Our 2013 NFL Tech Series provides a quick hit of tech insight on all 32 NFL teams up until kickoff of Week 1 of the regular season. Each feature includes the latest tech advances implemented by the organization in the effort to advance the team’s success… in a wide variety of venues.
Stadium experience, fan engagement, mobile technologies, player performance and health, statistical data gathering and analysis… any and all aspects of the organization’s procedures in the effort to find success in the NFL is on the table. We’re uncovering those efforts, investigating those innovations and pondering the benefit they might provide, for the team, players and fans alike… today and looking forward.
Today’s focus is on the Arizona Cardinals as they look to centralize their WiFi as well as the roll-out of the Arizona Cardinals’ mobile app to keep fans informed and engaged.
Larry Fitzgerald has been hoping for a quarterback that can throw deep for a while now. His talents as one of the top wide-outs in the NFL have been squandered. It’s been an eternity since his Super Bowl run with Kurt Warner behind center. Today, the in-division rivals of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have leapfrogged the Arizona Cardinals as likely favorites to represent the NFC at the big game. Fitzgerald and the Cardinals hope Carson Palmer can revitalize his career and be the answer similar to Warner.
Likewise, the same interval of time has transpired with regards to major technological breakthroughs. The Cardinals’ success on the field has paralleled the organization’s upgrades on the technology front as well. This correlation could likely be linked to the additional revenues generated after going to the Super Bowl. Forbes estimated a two percent uptick in their valuation shortly thereafter. And since the University of Phoenix Stadium debuted in 2006, the venue’s enhancements may not have been needed as much as counterparts due to its newness then.
In 2009, the team installed a DAS network in order to centralize all of the cellular, Wi-Fi, and radio frequency reception under a lone antenna. The carriers would then send their signals to a bay location located a mile away from the venue. The thought process behind this was to avoid dealing with the carriers’ respective technicians, all of whom would attempt to maximize their service. This way, the visibility of the connection is limited on the stadium roof and declines antenna type preference and repeater stations to the carriers.
“We were looking to be able to provide cellular access to anybody using the facility, as well as accommodate any Wi-Fi needs we would have inside the stadium. We wanted to make sure we could manage it and use it for any potential revenue purposes we wanted,” said Mark Feller, Vice President of Technology, at the time.
Considering that the Cardinals play on top of a set of rails, it’s impressive the DAS network was in fact implemented when the actual ground floor subsists 40 feet underground. They had to get creative to logistically make this infrastructure work. An air-blown fiber system was necessary to facilitate this process. It took the better of nine month for its completion.
Some internet protocol network highlights include: 800 Cisco IP-based phones like touchscreen modules for luxury boxes and video conference available for the front office, 100 plus Cisco wireless access points that enable 802.11 data coverage, and an APC modular rack in case there’s a need to activate power generators for a power outage.
These measures have paved the way to introduce fans to the Arizona Cardinals Mobile, which debuted last season. This app’s latest iteration has the gamut of media features fans want. Of note, the “Word from the Bird” blog provides an inside look to the latest team happenings. A fan can keep tabs on their fantasy football rosters and the team’s social media outlets, including Google +, Instagram and Pinterest. The range of content available covers virtually all touch-points that any Cardinals fan would desire.
There are three notable features that stand out during game-day, though. When a user signs in at home games, the team offers the opportunity to appear on the University of Phoenix Stadium’s big screen and then share this moment simultaneously via social channels. Also, the interactive map allows fans to peruse concessions and other amenities within the venue; and the ability to discreetly report any problems to the appropriate officials. These features both enhance the in-game experience and ensure safety.
Feller encapsulated the Cardinals technological improvements: “People are used to being able to communicate wherever they go. It’s a utility now. If I were going to build any kind of building, I’d use an antenna system like ours.”
In more ways than not, the team has been playing catch up to Fitzgerald this entire time. Their technological upgrades in recent years are virtually a symbolic arc to what has transpired on the field. Just like a comprehensive DAS network has become a necessity, so too, is a quarterback that can take advantage of the deep ball threat Fitzgerald is heralded to be.