Being active as a sports or PA student in an era of wearable technology

Developments in (sensor) technology have resulted in a wide range of sport- and physical activity-related wearable devices. We believe that knowledge about this technology should be a core component of the curriculum of sports and physical activity students. We start with an overview of the four main roles of sport- and physical activity-related wearable devices and the adapting role (and skills) of sports and physical activity professionals in the current digital era: (i) monitoring and improving performance – quantified self, (ii) enhancing enjoyment and motivation – gamification and social networking, (iii) assisting (coaches and referees in their) decision-making – coaching, and (iv) encouraging and enabling participation – smart policy planning. Next, we discuss some of the opportunities and challenges inherent to wearable technology in sport and physical activity and stress the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between sport, humanities, and technology.