An amazing part of Super Bowl you didn’t think about

Amid the Super 50 hoopla and celebrations for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos for their win, we all missed something so small that its’ changing the face of sports in a way we never thought we would see. 

The data stream from a Real Time Locator System (RTLS) was used live, for the first time, at an NFL football event.

The system, developed by Zebra Technologies, uses the same Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip technology that veterinarians use for locating and identifying our pets.

RFID as a tracking technology is not new.  It’s been in active use for manufacturing and monitoring for nearly 30 years.  RFID tags can be found in everything: Your I-Pass and EZPass devices used to simplify the collecting of highway tolls; at hospitals to track patients; on assembly lines to track the manufacturing of heavy equipment or automobiles; allowing access to your hotel 

They even reside in your passport to expedite international border crossings.

The tags range in size depending on the need and use; the smallest being no larger than a grain of rice. The tags developed by Zebra are about the size and weight of a quarter, not enough to even register on a pro athlete weighing in excess of 200 lbs.

Being the “Official On-Field Player Tracking Provider” Zebra’s tech is handling all ingest and monitoring of an astronomical amount of statistical data. 

See, it tracks everything about a player: how fast he might be running, what direction and how much force is expended when players make contact with the ground or another player.

While the coaching staff uses the data to redesign plays, CBS and the NFL used the data to supply real time stats in the internet infused secondary broadcasts. 

The CBS Sports App, via AppleTV, was one of the better examples, yet the experience with my Microsoft Surface was less than optimal.

How the stats played out with the Panthers’ Brown

Showing individual and aggregate player stats at a such a voluminous level, brought the viewing, in my opinion, to something more akin to a shutout baseball game, where the perfunctory statistical information floods the commentary of an often tedious matchup.

That is, until around the 8-minute mark of the third quarter when Panthers WR No. 10 Corey “Philly” Brown made a catch, just to be taken out of the game with a possible concussion.

No stats from Brown’s hit were aired.  But with him struggling to get up, and data reinforced by the “Player Tracking” information captured during his catch, led the coaching staff’s further evaluation of him.  The result was removing Brown from the rest of the game as a caution. 

So, maybe the Lincolnshire-based Zebra is onto something?  Bringing the stats to air, NFL teams can now also track the repeated contact that has injured so many NFL players during their careers. 

Using this new technology to supply additional statistical content online, may mean new life for future NFL player.  Literally.