NFL Revolution
“Touchdown”
Along with professional baseball and basketball, football has also been extremely progressive in the field of data analytics. In their early beginnings, organizations were only able to hold tracking information on their own players, but this ruling has been removed and the NFL has made large strides with their view on analytics.
“First and 10”
League-wide player tracking data in football has the capability to completely evolve the way organizations manage teams. This newly available data presents the opportunity for teams to enhance the way they’re able to analyze players and plays. Moreover, the smallest snippet of data may inspire a new play, set of personnel, or even a scheme to build around. Additionally, the evaluation of opponents, draft prospects and play calling will all be impacted. The NFL’s advanced player-tracking data service, Next Gen Stats, collects information through shoulder pad technology that shows player location, speed, and many other metrics.
A portion of this data is made public, but the majority is exclusive to only teams, and the challenge becomes how to process this large pool of untapped information. Furthermore, organizations now have the means to access the same data as other organizations, so determining how to utilize this resource will provide significant insight and competitive advantage.
“Lateral Pass”
Encompassing cities all across the country, along with owners, executives, coaches, and players from a variety of different cultures, the NFL is a powerful entity. Whether it’s television ratings or dollars, no other sports can compare to the presence that football exhibits. I believe that the progressive thinking the NFL continues to employ is a large contributing factor. Aside from data analytics, the NFL has aimed to improve areas of their overall experience through other technologies. Specifically, the introduction of virtual reality, which has been able to enhance the at-home fan experience.
In fact, a fellow classmate of mine, Stener Homme, articulates “…using virtual reality technology has allowed the NFL to redefine the full fan experience and increase its popularity worldwide. This means that the NFL will continue to explore new technologies that will further increase its ratings and give the fans an experience that they will love.” (2019). Basically, he’s sharing one way how the NFL is devoting their efforts toward improving their brand through innovative developments. In other words, the NFL recognizes the necessity to stay ahead of the curve with technology, due to their commitment to pleasing fans and overall inventiveness.
