In the latest innovation in the world of stat-keeping and scouting around the professional sports world, 17 NFL stadiums will deploy a GPS tracking device under player’s shoulder pads this upcoming season. The idea is to connect fans in the stadium more with what’s happening on the field and give teams yet another avenue to use technology as a scouting tool.
The tech website Engadget.com had this to say about the implementation of these devices.
With some help from Zebra Technologies’ location system, 17 NFL stadiums will use receivers and RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags inside player’s shoulder pads to track movement. The setup provides real-time position data for each player, offering up precise info on acceleration, speed, routes and distance.
Luckily for the palyers, thes devices won’t be implanted into their hands.
This new technology will help teams understand the strangths and weaknesses of players in certain aspects of the game and on specific play calls. How quick can a defensive back track the ball and hit the spot in coverage? What about how well a receiver performs running a specific route? These are some very interesting aspects of the scouting process that could come in handy in the future.
Engadget continued by indicating that the host stadiums for all Thursday Night Football matchups will have this technology available, which means that each team around the NFL will be tracked at some point in the year.
Photo: Engadget.com