Judging Is Here." Research & Development World, 5 Aug. 2024.

The system  uses high-definition cameras to capture and analyze the gymnast's movement in 3D and compare it with a database of stored gymnastics movements.

The AI system then provides scores for difficulty and execution of the performance, just like a human judge would.

This type of technology has also been utilized in tennis, with Hawkeye, and in soccer, with Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR), both of which have the purpose of making refereeing judgments fairer. 

AI technology, especially the ones mentioned above, helps referees make more precise, quicker decisions but does not necessarily make the decisions for the officials because they have the final word.

Overall, AI is revolutionizing professional sport by improving performance level while reducing injury, tactical changes, and strategic recommendations, as well as greater neutrality in terms of officiating. 

While there are certainly several promising upgrades and applications that AI offers to the field of professional sports, human decision-making is still a big factor in many aspects.

One thing that is certain, however, is that professional sports and AI will interact with each other in more ways in the future.

In the context of AI in professional sports, it is a matter of trial and error to discover the best ways in which AI can be implemented. 

The world of professional sports is eager to see if AI can live up to expectations, and along with constantly changing regulations in many sports, only time will tell if AI will up its influence dramatically.