Soccer’s AI transformation: deep learning’s analysis of soccer’s pandemic research evolution

Abstract

IntroductionThis paper aims to identify and compare changes in trends and research interests in soccer articles from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe compared research interests and trends in soccer-related journal articles published before COVID-19 (2018–2020) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021–2022) using Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) topic modeling.ResultsIn both periods, we categorized the social sciences into psychology, sociology, business, and technology, with some interdisciplinary research topics identified, and we identified changes during the COVID-19 pandemic period, including a new approach to home advantage. Furthermore, Sports science and sports medicine had a vast array of subject areas and topics, but some similar themes emerged in both periods and found changes before and during COVID-19. These changes can be broadly categorized into (a) Social Sciences and Technology; (b) Performance training approaches; (c) injury part of body. With training topics being more prominent than match performance during the pandemic; and changes within injuries, with the lower limbs becoming more prominent than the head during the pandemic.ConclusionNow that the pandemic has ended, soccer environments and routines have returned to pre-pandemic levels, but the environment that have changed during the pandemic provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners in the field of soccer to detect post-pandemic changes and identify trends and future directions for research.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological aspects and mental health of elite soccer athletes: a systematic review

“…The current systematic review reports recent findings and summarizes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on soccer athletes, presenting rates of the main variables of psychological aspects and mental health measured during the pandemic and also showing a comprehensive approach in the selection of assessment tools for evaluating soccer athletes, emphasizing the importance of collecting not only overt symptoms but also sport-specific and individual factors experienced during the pandemic (Bernabe-Valero et al, 2021). The diverse array of instruments utilized contributes to richer understanding of the psychological impact of COVID-19 on elite soccer athletes, providing valuable insights for future research and interventions in sports science (Lee et al, 2023). This multifaceted approach not only enhances our understanding of the subject within the specific context of elite soccer but also holds significance for its potential applicability across diverse populations and nationalities (Richardson et al, 2022).…”