When sports star, Aron Jury, recently underwent surgery for a recurring knee ailment, the surgeon took the opportunity to implant a tiny transceiver to detect and give immediate report of any new damage without the need for an invasive procedure. Coach and player both praised the new technology, pointing out that the team would now be able to give Jury a rest day whenever needed, greatly reducing the risk of an injury in Jury. But the technology raises questions about the fairness and ultimate outcome of prosthetic enhancements in sport. Now you’ve been called on to judge Jury.
A) “I can’t see a problem here”, says team owner Nathan Rockburner. “We owe it to my cash fl.. uh, athletes and fans to take every precaution to protect players’ health. This implant isn’t any different from protective helmets or boxing gloves. You’re not going to ban those, are you?”
Consequence: Professional athletes have been replaced by cyborgs.
B) “Don’t do it @@LEADER@@!” says the 150 kg, 235 cm colossus, @@RANDOMNAME@@, leader of the players’ association, while crouching over you threateningly. “Modern prosthetics greatly outperform biological organs. If you allow surgical enhancement, we’ll soon see couch potatoes lifting 1000 kilos, running the 100 metre in 3 seconds and being outfitted with artificial intelligence processors to optimise their movements. Then, who's gonna pay me 30 million .. uh, how are we going to inspire young people to participate in sports, when it’s nothing but a competition between robots?”
Consequence: Injuries typically force professional athletes into retirement by age 16.
C) “..processors controlling movements? Hey! That gives me an idea”, says Alan Rodrigues, former dirty ballplayer, now turned owner of the last-place Gainsville Guppies, “What if we could send out signals to interfere with opponents' implants? We could generate false injury alerts, direct their processor to have them score goals for our side or cause their star player to break into peals of laughter at a crucial moment. Yes, indeed. Let’s finally do something for the underdog.”
Consequence: All professional sport associations are now under the heading of E-sports.