The Technological Imperative

The road from Princeton, New Jersey, to Philadelphia passes the handsome iron-fenced grounds of the Law­rence­ville School, a private institution known not only for its high academic standards but also for its ample resources. Its gracious campus could easily house a substantial liberal arts college; in the summer, its auditorium does justice to professional opera productions. Though Lawrenceville’s flush financial condition is news to no one, I was still surprised when driving by one day last autumn to see how grandly the school pursued the game of football. Looming over a practice field just beyond the fence was a railed platform suspended by two tonglike metal frameworks over a wheeled base the size of a small car. Standing atop this elaborate machine was a man with a video camera recording the team’s practice session 10 or more feet below. Even here, a world away from the NCAA Division I, technology was literally raising its head—vivid evidence of the lengthening reach of the apparatus of professionalism.

It is true that coaches have been analyzing film since the early days of moving pictures, that video cameras now start at only a few hundred dollars (though this one appeared to be a bigger and much costlier professional model), and that mobile lifts probably have some value for building and grounds crews as well as for the athletic department. And one would have to be Rip Van Winkle not to know that schools and colleges are working harder at sport and spending big money on new athletic technology. Only a few hundred yards from my apartment, on the banks of Lake Carnegie, Princeton rowing crews practice during New Jersey’s often inclement weather in an enclosed tank. Across the road, a field of artificial turf is being installed for the lacrosse team at a cost of more than $1 million. (Competing teams were all using them, the coaches pointed out, and a generous alumnus picked up the bill.)

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