Fair Play and Technological Innovation in Sports

Competitive and recreational sports alike are changing faster than ever thanks to innovations ranging from helmets to footwear to ball tracking to adaptive wheelchairs. This accelerating pace of new technology is spurring debates about fairness, safety, and the importance of traditions. To mark the launch of their new book, Inventing for Sports, Arthur Daemmrich and Eric Hintz will discuss both successful and problematic approaches to managing game-changing technologies that intensify competition, protect athletes from physical harm, improve accuracy, and increase participation. Next, a panel of sports technology innovators will discuss how they develop and test new sports technology and share insights on what we can expect to see in coming years.

Join New America’s Future Tense program, the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University, and the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation for a lively discussion that will also consider lessons for policymakers navigating technology change in other sectors.

Opening Talks

• Arthur Daemmrich – Director, ASU Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes; co-editor of Inventing for Sports (2025)
• Eric Hintz – Acting Director, Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation; co-editor of Inventing for Sports (2025)

Panel Discussion

• Jinger Gottschall – Director of Sports Research, New Balance
• Jason Nebauer – Chief Innovation Officer, Certor Sports
• Moderator: Victoria Jackson – Sports Historian and Co-Director, ASU Great Game Lab