Over the past few decades, we’ve seen a ton of ways high tech has changed our favorite sport, but that’s going to pale in comparison to how high tech will change the NFL just 10 years from now.
From the ‘50s to the ‘90s, we didn’t see too much change, outside of color TV, satellites, video replays and the yellow first-down line marker.
But things really started to ramp up in the 2000s, with the over-the-field camera, pylon cameras, helmet speakers for quarterbacks and iPads on the sidelines.
What does that mean for the upcoming decade? Do we think high tech will change the NFL even more? There’s no doubt of that, but in what ways do we foresee these changes happening?
11 Ways High Tech Will Change the NFL By 2026
We came up with nearly a dozen ways the NFL will undergo some changes in the next 10 years because of advanced technology. Once again, the nerds come to the jocks’ rescue!
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Begin slideshow
1/11
Visible First-Down Line On the Field
At some point, I envision the NFL will have a spotlight shine a laser light onto the field during night games, allowing players, coaches and fans the ability to see where the first-down marker is at all times. Why are fans at home the only ones that get to see this? Think of how that would change the game, allowing receivers to know exactly where they need to run their routes during the play.
Photo Credit: Fox Sports
2/11
Objective Concussion Tests
Concussions are hugely controversial right now, and it’s difficult to figure out when a player is concussed or not. So they go back into the game and open themselves up to even more dangerous hits because they’re not at 100 percent. Plus, NFL officials and team doctors all have different opinions on how “concussed” a player is or not – it’s all subjective and that’s no good.
Let’s get a standardized test on an iPad that forces the player to answer a series of questions. Not trivia, but more like – “What city are we in?” “What number comes after 142?” “Did you walk to school or carry a lunch?”
Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller, Getty Images
3/11
Sensors Added to Players’ Uniforms
Let’s get sensors added inside the lining on player’s jerseys, pads and pants, which will give us thousands of points of data we can all learn from. For one, NFL officials can see where players are getting hit the hardest the most, and adjust padding if necessary to protect them.
But also, think of all the new impact stats we can check out on NFL.com, like which players have given or received the most hard hits each week/season? Which players get the most yards after hard hits? Which players average the most hits before being tackled?
Photo Credit: NBC Universal, Saturday Night Live
4/11
Madden-Like Overlays With Player Names
You know how when Madden breaks out of the huddle, and you can see which players are lined up where at the line of scrimmage? Let’s have that – for the RBs, WRs and TEs, at least. It can be the same technology they use for the first-down line marker. We’ll never have to hear the play-by-play guy say, “Hopkins lined up at the top of your screen.”
Also, let’s have a star underneath the stud defenders, so we can see where they’re at on every play, and where they’re headed.
Photo Credit: EA Sports
5/11
More Graphic Overlays With Superlatives
Along with the previous idea of adding Madden overlays, I’d like to take a page out of NBA Jams, and when a WR catches five targets in a row, he’s “on fire” with a flaming red star under his feet. Same goes for a running back that picks up more than 5.0 yards per carry in his last five touches, or a quarterback that completes five straight passes.
6/11
Ability to Watch Game From Behind the QB Like On Madden
Another thing we’d like to steal for Madden video games is the view of the field. They already have this with the hovering camera that runs on cables across all NFL stadiums, so what’s stopping us from watching games that way now?
For purists, rather than the behind-the-QB view like on Madden, they can choose the “Classic” feed.
7/11
Goal Line Scoring Sensors
Remember the sensors we talked about earlier? Let’s get those inside the footballs as well, so any time they are carried over the goal line, we can instantly know if it’s a touchdown or not.
This can also be used for first downs, really, but the more important way would be at the goal line.
Then we could have an awesome siren and flashing light go off, just like goals in hockey!
Photo Credit: Brett Carlsen, Getty Images
8/11
Field Goal Lasers
This is an old one, stolen from Adam Carolla, but let’s get lasers to point skyward at the top of the field-goalposts, for all kicks that go above the posts.
If the kicked balls break the laser, the kick is no good, as they are an extension of the goalpost itself.
Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images
9/11
Audio in All Helmets
We already have it for quarterbacks, but why don’t other players get speakers in their helmets, too? The NFL is always trying to figure out ways to get more points on the board, so having an offensive coordinator relay the play to the quarterback, and then have the QB call the play through a mic in his helmet, we could have a REAL no-huddle offense going during the entire game.
I also like the idea of getting audio in the helmets for the defensive players, allowing them to hear their coordinators making the play call before the snap.
Finally, audio in every defensive helmet would give a short beep when the quarterback releases the ball, reminding pass-rushers not to hit him. Or when a player is down, another buzz goes off, which would eliminate the argument that the chances of them not hearing the end-play whistle.
Photo Credit: Diamond Images, Getty Images
10/11
Referees Move Up to a Booth
If we put enough sensors on players and on the field, at some point, we can get rid of the referees – or at least most of them.
Let’s get them off the field, watching the plays happen on closed circuit feeds for the area they’re responsible for, and they can make the calls from a booth.
Do we really think they can call holding better standing at eye’s height, as opposed to an eagle-eye view, where they can really key on each conflict? Plus, refs will have the opportunity to think about the play a second before making the call. Was it really holding or did the player trip? Was it pass interference or did the defender go for the ball?
Finally, this would keep 50- and 60-year-old guys off the field during high impact battles between 250-pounders.
