Over a decade ago, the prolific writer and artist Chris Ware highlighted the negative effects smartphones were having on our society. His spot-on cover for the January 6th, 2014 cover of The New Yorker was titled "All Together Now:"

In 2014, the video quality of smartphones was pretty good. Today it's practically broadcast level, and it shows in how we behave at concerts and sporting events. The next time you're attending your child's game, look around: How many of the parents are taking in the game, versus being wholly focused on recording their child's individual performance?

A Texas-based company called Trace believes they have the solution, though it's a good deal bulkier than a smartphone.

Their Trace camera is something you set up at midfield on the sidelines, assuming you've got access, on its included* four-foot tripod. The tripod has the ability to extend to a height of sixteen feet, and you use the included trio of sandbags to stabilize the thing.

The camera captures a panoramic view of the entire pitch. The company's PlayerFocus AI technology then spits out a video that tracks only your child, like this:

*The cost is not cheap. First off, you can't buy the camera; you lease it, along with the tripod and sandbags, for an indefinite period. In order to use it, you must have a subscription with the company, which starts at $25/month or $180/year. For that Basic level subscription, you cannot download any of the videos, and can only watch the last five matches by streaming them through the company's app.

If you step up to the company's $300/year Pro subscription, you can access all matches recorded and download them.

If you can muster seven families or more that want to share the camera for a Team subscription, you get the lease for free, and each family pays their own subscription fee, choosing either the Basic or Pro, independently of the other families.

Here's the question: Would this object increase or decrease the sad friction that already exists at children's sporting events, with apoplectic parents getting into it with coaches and other parents? I also wonder about the logistics of seven families coordinating a Team subscription and assigning responsibility for the camera toting and set-up.

That said, I could see this tool being useful for coaching staff.