The NFL, and similarly other sporting organizations, aren’t always thought of as the most technologically competent — even less so, socially competent as various asinine social networking rules have proven. But these old goats are finally coming around.
For the 2012-2013 NFL season (and pre-season training) the Denver Broncos will become the third NFL team that ditches costly, expensive and wasteful paperback play books for digital devices. Each of the 120 Denver Broncos players as well as the coaches and other team staff will receive 1 64 GB Verizon Wireless LTE iPad ($829) each. While the upfront cost is obviously pretty hefty, it’s chump change for a large NFL organization like the Broncos, not to mention much more environmentally friendly. The team says that the upfront cost will be offset over several years thanks to not having to re-print new and evolving play books each year, many hitting 500 pages or more. Also, lugging around the entire teams’ play book as well as helpful videos and other content is exponentially easier. The software being used on the iPads for play book content is built by PlayerLync. whom is actively scouting more NFL teams to begin using their iOS software.
The Broncos join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens as the only NFL teams to go the digital route for play book content.
Being the techies that we are, we’re stoked to see the NFL going this route and adopting modern technologies. At the same time, as digital play book usage grows we’ll be interested to see how security, and the loss of said play books affects the players, teams and use of said technology.
Thoughts?
Via: AppleInsider
