RFID Technology Drives the NFL Digital Transformation

The Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has been here for a while since 1973, but not until the 2000s its technology improved with miniaturization, the use of RFID has become more widespread in access cards, credit cards, and smart cards. In 2015, the NFL partnered with Zebra Technologies, a tech company that provided on-field player-tracking and began tagging all football players with small RFID chips on both sides of shoulder pads. Each sensor is about the size of a quarter, and it emits unique radio frequencies. These chips can collect information about speed and tracking movements. On the field, the geofencing technology is implemented with the installation of receivers or IoT edge devices for the RFID chips. There are 20 receivers mounted between the upper and lower decks of a stadium, and each receiver translates the data collected from the players and send them to the centralized cloud. The geofencing technology works by placing GPS-aware sensors in a specific perimeter. When these sensor devices attach to the cloud, we can set a virtual boundary or a predefined zone, and it could be in any shapes we want as long as it’s within the operable physical boundary.

The information that is collected about players had only been available to the coaches of those players. Captured data become integrated metrics, which include distance traveled, speed and acceleration, and a player’s time on the field, etc. These metrics can then help to monitor the performance and health of the players. Later, the data can be used for play design, game tactics, play strategies, and workload decisions.

In addition, every football is also embedded with the RFID chip. As a result, its speed, angle, rotation, and height can be captured into the system in every game, on every inch of the field. According to the NFL, the condition of “tagged” footballs are like the normal one. The ball does not affect the feel of the ball or the rotation of the ball when in flight.

Until now, 2019, the NFL has decided to make the collect metrics from the RFID chips available to all teams across the league, and some data will be made available to the public and fans soon. However, this decision is controversial because this means that other coaches can analyze other players, tactics, and strategies from the competitive teams. There would be additional job opportunities for the data analysts and data scientists for sure in the future.

NFL has decided to make the collect metrics from the RFID chips available to all teams across the league

This digital transformation initiated by the RFID implementation in the NFL will continually revolutionize other businesses and is not just affect the sports businesses but all vertical enterprises as well. The media companies will need new strategies and presentations to attract their audience with the enormous data available to them. A typical list of stats about a player won’t be enough to satisfy the fans anymore. The gaming industry may need to devise new games. Other waves of digital transformation would hit other sectors related to sports, and they may need to innovate their business models and products to stay relevant.

Taking the Fan Experience to the Next Level

With the new metrics available to the fans, the entire on-field tracking system transforms the fan experience in the stadium and at home with the real-time player data and insights that unavailable in the past. With all these data available to the fan, it is possible to devise an immersive experience with virtual reality (VR) devices and augmented reality (AR) with Microsoft HoloLens. Maybe one day, you could be one of the Super Bowl players replays the moment of touchdown at the comfort of your home with a VR headset. Or replay the excitement in 3D. The possibilities are endless!

REFERENCES:

A Brief History of RFID http://www.u.arizona.edu/~obaca/rfid/history.html

Zebra Technology https://www.zebra.com/us/en/nfl.html