Last season, some of the biggest news, in terms of the Denver Broncos new technological developments, was the installation of a new scoreboard at Sports Authority Field, installation of Wi-Fi in the stadium, and a new sound system. This season was no different, as the Broncos players and front office staff did not stop with the franchise enhancement via technology.
Wi-Fi Upgrades
This season the Wi-Fi at Sports Authority Field was better than the previous season, thanks to a new partnership between Century Link and the Denver Broncos. Previously, the newly installed Wi-Fi was only able to be used by Verizon Wireless customers, but the partnership with Century Link now allows for the new Wi-Fi system to be built for all major phone carriers.
The amount of connectivity is also faster and available to more users at once. The new Wi-Fi operates at a gigabit per second, and is more than five times faster than the previous connection. In addition to this, the upgrades will allow for roughly 25,000 users at once. That’s a lot of mile-high social sharing.
Network range is greater as well as a result of this partnership. The network extends to Dove Valley, the team’s training facility. This is of exceptional importance due to the fact that the team makes use of digital playbooks on iPads.
PlayerLync Playbooks
Last season, this picture of Manning was all over social media, ESPN, and almost any major sports outlet showing the intensity with which he studies and prepares. The use of the iPad, however, was made possible through PlayerLync Playbooks.
PlayerLync is a company that has helped create digital playbooks for both the Broncos and Colorado Rockies. PlayerLync is able to remotely update and monitor use of the player’s iPads and playbooks as well as compress and upload video without any internet connection. Obviously, there is no need to monitor how often Peyton Manning is using his iPad, but for other players, this could prove a very useful tool for Head Coach John Fox and his staff.
Zebra Technologies
At the start of this season, Zebra Technologies announced they will be placing small sensors in player’s shoulder pads that will be used to track player movement.
In an NFL press release, Zebra explained that these “receivers installed throughout the stadium will communicate with radio-frequency identification (RFID) transmitters inside the [athlete’s] shoulder pads to capture precise location measurements, in real-time, during the game.”
In the same press release the league stated, “Zebra’s technology will collect data such as position, speed, and distance that will be registered and compiled into a database.”
From this live streaming database, coaches, fans, and other NFL directors will be able to see some of the intangible stats of the game that could not be measured before.
After the Zebra Technologies announcement, the Broncos stated that they would be one of 17 NFL teams to make use of the new technology this season. This was a scary moment for the league because such a high-powered offense coupled with Manning’s calculating abilities makes for one potent matchup, when you throw in the data gathered from Zebra’s tech.
Summary
After spending $30 million on upgrades last season for Sports Authority Field, one may have thought that this would be a quiet year for the Broncos, but they continued to push the technological envelope. They made the in-stadium Wi-Fi greater for fans who are constantly wanting connectivity and potentially fantasy football information, were one of the most forward-thinking franchises, when it comes to playbook and game study; and were an early adopter of the Zebra Technologies, so they could have a new way for coaches and fans to obtain statistics and information from the game.
There is no doubt that Denver’s strong use of technology has helped their franchise at every level. There is also no doubt that success will follow, when this technology is coupled with Peyton Manning.