NPR

What's Up Those Baseball Sleeves? Lots Of Data, And Privacy Concerns

Professional athletes use wearable technology to improve performance. But key questions remain over who owns the data and how it's used.
Driveline Baseball research assistant Michael O'Connell puts a sleeve on pitcher Luke Glavin's throwing arm. The sleeve, a wearable designed by Motus, measures factors such as elbow stress and arm speed.

In a stats-driven sport like baseball, it seems we know everything there is to know about a player. From batting average to a pitcher's power finesse ratio.

Measuring a player's ability isn't limited to his or her skill. There's also a wealth of information in an athlete's body.

Wearables that track bio-information have become more prevalent in elite sports, and potentially important to player development and health. How that growing glut of information is used – by the companies that gather it and the teams that use it – remains a concern.

No ordinary sleeve

In an industrial park in Kent, Wash., near Seattle, it's hard to tell which of the featureless buildings is which.

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