Numerical analysis has come to dominate a lot of sports, particularly solo sports that create a score rather than a direct competition between individuals. A computer determines the most effective and efficient way for the athlete to move. Another determines which candidates have the stamina, strength, and aptiitude to make competition worthwhile. Another guides their training and diet. All of these things can be taken to dangerous extremes with confidence that competitive results can be achieved, and young athletes who are sold on the glory of winning will sacrifice their futures for a medal or record.
This process is well along in many of the track and field sports. It's also coming along more slowly in competitive sports like football and basketball. Sabermetrics applied to baseball was the camel's nose under the wall of that tent, and today American football is as much a chess match between the coaching staffs as it is a clash of players on a field. The actual game is almost anticlimactic compared the effort put into populating the roster and managing the mix of skills and injuries that appear during the season. Given this reality the CTE scandal was almost inevitable, and something else is almost certain to come along later.
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