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NFL Football is one of the greatest football sports in the world. The league fulfills the mission of innovation and explores every game right out there. Innovation and technological advancement is a collaborative processes. The NFL values a sporting environment where the organization and its partners collaborate to implement creative strategies and solutions.
This addresses the priorities of the future teams. Technology is commonly designed to spark discussions, identify opportunities, provide feedback, and frame innovative solutions within the gaming ecosystem. The best ideas that reshape the entire NFL game depend on technological changes.
RFID Tracking
Every NFL game is a demonstration of the RFID tracking system. The system includes around 30 ultra wideband receivers and two to four tags installed in the players’ uniform – shoulder pads, chains, balls, etc. This leads to approximately 250 devices catching every moment of the game data in time. This depends on the location and distance traveled along with the acceleration rates moving at a frequency of 10 times more than each second. Herein, individual moments are being consumed in inches. If you watch from a distance or are behind the scenes, you understand that three operators consciously ensure the working of the tracking systems. For all this to happen effectively, the NFL collaborated with team managers to ensure they got the best locations for their tags.
In a regular NFL season, around 1700 players are usually outfitted with tags (RFID) in their uniforms. Considering football and NFL specifications, they overwhelmingly worked with the official game supplier, Wilson, and the quarterbacks to check that the shape, integrity, and movement of the ball were unchanged. The weight of the RFID tag in football is even less than 4 grams and counts to 1 percent of the total ball’s weight. For instance, when receivers in the stadium strategically pick up the game kickoff, the radio frequencies from all these tags. This provides continuous tracking of every second of the action. The results in the data comprise position, height, rotational information, velocity, passing rates, player speed, and much more. This data fuels the Next Gen stats and benefits the fans and broadcasters.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Another technology that adds to the game separately yet is one of the essential elements is augmented reality and virtual reality. Although they are still evolving, they are a boon to the industry and have helped broadcasters enhance the experience for their fans. The VR and AR technology makes it easy for the fans to identify various rules, highlight distinctive plays, and pay closer attention to the details that are often missed.
While watching the game on TV, you can see the yellow line; first, this is because of AR. It is steadily improving the in-person experience of viewers and broadcasters. Fans can now avail of AR overlays for stats, plays, and other game highlights. Even if you have missed a game or want to watch the space again, you can easily do it with these technologies. The innovation allows streaming from distinct angles, instant replays, and rewind plays.
Considering VR has become an essential tool in every aspect of the gaming domain. Thanks to multiple cameras, especially drones, with three-dimensional recreations of plays. Sports Betting is one such field that allows VR to dominate. For instance, FanDuel New York is an operator that rules the city with its technological advancement. You can enable fans to view them from many perspectives. These technologies can eventually be some of the game changers and make the game scientifically even more enjoyable.
GPS and LPS
Wearable devices are continuously being used in NFL seasons. Five franchises have been added this year, making the count 19. The creative technology combines GPS and LPS and aims to optimize overall performance and efficiently access player risks. This device is installed in the vest worn by players under their jerseys and pads. The wearable technology tracks approximately 10,000 data points in a second up to four to five inches. This brings in real-time metrics, including distance, training load, players’ information – heart rate, acceleration and deceleration speeds, etc.
GPS and LPS can provide high-level inertial, positional, and event metrics in time. It has multiple benefits for players and coaches during and after the game. Each device measures 48 mm x 40 mm x 6 mm, weighs 53 g, and is programmed to control different elements. This is the ultimate key to obtaining position-related stats. It allows the coaches and players to know the demands of the games, understand unique positions and players’ workloads, and keep track of the contact being made.
Bottom Line
With progressing technology, the overall stats and uses have changed. 2014 saw the NFL approving radio frequency identification transmitters with advanced systems, making it a boon for the game. Many NFL teams signed up for wearable GPS and LPS (local positioning system) devices. Since then, the game underwent various technological upgrades to reshape the foundation.
Hi! I’m Bryan, and I’m a passionate & expert writer with more than five years of experience. I have written about various topics such as product descriptions, travel, cryptocurrencies, and online gaming in my writing journey.