Photo Credit: Larry French, Getty Images
11/11
Social Media Pro Bowl Voting
The Pro Bowl is a joke already, right? We can all agree on that? Wouldn’t a skills competition among all the different positions be a much better weekend spent between all the players not in the Super Bowl?
But until that happens …
Let’s make the Pro Bowl something voted on through social media. Sure, it’ll become a big popularity vote (isn’t it already?), but then we could see some players really get creative in their pitches for your vote.
Photo Credit: Kent Nishimura, Getty Images
1/11
Visible First-Down Line On the Field
At some point, I envision the NFL will have a spotlight shine a laser light onto the field during night games, allowing players, coaches and fans the ability to see where the first-down marker is at all times. Why are fans at home the only ones that get to see this? Think of how that would change the game, allowing receivers to know exactly where they need to run their routes during the play.
Photo Credit: Fox Sports
2/11
Objective Concussion Tests
Concussions are hugely controversial right now, and it’s difficult to figure out when a player is concussed or not. So they go back into the game and open themselves up to even more dangerous hits because they’re not at 100 percent. Plus, NFL officials and team doctors all have different opinions on how “concussed” a player is or not – it’s all subjective and that’s no good.
Let’s get a standardized test on an iPad that forces the player to answer a series of questions. Not trivia, but more like – “What city are we in?” “What number comes after 142?” “Did you walk to school or carry a lunch?”
Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller, Getty Images
3/11
Sensors Added to Players’ Uniforms
Let’s get sensors added inside the lining on player’s jerseys, pads and pants, which will give us thousands of points of data we can all learn from. For one, NFL officials can see where players are getting hit the hardest the most, and adjust padding if necessary to protect them.
But also, think of all the new impact stats we can check out on NFL.com, like which players have given or received the most hard hits each week/season? Which players get the most yards after hard hits? Which players average the most hits before being tackled?
Photo Credit: NBC Universal, Saturday Night Live
4/11
Madden-Like Overlays With Player Names
You know how when Madden breaks out of the huddle, and you can see which players are lined up where at the line of scrimmage? Let’s have that – for the RBs, WRs and TEs, at least. It can be the same technology they use for the first-down line marker. We’ll never have to hear the play-by-play guy say, “Hopkins lined up at the top of your screen.”
Also, let’s have a star underneath the stud defenders, so we can see where they’re at on every play, and where they’re headed.
Photo Credit: EA Sports
5/11
More Graphic Overlays With Superlatives
Along with the previous idea of adding Madden overlays, I’d like to take a page out of NBA Jams, and when a WR catches five targets in a row, he’s “on fire” with a flaming red star under his feet. Same goes for a running back that picks up more than 5.0 yards per carry in his last five touches, or a quarterback that completes five straight passes.
6/11
Ability to Watch Game From Behind the QB Like On Madden
Another thing we’d like to steal for Madden video games is the view of the field. They already have this with the hovering camera that runs on cables across all NFL stadiums, so what’s stopping us from watching games that way now?
For purists, rather than the behind-the-QB view like on Madden, they can choose the “Classic” feed.
7/11
Goal Line Scoring Sensors
Remember the sensors we talked about earlier? Let’s get those inside the footballs as well, so any time they are carried over the goal line, we can instantly know if it’s a touchdown or not.
This can also be used for first downs, really, but the more important way would be at the goal line.
Then we could have an awesome siren and flashing light go off, just like goals in hockey!
Photo Credit: Brett Carlsen, Getty Images
8/11
Field Goal Lasers
This is an old one, stolen from Adam Carolla, but let’s get lasers to point skyward at the top of the field-goalposts, for all kicks that go above the posts.
If the kicked balls break the laser, the kick is no good, as they are an extension of the goalpost itself.
Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images
9/11
Audio in All Helmets
We already have it for quarterbacks, but why don’t other players get speakers in their helmets, too? The NFL is always trying to figure out ways to get more points on the board, so having an offensive coordinator relay the play to the quarterback, and then have the QB call the play through a mic in his helmet, we could have a REAL no-huddle offense going during the entire game.
I also like the idea of getting audio in the helmets for the defensive players, allowing them to hear their coordinators making the play call before the snap.
Finally, audio in every defensive helmet would give a short beep when the quarterback releases the ball, reminding pass-rushers not to hit him. Or when a player is down, another buzz goes off, which would eliminate the argument that the chances of them not hearing the end-play whistle.
Photo Credit: Diamond Images, Getty Images
10/11
Referees Move Up to a Booth
If we put enough sensors on players and on the field, at some point, we can get rid of the referees – or at least most of them.
Let’s get them off the field, watching the plays happen on closed circuit feeds for the area they’re responsible for, and they can make the calls from a booth.
Do we really think they can call holding better standing at eye’s height, as opposed to an eagle-eye view, where they can really key on each conflict? Plus, refs will have the opportunity to think about the play a second before making the call. Was it really holding or did the player trip? Was it pass interference or did the defender go for the ball?
Finally, this would keep 50- and 60-year-old guys off the field during high impact battles between 250-pounders.
Photo Credit: Larry French, Getty Images
11/11
Social Media Pro Bowl Voting
The Pro Bowl is a joke already, right? We can all agree on that? Wouldn’t a skills competition among all the different positions be a much better weekend spent between all the players not in the Super Bowl?
But until that happens …
Let’s make the Pro Bowl something voted on through social media. Sure, it’ll become a big popularity vote (isn’t it already?), but then we could see some players really get creative in their pitches for your vote.
Photo Credit: Kent Nishimura, Getty Images
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