Next season the National Football League will insert tracking devices into players' pads to collect advanced statistics thanks to technology from a company in Chicago's northern suburbs.
The NFL will install Lincolnshire-based Zebra Technologies' real-time location system into 17 stadiums across the league, the NFL announced today. Each of those stadiums will install Zebra receivers that will communicate with radio-frequency identification transmitters placed inside the shoulder pads of each player. It will collect data on position, speed, and distance, which will all be put into a database.
"Working with Zebra will give fans, teams, coaches and players a deeper look into the game they love," NFL Vice President of Media Strategy Vishal Shah said in a news release. "Zebra's tracking technology will help teams evolve training, scouting and evaluation through increased knowledge of player performance, as well as provide ways for our teams and partners to enhance the fan experience."
Stadiums that will house the technology include Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, New England, Oakland, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington, Detroit and New Orleans. The technology will capture information on all 32 teams.
Zebra Technologies will allow the NFL to capture real-time player-tracking stats for the first time in the league's history.
"Zebra's experience providing visibility solutions to a variety of industries gives us extensive knowledge in how to collect important real-time data that helps organizations make smarter decisions – we call this enterprise asset intelligence," Chief Executive Officer of Zebra Technologies Anders Gustafsson said in the release. "It's exciting to partner with an innovator like the NFL, where we will provide real-time data and information to coaches, broadcasters and fans to enrich the game experience."
The technology works similarly to another Chicago area company called STATS LLC, which has deals with the NBA and FIFA to provide player location data. The company told Chicago Inno back in June that it attempted to work out a deal with the NFL, but it fell through.
It's good to see that three major sports have chosen Chicago companies for player tracking technology and advanced statistics, furthering Chicago's image as a leader in technology.
