Tracking the Ball

    

Tennis and cricket are among the sports to have happily introduced infrared systems to track the ball, while rugby, NBA basketball and American football use video replays.

The current debate in MLB baseball is not whether the limited use of video to check questionable home runs should be scrapped but rather expanded to cover the sort of mistake that denied Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

At the Olympics, freeze-frames help decide places on the track, Formula One motor racing uses video and technical analysis to make calls long after the race is over, often affecting the results, and the list of sports embracing technology goes on and on.

By no means all World Cup players support the idea of using video evidence or other technology with some believing that luck evens itself out over time.

Image: Umpire Daryl Harper calls for a TV referral