The NFL is one of the leagues that significantly implement technology in their gameplay. The best football league in the world is big on tech, making the game much more accessible because many things are happening simultaneously in a small area. It won’t change the NFL odds when you play on your favorite team, but it might affect the outcome when a computer sees something that the referee didn’t.
Technologies are changing each year, and updates are constantly happening in the gear players use and for people on the field side. You can imagine football’s appearance when no one had microphones or headphones, an essential item for referees and coaches.
Playbooks
In the day, coaches had to write down everything for the playbook but first analyze the team and decide who would be the primary runner and receiver. Besides writing down the routes, he would do the same on the field during the match to show the players how to improve their plays.
This took a lot of time, and sometimes players needed to figure out what the coach wanted to say because they did it too quickly and poorly. After the iPad release, everyone saw its potential and how all the playbooks were on encrypted iPads so no one could access them without permission.
Line Mapping
Around 20 years ago, stadiums didn’t even have lines, and players just had to imagine how far they reached on the field. Sportvision was the first company to introduce the yellow line, showing the users where the ball landed and where the teams were starting. This helps the fans choose the best Vegas NFL odds when betting on a match.
Helmet Microphones
Audio in helmets was used 50 years ago, but it wasn’t on the same level today. These small gadgets are planted in a helmet so they won’t affect the player, but everyone can listen to them, and most importantly, the coach can help them with the plays. This is crucial in some situations because it can save time. After all, players used to run to the coach for advice.
Like encrypting the iPads, the same is done for microphones because each has frequencies. NFL has regulations regarding these gadgets, and they claim they use more than 250 million codes to hide the frequency.
Instant Replay
Probably the game-changer for everyone that loves this sport was the implementation of instant replay. It’s the same as a challenge in tennis or VAR in soccer, where the referee would stop the game by checking a particular play that just occurred. This is done when the referee isn’t sure about his decision or when other referees suggest that they should check the replay.
At one point in the future, we will have only software or gadgets leading the game instead of referees. This can affect your NFL lines when they decide to change their decision, but it makes the game more honest, and players can’t do anything about it. The latest cameras are always used in the stadium so they can always have a clear view of what happened during the game.
Helmet Gadgets
Besides the microphone, many other components can’t be seen by the fans. Fifty years ago, helmets were made of a poor material that didn’t help with the impact, and the risk of injury was much more significant than that. After the release of documentation proving how the effect affects the player’s brain, much money has been invested in making the best helmet possible.
Riddell is one of the top brands, and their helmet has sensors that will track everything going on, including the player’s speed and the impact on the head. People from the team will have precise data if the player suffers damage.
