The NBA has a ban on all wearable technology in games, but there are players out there that wish they were able to wear technology. Recently, Matthew Dellavedova of the Cleveland Cavaliers was told by the league that he could not wear a bio-tracker wristband called Whoop. Whoop is basically a Fitbit style health monitor, and Dellavedova wore it nearly all of March.
Because of the recent issue, the NBA players’ union is going to have a meeting with Whoop on Tuesday according to ESPN. Tuesday’s meeting will provide the union with an understanding and educate them about what benefits that Whoop provides for a player.
Dellavedova would not comment on the issue, but he did say that he uses the device according to ESPN:
Dellavedova would not comment on the incident, but he confirmed that he wore the device, which tracks heart rate, ambient temperature, sleep habits and other physiological markers. Mike Mancias, the Cavs’ athletic trainer and personal trainer of forward LeBron James, is an adviser to the company, which is based in Boston. In Feb. 2015, James was announced as the first vice president of the players’ union.
Whoop’s co-founder and CEO Will Ahmed would not confirm the upcoming meeting with the union, but he did give a statement to ESPN related to the legality of the product in American sports.
“We respect the privacy of all our clients and won’t speak to our relationships with them. I think continuous monitoring is a new category that the leagues are right to carefully explore. At Whoop, we strive to empower athletes continuously.
“Monitoring strain during games is one piece of that equation and we look forward to working with all the professional leagues to empower athletes to better understand their bodies. To be clear, Whoop is a valuable asset independent of in game wear because of our activity, sleep and recovery analysis.
“But let’s not deprive athletes of in game analysis. It’s their careers at stake and data is not steroids.”
A device such as a Whoop could help players’ careers, potentially making them healthier, and longer. Pro athletes go through a lot of wear and tear, and if they could wear devices such as Whoop, it would do nothing but benefit them. So far, the MLB has allowed for the use of wearable technology in-games. According to the Associated Press, players can wear a Motus Baseball Sleeve which measures elbow stress, and a Zephyr Bioharness which tracks heart and breathing rates. The NBA, NHL, and NFL are yet to allow wearable devices in-game, but that may change soon.
