Sean Rudio Ms.

Hofmann English March 29, 2014 Technology in the NFL

Technology has influenced almost everything we view in this world to this day. There will always be the positives and negatives to the advancements in technology. As technology advanced many things have changed in the world. I want to focus on the impact of technology in the National Football League and how it has changed the rules, culture, and how the audience views the game now. Factors like social media, instant replay, audio microphones, and television will all be explored to see how the NFL has changed over the past 50 years. The National Football League has been around since 1920 and many aspects of the game have changed. Some of the biggest changes over the years were in equipment. Leather helmets were used that hardly acted as head protection. There were (and still are) many brain injuries, and when the uniforms were poor there were even a few deaths. (J.M. Blog) Helmets changed many times in order to protect the players from concussions and other major head injuries. In today game the helmets have evolved into plastic helmets with facemasks. Along with these advancements in equipment, technology intermingled with the helmets. Radio like headsets were placed into the helmets so now the quarterback can hear the coach talk through an earpiece in order to relay the plays he wants run to the other players. In 1994, the NFL introduced inhelmet radio receivers for quarterbacks. The QB could now receive the play directly from his head coach or offensive coordinator; offenses no longer had to rely on signaling or runners to get the play to the huddle. By NFL rules, the receivers are shut off for the last 15 seconds of every

play clock and during plays. (Leap) This has made the game a little bit faster paced resulting in shorter football games. Instead of constantly looking for hand signs from the coach to know what plays to go with the player can quickly call a short huddle or even change plays on the line before the snap. The audio frequency is encrypted so the other team or even audience in the stand cant hack the frequency and listen in on the coachs play calls. Along with audio in helmets, mics were tied into the players uniforms so we could hear everything that goes on with that player. News organizations like ESPN use these mics to show the public what goes on with the players on the field. With this technology we hear live trash talking, celebrations, and group huddles with some memorable speeches. This marked only the beginning of major technology changes that have impacted the rules and gameplay. Another huge technology that forever changed the game that we know it was the use of instant replay. Instant replay allows officials to look at a television screen and rewind the game clip to see whether or not the call they made on the field was correct or not, but only under certain circumstances. The league tried replay out first in 1986, with a replay official deciding which plays to review; the system lasted until the 1991 season. The delays werent worth it, owners reasoned. But a few bad calls here and there, and the system was back by 1999, with a clever wrinkle: Coaches could decide which plays to challenge. Each coach had two challenges. (Dickey) Some of the most controversial plays in the NFL were resolved with instant replay; the fate of the game doesnt rely in the players hands but in the referees. The referees have the power to rewrite history with the review of plays and overturning the previous calls. And along the way, the NFL made more types of plays reviewable, allowing the creep of the counterfactual. What if one team made the mistake of following the referees cue instead of allowing for all

possible outcomes? The league has told its players, essentially, to disregard the officials if theres something on the play that might possibly be overturned.(Dickey) The use of instant replay wouldnt be possible if it werent for television. Television has brought so much cultural change to the world. In the 1920s there was no television. People who wanted to see certain teams play would have to physically go and watch these teams at the stadiums and fields which may be across the country. Television brought world-wide recognition to the sport. Now that television broadcast were nation-wide people were able to sit at home and watch their favorite teams play, this brought a much bigger fan base to the sport. Today every single game in the NFL is televised so anyone could watch the games. Even other countries are able to watch these games on their own home television sets. This made recruitment out of the country bigger than ever. NFL teams consist of all types of ethnicity and people from all over the world. As television made it possible for other countries to watch some of the biggest and strongest players come overseas to test their skill at collegian teams to hopefully be a future prospect for the NFL. With more fans of the sport due to the television, the NFL has grown product sales such as jerseys and other memorabilia from teams making it a multi-billion dollar company. With more fans means more sales. It is aware to players that the spotlight could be on them if they make great plays because the ESPN replays and reviews highlight of almost every game. This may have changed the players view on the game the most. Running back Rashard Mendenhall was a great athlete who was drafted into the NFL in 2008. After only five years in the NFL he decided to call it quits. This made people wonder, why the heck would a star athlete like Mendenhall retire at age 26? It is because he has seen that the NFL has become something he is not entirely happy with. He does not like that athletes are judged by stats and how well their touchdown dance is. He thinks that the game now is more

interested in the popularity of players and what they do after plays like celebration dances and smack talking other players. He wishes that the game used to be the way it was 50 years ago where the goal was to win and not put on a show. What was more difficult for me to grasp was the way that the business of entertainment had really shifted the game and the sport of football in the NFL. The culture of football now is very different from the one I grew up with. When I came up, teammates fought together for wins and got respect for the fight. The player who gave the ball to the referee after a touchdown was commended; the one who played through injury was tough; the role of the blocking tight end was acknowledged; running backs who picked up blitzing linebackers showed heart; and the story of the game was told through the tape, and not the stats alone. That was my model of football.(Mendenhall) He believes that these players dont intend to really work hard but rather look cool. Although some people may enjoy these flashy dances, these celebrations have indefinitely changed the culture of the game. It used to be about going out and giving the best you got into the plays rather than giving the best you got into your dance or trash talking. Today, game-day cameras follow the most popular players on teams; guys who dance after touchdowns are extolled on Dancing With the Starters; games are analyzed and brought to fans without any use of coaches tape; practice non-participants are reported throughout the week for predicted fantasy value; and success and failure for skill players is measured solely in stats and fantasy points.(Mendenhall) The game has changed from an all-out battle on the field between the best players in the game to an entertainment and social media affair. I for one do not want to see potential like Rashard Mendenhall leave the NFL because then we know the best of the best may not actually be participating. So when they ask me why I want to leave the NFL at the age of 26, I tell them that I've greatly enjoyed my time, but I no longer wish to put my body at risk for the sake of entertainment. (Mendenhall)

Technology has its benefits but also its disadvantages. Although the league has increased its revenue drastically over the past couple of decades, people like me wonder whether todays game of football is better than how it was played 50 years ago. The game will continue to be influenced by technology for as long as it is played. Whether it is for the better or for the worse there may never be a clear answer but there without a doubt will be changes to the sport of football.