NFL’s Plan to Reduce Injuries Involves More Machine Learning

The National Football League started studying concussions six years ago. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags were placed in helmets, shoulder pads and even mouthpieces to gather metrics about each player. Every player has a tag placed on them.

The data is being used to look at more than concussions. The Digital Athlete is an initiative that uses computer simulation to reconstruct scenarios in which injuries of all types occur. We can understand why the player got injured. In order to change that outcome, we need to identify things that we can do.

The NFL is under scrutiny about how it can make a sport more safe. Hamlin was hit in the chest and had to be resuscitated on the field. Tua Tagovailoa showed signs of a brain injury when he hit his head on the turf in a nationally televised game.

There is some evidence that the initiative is working. Load management in preseason training has gone backwards. Preseason practices used to be aggressive and teams used to cut back on physical contact at the end. Players get injured early when they start out hard. Increasing the load slowly will pay off in the end.

The amount of time players could practice in their first four days back was limited by the league. The results are significant and include a decrease in lower limb injuries during the first two weeks.

Decision-making is going to get more data-based. The contact detection challenge was announced in December. The winner will get $100,000.

How sports are broadcasted will be changed by the use of analytic tools. According to Eon Media Corp., advertisers can measure how much screen time their logos get on certain players' uniforms. The camera operator needs to position in a certain region in order to get the most exposure, according to the chief executive officer.

A study shows that a logo gets twice as much exposure on a hat as it does on the rest of the body. Even if the player was left- or right-handed, the sponsor on the left sleeve got more exposure than the sponsor on the right sleeve. Within seconds, his company can quantify the demographic of an arena, which is valuable information for team owners and television partners.

Eon was one of the first companies to receive funding from the sports technology company. The example of the PhiladelphiaFlyers hockey team is used by the head of the program. She says that they have a lot of logos in the Wells Fargo Center. Are we able to monetize that in the best way? It's important data that we haven't had before.

The NHL has a plan to prepare for cardiac events.