The NFL, like most professional sports leagues, is dealing with complaints about the quality and consistency of its officiating crews. While it’s a tough job, it’s also hard to argue with some of the criticisms.
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Several blatantly blown calls went the Kansas City Chiefs’ way, and against the Detroit Lions, on Sunday Night Football last week. They happen to be the latest in a string of refereeing debacles.
Frustration with referees has hit record highs, coinciding with the rise of artificial intelligence and overall technological advances. And it doesn’t take long to draw a line connecting the officiating issues to the many applications of AI that could help solve them. In fact, the NFL has already started experimenting with technology to assist officiating.
Spotting the ball and determining whether a team has made a first down has always been one of the biggest sticking points. The chain gang seemed outdated in the 21st century, and it was removed this season in favor of HD cameras that measure the line to gain after an official spots the ball.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is always looking to modernize the game. And he reiterated that mission in his recent podcast appearance.
“I always run by [the fact that] you have to embrace technology. Technology is changing our lives. It changes the way we play the game, [and] it changes the way we watch the game. We have to embrace it,” Goodell said on Fitz and Whit.
“And we have to use [technology] to make the game better. Officiating is a great example of that. Replay assist. The game is getting faster. It’s harder to officiate. I think our guys do a great job, but there’s no such thing as perfection on the field. What we wanna do is get it right, and avoid the big mistakes, because it should be decided amongst the men playing the game,” he added.
Goodell also talked about how tough it was to walk that tightrope between tradition and innovation. The NFL is a game that’s synonymous with tradition. But it could also use a boost from AI and advanced tech when it comes to the logistics of the game.
Goodell doesn’t suggest doing away with officials entirely, but he does believe AI will play a role in officiating soon. “And we have really worked hard to improve, and educate, and try to give the skills to officials. And I think they have gotten better,” he said.
“But we have to supplement them with technology… We have to give them the tools to try to be better and keep up with the game. And I think technology will be that way. Will AI be a part of officiating in the future? I think it will be. I think we’ll be able to use that to help give us a better input so that we can get it right on the field,” added Goodell.
Tennis was one of the earliest pro sports to use AI technology to replace the duties of an official, employing ‘Eagle Eye’ technology to determine whether a ball was in or out. AI judges are already employed to track performances in snowboard halfpipe, gymnastics, and figure skating competitions.
Soccer, MLB, and NBA are also starting to dabble with AI applications for specific things like goal line, strike zone, and goaltending calls, respectively. The AI applications for NFL officiating seem endless.
Goodell’s near robotic-level of logic — which is always directed by a drive for more capital — is usually tough to get behind. But he’s spot on with this one.
AI cameras assessing things like where a punt went out of bounds, where a ball should be spotted, whether a player threw a lateral or not, automating illegal formation and illegal man downfield penalties seem like just the tip of the iceberg.
And the list goes on. The only thing is, the technology is not quite there yet. But surely, it will be soon.
