Football fields may play a key role in a “technology revolution that is transforming high school nationwide” according to a recent New York Times article.

High schools, the article said, are “creating opportunities for companies that supply equipment and services.” More and more sports teams are using these tools to improve their game.

The Times looked at Bryon P. Steele II High School in Texas where who cameras are used around the football field to catch special plays and parts of the game. The football coach, Scott Lehnoff, will take the footage, “and that footage would be part of about 40 hours of digital action that Mr. Lehnoff studies, edits, or shows his team every week.”

Using and spending large amounts on technology for the use of sports is becoming a trend in high schools throughout the country, said Angela Lumpkin, chairwoman of the sports management department at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

“Lots of high schools in this country now spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, even a million, on football,” Lumpkin said. “Over $3 billion nationally wouldn’t surprise me. With all the emphasis on winning games, getting players to the next level, the tech companies can smell the money.”

A Minnesota high school’s football team has invested in Riddell sensor nets that fit inside helmets to measure impact.

“Teams are also using apps, such as GameChanger, which "tracks scores and stats and provide recaps," and Coach’s Eye,  which teams use for "split-second analysis of sports moves and marching-band steps,” the article said.

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Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor