1,286,324-1,049,081.  That was the final tally of votes for the starting center spot in the NBA all-star game.  Yao Ming, a 22-year-old rookie out of China, defeated Shaquille O'Neal, a three-time NBA Finals MVP, a league MVP, and one of the 50 Greatest NBA Players of all time.  Shaq, who has dominated the league for years, was clearly the league's top center.  How could a rookie out of China beat out the most dominant player in the NBA for the starting all-star spot?

    The answer: the fans choose the starters in the all-star game.  Moreover, because the fans can vote on the Internet, and since the NBA, for the first time, extended voting to China, hundreds of thousands of Yao's Chinese fans helped him claim the starting all-star spot over the league's most dominant player.

    Over the last few decades, sports has changed a great deal.  Many of the sports have become different games as a result of new technologies.  For instance, before, players had to adapt to their opponents as the game went along.  Now, however, players and coaches spend countless hours studying opponents so they know how to plan for them.  Moreover, now players have to display acceptable personas since people from all over the world can actually see them; furthermore, the statements they make are instantly available to everyone.

    New technologies have greatly influenced the sports world.  I hope to better inform you of the technologies that are now used in the world of sports, and the new technologies that will greatly affect the sports world in the future.

by,

David Breger

Date: March 21, 2003