If you have a passion for both sports and science, a career in sports engineering could be perfect for you. These days, the sports industry is big business. Sports suppliers and athletes alike want to out-perform their competitors. Sport engineers can fill this need, as they spend years researching the most innovative sports technology. Whether a particular brand of golf ball needs to travel further in the air, or if a marathon runner needs better-designed shoes to minimize injury, a sports engineer has the answer. Just because sports engineers don’t build bridges or highways, doesn’t mean that their field is any less important. According to ScienceMag.org, sports engineering is science in action. Here are some reasons why it’s such a useful career choice.

It prevents injuries

A major part of sports engineering is to improve the safety of athletes and to minimize their injuries. This can range from making improvements to equipment and products to improving playing surfaces. According to ScienceMag.org, playing surfaces in particular are a big cause of injuries and sports engineers spend years developing the best materials for optimal traction, friction, durability and safety.

Improve performance

This is where the money lies! According to ScienceMag.org, sports engineers spend a great deal of time figuring out how to improve products and equipment. Some sports engineers are paid hefty sums by sporting goods companies to make a particular product the best on the market. For example, according to ScienceMag.org, sports engineers have discovered that a baseball bat’s performance will be determined by the level of sound frequency it emits when hit. A lower frequency means a greater chance of a home run! Various tweaks and changes can then be made to the design and materials of the bat, resulting in a bat that blows the competition out of the water.

Disabled athletes

A rewarding aspect of sports engineering is creating innovative products that allow disabled athletes to perform at the same level as able-bodied ones. An example of this is Oscar Pistorious, the South African record-breaking athlete who has no legs, but can compete against his able-bodied contemporaries. Thanks to sports engineers, he is able to run at lightening speed, using carbon-fibre blades (TheIndependent.co.uk). These blades have earned him the nickname “The Blade runner”, as well as some controversy. He runs so fast that his competitors feel he has an unfair advantage!

Sports engineering can be a highly useful and rewarding career, as you can help athletes improve their performance, decrease their injuries and even make amputees run! It goes without saying that a love for sport is a must, as your whole career will be centered on it. Sports engineering can even be studied online and numerous career opportunities are available, most focusing on development, innovation, and research. Enroll in a sports engineering program today, and see science in action.

Ang Lloyd writes on behalf of Now Learning, an online education portal that promotes an assortment of study opportunities Down Under, including small business management and engineering courses in Australia.