As Zebra Technologies heads into its third season of a five-year NFL deal, the technology company recently announced that it is expanding its partnership.
Data chips in game balls will now be used during Thursday Night Football games following a review by the league’s Competition Committee after the balls had been included in all preseason games. League spokesman, Brian McCarthy, confirmed the news to CNET on Saturday.
According to McCarthy, the data chips underneath the laces of the balls will determine how far they travel along with how close they come to goal posts on field goal or extra point attempts.
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“Teams are just starting to see what they want from the data,” said Eric Petrosinelli, Zebra Sports General Manager. “They’re analyzing it and soon they will start to get into specifics.”
The upgrade comes in addition to Zebra’s RFID player-tracking technology system and “Next Gen Stats,” an initiative to advance fans’ experience through technology. After every game this season, data will be provided to all 32 teams, which will allow them to make in-season adjustments compared to season’s past when they received the data after the year ended.
“We continue to enjoy working with Zebra to give fans and teams a deeper look into the game they love,” said Vishal Shah, NFL’s Vice President of Digital Media, in a press release. “Zebra’s focus on innovation has led to advancements in the whole system, from improved software to smaller devices. For example, these improvements now enable us to track objects beyond players, such as the ball which we are currently testing.
“We are excited for the 2016 season and for the tracking technology to help teams evolve training, scouting and evaluation through increased knowledge of player performance as well as to provide ways for our teams and partners to enhance the fan experience.”