By Mallory Mattingly
The NFL plans to introduce new technology that will make a huge impact on the league this season.
According to GOOD MORNING AMERICA, the Sony Hawk-Eye camera technology will help officials “make the most precise ball placements the gridiron has ever seen.”
“The new Sony Hawk-Eye camera technology will soon make sideline officials who rush onto the field with a 10-yard chain to determine whether the ball is in position for a first down a thing of the past,” the outlet continued.
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The system will “electronically measure all first downs next season.” However, “the chain crew is remaining on the sideline as backup,” per B/R Gridiron on Instagram.
Justin Goltz, commercial director of Sony’s Hawk-Eye North America, spoke with GOOD MORNING AMERICA, explaining that the new system will include “six 8K cameras in every NFL stadium that measure where the static ball is on the field.”
“So, once a ball has been placed by the official on the field, we can determine whether that ball has or hasn’t passed the line to gain,” he added.
In April, the NFL announced the new partnership with Sony to introduce the Hawk Eye virtual measurement system.
“The NFL and Sony are integrating world-class on-field officiating with state-of-the-art technology to advance football excellence,” Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations at the NFL, said in a press release. “Combining the art of officiating with Sony’s trusted Hawk-Eye system is a healthy recipe for success in our commitment to raising the standards of accuracy, consistency and efficiency. Replay technology and data-driven insights from Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations aid us in advancing our efforts toward the future of football.”
“Sony’s longstanding relationship with the NFL is built on our joint desire to innovate and bring audiences closer to the action, and Sony’s Hawk-Eye virtual measurement system further activates on those commitments,” Neal Manowitz, president and COO of Sony Electronics, North America, added. “We look forward to providing more excitement to passionate fans as we help transform the game in ways that are only possible through the power of creativity and technology.”
Goltz doesn’t expect to have any pushback with this new measurement system, due to the technology’s accuracy.
However, he does expect that some “traditionalists here that maybe miss the reveal of the chains, or the nuances of seeing people come onto the field, but I think our goal is always to make this as efficient, objective and accurate as possible, to aid those officials on the field — not, you know, take away anything from their job.”
Time will tell what kind of impact the Sony Hawk-Eye technology has on the NFL.
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