NFL Using Technology in Footballs for Even More Statistics
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (AP) — The NFL will be able to know the speed, location and even the rotation of the league's footballs this season under new technology being used with the ball itself.
For fans, that will mean even more statistics.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags will be in footballs used in every NFL game this season after being tested last season during the preseason and in Thursday night games.
Vishal Shah, the NFL's senior vice president of digital media, says the league is excited to learn new information tracking the footballs in partnership with Zebra Technologies in a move announced Thursday.
The tags, similar to the technology used to make credit cards more secure, wirelessly communicate location data and speed. Each player wore a chip in his shoulder pads during games in 2015.