As teams are always looking for a competitive edge, professional sports and technology have never been strangers. Now the NFL’s Saint Louis Rams are taking a look at the groundbreaking wearable technology “Google Glass” to see how it could be useful to help improve gameplay.
As noted by sports journalist Katie Linedoll:
” Technology is becoming more and more a fabric of the NFL. Whether it’s concussion high-tech equipment to prevent injuries, or playbooks on tablets. If it gives a team a competitive advantage, they’re willing to try it.”
Although practical use of this technology may be some time away, if we start to think of the possibilties of devices like Google Glass becoming integrated into sports, the implications are infinite.
As reported by cnet.com:
“Imagine a football game decades from now. After defining all the regulations, players could use Google Glass-esque headsets integrated into helmets and have a high-tech array of features at their disposal. Coaches could send messages to players and alter plays on the fly or watch first-person footage of a play going down. A world where plays don’t get screwed up because of excessive crowd noise.”
And the Rams general manager Les Snead is already thinking in that direction, stating:
“I could easily see [Google Glass] eventually being on a helmet and people at home and people in the stadium seeing what the player is seeing,” he said. “That view of Sam and what he’s looking at — it’s going to help the quarterback and all people involved.”
I could see it implemented eventually too. Of course, we would first have to work out the implications on the current game rules.
I also wonder if this technology would help the game or take away from its true essence.
Either way, it proves that Google Glass or other wearable technology is the next wave of innovation that will touch many other categories associated with it.
