

Why Robotic Sports Will One Day Rival the NFL - kateray
https://medium.com/@CodyBrown/why-robotic-sports-will-one-day-rival-the-nfl-e8f8444d1631

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keithblaha
I've actually been thinking about this a lot recently due to an SBK
(motorcycle) race I went to last weekend. A freak collision lead to a pile up,
ultimately 2 riders died _after_ getting to the hospital and several others
were injured. These things are rare, but they do still happen. Why should
people be flying around the track at 100+ mph, risking their lives for our
enjoyment?

Robotic sports could become big. But still, people identify with other people
and we want to see something at stake. In e-sports you aren't physically at
risk (aside from maybe your wrists), but your reputation certainly is.
Colleges are fighting over football players far more than robotics
competitors. Beyond financial or academic interest, I don't think competition
of algorithms will ever hold peoples attention. The robots will still need
human operators, because they are prone to error, which helps build the
tension of watching live competition

e: formatting

