The NFL is taking the next step in technological advancement by planning to put microchips in footballs for the 2017 season.
There are many ways where microchips inside footballs will help the sport. It could help referees accurately spot a ball or rule whether or not someone scored a touchdown or even a first down (similar to tennis) or help prevent another Deflategate and have accurate real-time readings of air pressure in footballs.
These microchips though are not meant for the refs, they’re for the statisticians and the NFL to be able to track player performance as a part of the NFL’s “Next Gen Stats” program. Similar microchips are placed in shoulder pads of NFL players and now are going into the footballs.
Don’t expect to see these stats if you are a fan. Next Gen Stats is purely meant to remain inside the NFL for team analytical and statistical reasons but this doesn’t mean fans shouldn’t be aware of this technology. But some things that can be tracked could be throw distance, height and the arc of the football in a pass, as well as how fast a quarterback can throw.
Microchips were placed in kickers footballs last year in order to determine how impactful narrowing the goalposts would be on the sport. So the NFL is using these stats to gather information to potentially make rule changes. It could also potentially lead to determining whether or not a touchdown is scored (similar to goal line technology in soccer) but there seem to be a bunch of logistical challenges that have prevented it from taking place.
Either way, it shows that the NFL is looking into different areas to seek out more and more information in a variety of areas. Whether it’s information on players or for rule changes or (potentially) for referees, you cannot have too much information and the NFL is taking the next step.
