NFL Still a No-Go On Adding GoPro Cameras, No Plans At This Time
Here's a look at the unique perspective fans are missing out on that the NHL recently posted. (via:YouTube)
With the NFL generally known as one of the most innovative leagues in all of sports, the news of the NHL's partnership with GoPro back in January has to have any fan of football wondering how hockey could be ahead of the curve compared to the NFL when it comes to this part of technology.
Pro Hockey fans got a glimpse during the 2015 NHL All-Star Weekend, giving fans the experience of being able to access point-of-view footage like they've never seen before, putting them right on the ice and in the middle of the action.
| A video of GoPro footage from former Patriots receiver Brandon Lloyd |
They've already had plenty of success with their online on-demand game service NFL GameRewind, which they've since expanded to include the "All-22 Film" which features access to the same practice film the coaches use. The expanded part of that service was added in June of 2012, and after speaking to someone inside the league's communications department recently, we were told the service has received "135% growth in the product" since that feature came out, although they wouldn't say if they felt it was directly tied to that feature.
Fans have certainly jumped on board. While they wouldn't release exact totals, we were also told their subscriber numbers overall for the Game Rewind service are "in the six figures but not a million." That's not exactly surprising since at $39 and $69 it's a reasonable investment if you care enough about the game to have access any time to re-watch the broadcast or from the additional angles.
Now just imagine being able to select any player and walk for a little while in a player's shoes. Imagine seeing Tom Brady at the line looking right and left with defenders itching to get their hands on him. Imagine being able to experience Julian Edelman sprinting off on the snap against a corner back and seeing just how difficult it is from his perspective to deal with contact at the line before breaking into his route. Picture following Rob Gronkowski as he battles with a defensive back before breaking away and catching a touchdown, or watching from Rob Ninkovich's perspective as he closes in on the quarterback for the sack.
The NFL already offers additional angles during Sunday Night Football for free online, but this is something people would gladly pay money for to get that type of on-field access. Since the vast majority of the world won't ever get the opportunity to take the field as a professional football player, this would be about as close as they would get.
Imagine after a big catch-and-run being able to see from Gronkowski's vantage point as he looks up around the stadium to see 68,000+ reacting to what he just did or seeing it from a teammate's perspective. The latter is almost like being right there with him.
The idea of helmet cameras has already started to be tested, with the Patriots using them back in 2013 in practice during the preseason. At the time Bill Belichick said it was something they were taking a look at to see how effective they were.
"It’s something we haven’t done before so we’ll take a look at it and see how effective it is or what we can get out of it," Belichick said at the time via ESPN Boston. "I’m not sure exactly how effective that will or won’t be, but it’s something we’re trying that’s a little bit new. We’ll see how it goes."
For now we were told the NFL has no plans at the current time for adding them, but at the end of the day, the league has the people and the resources to figure it out. Some might feel there would be concerns competitively, but those are things that could easily be worked out given what each team stands to gain monetarily. Concerned about giving away secrets or things that could compromise the outcome of the game? Turn it off inside the huddle, and turn it off when they head to the sideline. Don't use audio and have two people there with the service on a delay to take out anything concerning. It's not that hard to figure out. Better yet, poll all 32 team executives and tell them, "We're doing this, let's get together and figure out something that all of us can live with to make this successful." They could easily begin the process of coming up with a system that works to begin testing it.
Worried about cost or whether or not the demand from the fans will be worth it? This is different from the end-zone cameras that were a sore subject during the recent league meetings since they wouldn't bring in additional revenue. Considering this is a league that measures money in the billions, the sting would likely be short-lived and they've already seen the success they've been able to achieve in just the few short years their current service has been up and running. Social media would easily do its part in spreading the word about what fans were missing out on, with everyone watching clips of big plays made at field level by the players involved each weekend on Twitter or Facebook. And those clips live on in infamy, which is the wonderful thing about the Internet.
With an opportunity to give rabid fans another product they would likely pay to consume, you have to wonder how much longer they'll wait before they someday figure out a way to make an idea like this a reality.
Here's a look from Julian Edelman returning punts while wearing Google Glass. That's more invasive and players wouldn't ever wear those during game action for obvious safety reasons, but this provides you with the type of perspective you may some day see.
