The following interview is part of our ongoing Expert Series that asks C-level professionals, team presidents, league executives, athletic directors and other sports influencers about their latest thoughts and insights on new technologies impacting the sports industry.
Name: Joe Nolan
Company: Motus Global
Position: Co-Founder/Chief Executive Officer
Joe Nolan is a movement analysis executive. His career began at Motion Analysis Corporation’s Emerging Technology Division before helping launch Perspective Studios where he served as SVP Corporate Development. In 2010, he co-founded Motus Global and serves as Chief Executive Officer, where he has overseen the company’s transition from traditional biomechanics lab into a leading on-field movement analytics provider leveraging wearable devices.
Nolan is a commissioned officer in the USAF and serves in the NYANG. He holds a BBA/MBA from New York Institute of Technology and completed the graduate program in Systems Engineering at Air Force Institute of Technology.
1) What utilization of Motus technology in professional or college sports has recently blown you away and why?
When the news of our in-game approval by the MLB for motusTHROW was announced, we began to receive inquiries from across all overhand throwing sports about the Motus technology. It was great to see how quickly football teams in particular embraced using the Motus sleeve and as a training tool for their quarterbacks. Football has really jumped in head first and now we are working with great collegiate partners including University of Oregon, University of Maryland and Mississippi State University. We are continuing to grow our reach throughout college football and expect strong adoption from NFL franchises in 2017 based on recent testing and inquiries.
2) How has wearable technology impacted sports as a whole over the past five years? Where do you see it heading in 2017?
We’ve all heard the saying “train smarter, not harder” for years. Wearable technology has allowed people to understand what that actually means by analyzing data and seeing metrics on their performance that wasn’t previously available. This will continue in 2017 and clear leaders in their respective categories will begin to emerge. Next year will be the start of these companies becoming sports brands on the scales of apparel and equipment makers.
3) If money were no object, what technology would you build or buy to help you do your job better?
I’d clone my team and watch them develop even more amazing products.
4) As a sports fan, what sports-related service, app, product, etc., could you not live without and why?
My NHL mobile app. As kids, my brother and I would get The Hockey News delivered weekly to go through every stat for NHL, AHL and major junior hockey. Now, I have all of that info in real-time. I’m obsessed!
5) If you had to project 20 years into the future, how will most fans watch their favorite sports teams?
I can’t even imagine the advancements in technology, screens and immersive experiences over that period. Still, I had a discussion about this with a good friend and his take was this … No matter how great VR/AR/HUD and any other future technology becomes, chances are when we go to a bar to watch a game, there will still be a wall of TV screens. I think I agree with him.
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6) Give us your bold prediction about a form of technology that will be integral to sports in general over the next 12 months and why?
I wouldn’t say bold as much as underestimated, but I think it is OTT content dedicated to high school athletes. I believe this will play a much larger role in recruiting and connecting with athletes than people realize and will gain more steam in 2017.