There’s often a cautious approach to the idea of technology in sports. Many people argue the purity of a sport can be damaged by an integration with technology. However, the NFL has been more receptive to innovation than most other sporting organizations. As such, the concept of big data increasingly driving the decisions of teams comes as no surprise.
In recent years, NFL teams have embraced analytics provided by big data and used it to transform how their manage plays and assess players. Big data is now a part of the arsenal used by scouts when evaluating prospects for the NFL Draft. However, there are still some limitations to what the data information can provide.
Understanding technology within the NFL is important. It is such a big part of the sport, both on the field and off. Whether its football bookmakers using technology to engage fans online or teams themselves using Microsoft Surface technology on the sidelines. It’s also worth noting tech in the NFL is not new… Do you think headset microphones were always there?
One of the reasons why big data is still not mature in the NFL is because of opposing opinions regarding its effectiveness. It is worth noting most know that eventually data analytics will play a massive role, but there is debate about how much is possible in 2020. This is because teams cannot seem to agree on what exactly their data shows.
How scouts operate is a good example of this confusion. Traditionally, scouts will look at a player and assess his attributes to decide his worthiness as a potential NFL player. The problem is, only a few select players are guaranteed hits. Most of the time, scouts disagree on the qualities and potential of player.
When scouts leverage big data analytics, they receive much more information and metrics on a player. On the surface, this should mean a more detailed and accurate analysis of attributes and potential. However, what some teams are finding is big data is only giving scouts more ways to disagree.
And that disparity may come from the fact that each scout is looking for different things based on the remit they have from a team. One scout may be looking for pace, another for stamina, while another is looking for something more ethereal, such as big game presence.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition the NFL finds itself in when looking at technology. The organization increasingly wants to make the sport an exact science but what is actually happening is the number of variables is increasing.
Where Big Data is Succeeding
While big data may be confusing the scouting process, it is having more success in influencing in-game metrics. In 2016, the NFL started an experiment where players were given activity trackers and charted over a two-year period. In 2018, the organization released the information from the tracking to teams.
Access to this information had a profound effect. Coaches used the data to integrate new tactics, weak old ones, and generally transform their playbooks. Many teams report this integration of big data has been a resounding success, but still, it is not quite an exact science.
