Sports have long been a substitute for warfare in terms of global competition. In fact, the Olympic Games were established in ancient Greece, in part, as an antidote to war and pushed Greeks to work together and achieve a more peaceful state. The original games even paid homage to fallen soldiers that were lost as a result of war. Sports bring together players from all over the world to participate in healthy international competition, with fans cheering for their favorite teams and players–sometimes along nationalist, ethnic pride, or other lines.

Having had the good fortune of attending the U.S. Open men’s semi-final match between Frances Tiafoe and Carlos Alcaraz this September–my first time back to the Open since before the pandemic–I witnessed a new development. There were far fewer people on the court–no line judges! Instead, the U.S. Open (and other international tennis tournaments, like the Australian Open) are now using Hawk-Eye live, which uses optical tracking and camera collaboration technology to replace calls that umpires would make otherwise. Yes, the robots are coming, this time to an international sporting competition near you!

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