The news article I chose was, “6 Technological Advances That Are Changing Major League Baseball” by Bleacher Report. The article starts off by saying that much of the increase integration of technology can be attributed to the owner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred. He wants to make sure that baseball is “passed onto the next generation.” The article then list 6 ways that we currently see technology in the MLB. To start, virtual reality is used to give fans an up close view of games. Next, protective helmets/hats are being tested for pitchers. After that, the article talks about the use of a pitching statistic called PitchF/x. Then the article moves on to talk about the use of tablets, introduction of replays, and finally, the emergence of StatCast.
My original working thesis talked about 3-D models in baseball training. If I wanted to use this article as a source, I would most likely have to switch up my thesis since the article did not once mention 3-D models. However, the article did provide me with 6 new technological avenues to pursue. I could adjust my thesis to fit one or multiple of these technologies and take a deeper dive into the topics. A deeper dive would be necessary since the article did not go to far in-depth, and instead listed many different types of technologies. I think that I would choose the virtual reality experience and StatCast system to explore further.
I agree with you Colin, that the article doesn’t go as further in depth as you might like to form a research paper with it. I think that the topic of technology future improving baseball is very interesting, although I don’t think it is necessary. Baseball is an old, classic game. Technology is cool and all, although I don’t think that the game needs more circuits, cameras, and lasers.
Colin, I love how you gained deeper insight into what your revised thesis may look like from the database article that you chose. Even though your thesis was not technically answered (since the article did not talk about 3-D models), you learned that you could focus on one of the currently used technologies Baseball is trying to utilize as well as being able to argue if it is worth implementing that technology, or if it should stay out of the game.
You made a great point how the article doesn’t go as far as what your thesis was, but I think you could use that article to start and pick out some things it says that is like your thesis. I don’t think you should change your thesis; you should take some details out of this article and find another one that gives more points about your detail. If you cannot find another article to match your thesis, then I would say to edit it a little.
Colin, I liked how you acknowledged how a “deeper dive” would be necessary if you wanted to continue researching the topic. I am curious about how virtual reality would affect ticket sales in in-person games. This is because if I would be able to watch a game up close or on the field I would never want to spend money to go watch the same game in the nosebleed section. Overall, I look forward to seeing what you will chose to do with editing your thesis.
I am glad to see that you have expanded your thesis into including different things. It is very intriguing to see how a old game such as baseball could be affected by technology. I think a good avenue to start looking into statcast is the effects on the baseball players. Maybe a resource that compared a baseball players stats before statcast and after statcast.
Hey, Colin! I really enjoyed your writing. Your understanding of a working thesis is very impressive and I enjoyed seeing your mind at work while writing your blog post. I’m intrigued to see how your writing evolves as you find more research regarding 3-D models within baseball training. Lastly, as a huge fan of the MLB, I love that you are focusing on this topic.
This article sounds like it was very helpful with revising your thesis! It is cool to see your ability to tailor your thesis to the research you find. I would suggest looking into each of these new technologies and finding the one with the most information available and which seems the most interesting to you. Great work!