SportTechie’s Athletes Voice series features the views and opinions of the athletes who use and are powered by technology. SportTechie talked to retired Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook about his new career at SeventySix Capital, and how he sees technology improving the sport of football.
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Brian Westbrook played eight seasons as a running back with the Philadelphia Eagles and one with the San Francisco 49ers. He earned two Pro Bowl selections during his time in Philadelphia, and has the third highest rushing yards in the team’s history (5,995 yards). He was inducted to the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2015.
During his final season with the Eagles in 2009, Westbrook sustained two concussions, one in Week 7, and the other in Week 10. “I thought I took enough time off to rest and recuperate. I thought I was healed completely,” Westbrook said in 2013, according to the Associated Press. “But I got hit, I got my bell rung. I was out for another few weeks with another concussion.”
Though he grew up in Maryland, he spent the majority of his football career in Pennsylvania, first at Villanova and then with the Eagles. After his one year on the West Coast, he returned to Philadelphia to officially retire as an Eagle in 2012. Back in Philadelphia, he’s become part of the Athlete’s Venture Group at SeventySix Capital. Westbrook is interested in exploring technology that could have protected him from sustaining his concussions, and making football a safer and more time-efficient sport.
Learning the X’s and O’s of VC
“The guys playing now have a much better grasp on entrepreneurship and on business than I had back [during my career]. I spent an awful amount of time trying to perfect my craft, and at the time that was professional football. I didn’t really spend much time trying to better myself in the sports tech space. My interest started basically after my playing career was over.”
“With SeventySix, we’re invested in a few different companies. [For example], Diamond Kinetics, N3rd Street gamers, ShotTracker, Swish Analytics, all of those companies we’re invested in. It’s not one company for me that’s the reason why I invested, it’s the group of companies and the ability to be around these independent thinkers that are right at the head of the sports tech community. So that was the biggest goal for me, to just be in the same space as those type of people.”
“In any investment space, there’s certainly risk. When you invest in startup companies in particular, there’s certainly risk—but the more risk, the more reward. I would tell anyone interested in investing in venture capital to start slow, be patient, try to understand the company, and don’t throw a monetary figure out there that you’re not comfortable with losing. Unfortunately that’s part of the game, sometimes you’re gonna hit a home run and sometimes you’ll strikeout.”
Reducing the Risk of Head Injury
“I think as a player, probably the biggest area that is continuing to evolve is player safety. From helmet technology to shoulder pad technology that’s available to this point. Areas where you can make this violent collision game a little bit safer as guys compete day in and day out. I think it’s not just coming to the NFL game, but it will travel all the way down to youth sports as well, where you have many kids playing at a higher risk rate.”
“We’re moving into an area where some of those [head injuries] would be diagnosed differently. Some of those injuries could be prevented if the helmet technology that’s being developed as we speak continues to evolve. I think we could certainly get to a space with some of the technology where guys are not coming back before they’re healthy enough to come back, which is the biggest fear with concussions.”
“I played in an era where football was a little bit tougher. Where guys were allowed to do some things that they’re not allowed to do at this point. But I think when I was playing to now, guys are getting paid more and more, so if I could get paid more to do the same thing I did before, I would [rather play] now.”
“Guys are changing the way they play based on the new rules. It’s a combination of rules and the knowledge of how bad concussions are and what a concussion actually is, as well as the fines. I think it’s a combination of all three that is determining what a player is willing to do on the field, whether to put their body through that type of trauma.”
Data Inefficiencies in Football
“You see so many coaches using analytics to decide if they should go for it on fourth down, whether they want to kick the ball out the back of the end zone—what do the stats say? All those things are derived by the technology being used now. In any league you have some old school players, coaches, and staff who don’t want to use technology like analytics, then you have other guys that are on the other extreme where [analytics] is all they believe in, and then you have guys in the middle.”
“One of the things I noticed while playing is just how inefficient our game is. That comes from studying, watching tape, all those things are very inefficient. If you can use technology to streamline these things, you’re talking about guys who can spend more time with their families instead of spending 14 to 16 hours a day at the facility. Coaches, players and staff. I think if you could do that, it will be a much better experience for coaches and players alike.”
“All scouts and staff want more data to make a better decision when evaluating an athlete, and that’s what analytics brings. But it’s funny because you can have all the data you want on someone, but it still takes an eye for talent to determine if that person can play, no matter what the analytics say. I think there are some limits, but for the most part analytics are very helpful when it comes to scouting and identifying talent.”
The Need for Instant Replay
“Thinking back to the NFC Championship Game, where you have teams playing and you go back to a referee error. All these types of things could be helped by technology, but it’s gonna come down to a choice whether the players, coaches, and owners want to use the technology or not, but at least they have the opportunity.”
I think in situations like that, where players and coaches are losing salaries, potentially jobs, based on an error in judgement, that’s a tough pill to swallow. The Saints at least lost another opportunity to score because of that call, and that’s unfortunately part of our game at this point.
“I think the NFL will take a pretty good look at it this offseason to see if it makes sense for the game and if it makes sense as far as time and commitment as well. They also have to figure out when and where to use the instant replay technology. It may not be this year, but I’m confident over time the NFL will figure out a way to get it right.”
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