Microsoft and the NFL’s partnership has been getting quite cozy in the past week. Just a few days ago, Microsoft unveiled the details of their NFL App, which included the virtual integration of tracking devices in each player’s shoulder pads.
More recently, Microsoft announced that they will no longer be providing Surface Pro 2 Tablets on NFL sidelines, but have upgraded to the Surface Pro 3 Tablet.
There is not a considerable amount different between these two models, but the Surface Pro 3 is much lighter in weight, sleeker and has a larger screen than its predecessor. Microsoft’s tablets have generally been used on NFL sidelines to instantly replay the action on the field, annotate that footage with a stylus pen and develop plays on a digital whiteboard.
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Microsoft provides 25 of their tablets to each sideline. The Surface Pro 3 is incredibly durable, meaning that it will be able to last in the frozen tundra of Green Bay or the desert heat of Arizona. Not to mention that it would fare well with a player tumbling out of bounds and hitting it.
While this is news on its own, beginning with this year’s first NFL preseason games, NFL referees will be testing out the Surface Pro 3 Tablet for their own play reviews. That means that the process of a referee sticking their head under that black hood and into the monitor station, for who knows how long, could be in days past.
It also hastens the process on the coaching end of deciding whether or not to challenge a questionable play. Head coaches no longer have to rely on their assistants up in boxes above the field for the information on whether a referee’s decision was legitimate or not.
This tablet integration would definitely speed up challenged calls, knocking off a bit of time where fans stand by idly. It is a win-win for the NFL—they amassed $400 million from their five-year deal with Microsoft, and they are improving their game in the meantime.