NFL to trial AI and tennis-style ‘Hawk-Eye’ technology that could cut controversial calls and make key job obsolete
Artificial intelligence may soon be taking over the NFL. The league has been experimenting with a new technology that may find the traditional chain-gang to be obsolete in the near future. The Chiefs-Bills AFC championship had a controversy fourth-down spot that turned the tide in the gameGETTY The new technology is Sony’s Hawk-Eye. And while technically it isn’t ‘new,’ as tennis has been using it for years, it would be for the NFL. The technology helps gauge whether or not a ball is in or out of bounds, re-creating the play in an animated graphic that makes it very simple for the viewers to see and understand. It’s very black and white. There’s no grey area. The ball either hit inbounds or it didn’t. That is what the NFL is trying to replicate. The league experimented with the technology in the preseason of this year to test it out. That included using up to 60 cameras in the stadium which helped piece together every angle possible on every play and used feeds from six cameras with 8k resolution to give a clean picture. This system tracked the ball from start to finish, with the help of artificial intelligence, to determine whether or not it traveled the necessary 10 yards for a first down. X/@FRANKBARONThe Hawk-Eye technology has made the game of tennis much more accurate and quicker[/caption] Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott wasn’t too happy with the officiating in the AFC championshipGetty It would be a massive change to the game if the league decides to implement the technology going forward. Those in and around the league believe the time is now for the NFL to make the change. “We did a lot of due diligence with the NFL to make sure that we’ve chosen the right cameras and the right placement of the cameras to make sure that our accuracy was where it needed to be,” said Dan Cash, managing director of Sony’s Hawk-Eye. NFL Deputy Chief Information Officer Aaron Amendolia said Hawk-Eye will help the game go by faster by eliminating the need to bring out the chain every time a spot is close. “We’re going to get much more accurate on what we’re showing as far as measurements, but we’re also going to have a faster-moving game,” Amendolia said. “We need to have the right results and when we do, we’ll scale it up and out.” Read More on Super Bowl LIX All you need to know about Super Bowl LIX as Kansas City Chiefs battle Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans Super Bowl LIX ticket prices surge with top seats selling for $20,000 more than last year Taylor Swift just one Chiefs win away from joining legends in rare Super Bowl club Controversial ref call that sent Chiefs to Super Bowl could lead to biggest rule change in NFL history Who is performing the Super Bowl halftime show and who will be singing the National Anthem? Why does Patrick Mahomes wear his helmet so high? FOLLOW – talkSPORT End Zone YouTube Channel brings you all the latest news, views and analysis OFFER – See all Super Bowl odds and bet boosts over at talkSPORT BET BUY HERE – Brewdog launches new beer to celebrate Super Bowl 2025 Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer of “NFL on NBC,” suggested that using this new technology would make for a better TV-viewing experience and product. “As attention spans become shorter and people have more distractions in life, the quicker you can get things done and get to a final answer. I think it’s better for the broadcast and it’s better for the audience,” Gaudelli said. Whether or not the NFL makes the permanent change is yet to be decided. They will once again be using the technology in the preseason next year, but anything beyond that is anyone’s guess. What we do know, is that it would have been helpful to have in the AFC-championship over the controversial spot that the officials and replay assist gave Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on fourth-down that swung the game in the Kansas City Chiefs favor. Allen looked to have crossed the first-down marker, but it was ultimately to close to call, and the ruling on the field was that he was short. With Hawk-Eye technology implemented, there would have been no question whether or not the ball got across the first down marker. That moment alone should make the NFL think long and hard about moving on from the outdated chain-gang and into the future with the advanced-tech necessary. How To Watch the Full U.S. Coverage of Super Bowl LIX Live for 99p *If you click on a link in this boxout we will earn affiliate revenue Access the ultimate Super Bowl LIX experience with NFL Game Pass – the only place to watch the full U.S. broadcast. For just 99p, you can enjoy the game exactly as it was meant to be seen! One-Time Payment: Pay only 99p and unlock access to the ultimate Super Bowl LIX experience with NFL Game Pass. U.S. Broadcast: Watch the full U.S. coverage of Super Bowl LI
Artificial intelligence may soon be taking over the NFL.
The league has been experimenting with a new technology that may find the traditional chain-gang to be obsolete in the near future.
The new technology is Sony’s Hawk-Eye.
And while technically it isn’t ‘new,’ as tennis has been using it for years, it would be for the NFL.
The technology helps gauge whether or not a ball is in or out of bounds, re-creating the play in an animated graphic that makes it very simple for the viewers to see and understand.
It’s very black and white.
There’s no grey area.
The ball either hit inbounds or it didn’t.
That is what the NFL is trying to replicate.
The league experimented with the technology in the preseason of this year to test it out.
That included using up to 60 cameras in the stadium which helped piece together every angle possible on every play and used feeds from six cameras with 8k resolution to give a clean picture.
This system tracked the ball from start to finish, with the help of artificial intelligence, to determine whether or not it traveled the necessary 10 yards for a first down.
It would be a massive change to the game if the league decides to implement the technology going forward.
Those in and around the league believe the time is now for the NFL to make the change.
“We did a lot of due diligence with the NFL to make sure that we’ve chosen the right cameras and the right placement of the cameras to make sure that our accuracy was where it needed to be,” said Dan Cash, managing director of Sony’s Hawk-Eye.
NFL Deputy Chief Information Officer Aaron Amendolia said Hawk-Eye will help the game go by faster by eliminating the need to bring out the chain every time a spot is close.
“We’re going to get much more accurate on what we’re showing as far as measurements, but we’re also going to have a faster-moving game,” Amendolia said.
“We need to have the right results and when we do, we’ll scale it up and out.”
Read More on Super Bowl LIX
All you need to know about Super Bowl LIX as Kansas City Chiefs battle Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans
Super Bowl LIX ticket prices surge with top seats selling for $20,000 more than last year
Taylor Swift just one Chiefs win away from joining legends in rare Super Bowl club
Controversial ref call that sent Chiefs to Super Bowl could lead to biggest rule change in NFL history
Who is performing the Super Bowl halftime show and who will be singing the National Anthem?
Why does Patrick Mahomes wear his helmet so high?
FOLLOW – talkSPORT End Zone YouTube Channel brings you all the latest news, views and analysis
OFFER – See all Super Bowl odds and bet boosts over at talkSPORT BET
BUY HERE – Brewdog launches new beer to celebrate Super Bowl 2025
Fred Gaudelli, the executive producer of “NFL on NBC,” suggested that using this new technology would make for a better TV-viewing experience and product.
“As attention spans become shorter and people have more distractions in life, the quicker you can get things done and get to a final answer. I think it’s better for the broadcast and it’s better for the audience,” Gaudelli said.
Whether or not the NFL makes the permanent change is yet to be decided.
They will once again be using the technology in the preseason next year, but anything beyond that is anyone’s guess.
What we do know, is that it would have been helpful to have in the AFC-championship over the controversial spot that the officials and replay assist gave Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on fourth-down that swung the game in the Kansas City Chiefs favor.
Allen looked to have crossed the first-down marker, but it was ultimately to close to call, and the ruling on the field was that he was short.
With Hawk-Eye technology implemented, there would have been no question whether or not the ball got across the first down marker.
That moment alone should make the NFL think long and hard about moving on from the outdated chain-gang and into the future with the advanced-tech necessary.
How To Watch the Full U.S. Coverage of Super Bowl LIX Live for 99p
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- U.S. Broadcast: Watch the full U.S. coverage of Super Bowl LIX, including the pre-game show, half-time show, post-game show, and even the iconic U.S. commercials.
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