Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Drawing the line for real
By AJ Mass
Technology continues to improve, and with it, the way games are played slowly change to progress along with these advances.
Instant replay took a long time to gain traction with the NFL, but now one can't imagine games without it. It may not be too long before that first down line, with which viewers at home can quickly and easily determine if a player has gotten enough yards to continue a drive, will be able to be seen by the players on the field themselves.
A company called First Down Laser System says it has the ability to do just that, and has had several meetings with the league in the hopes of installing their technology at every NFL stadium. Odds are that the league will move very slowly on this, but the fact they are embracing the concept at all might mean that the line, which announcers constantly remind us "is not official" might well be in the not too distant future.
