Looking towards the Future

[courtnj18]

Since everyone is talking about the future of the Jets, here's a little article about the future of the NFL... 

And yes, I read Maxim.

 

http://www.maxim.com/sports/fantastic-future-of-football

[JiFtheOracle]

Robots.  Cool.

[faba]

The Stadium Will Be Wired
When the San Francisco 49ers take the field this month for their first game in Levi’s Stadium, they will no doubt nod to the $1.3 billion structure’s cutting-edge design. The 27,000-square-foot garden atop the tower suite. The stunning views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The lower bowl, which will put two thirds of the crowd up close to the action for Super Bowl 50 in 2016. But the big breakthrough? That’s invisible.

In keeping with his vow to build the “most connected stadium in the world,” the franchise’s 33-year-old CEO, Jed York, created a wi-fi system that can accommodate 68,000 mobile devices at once. Instead of directing all eyes to a $40 million scoreboard, like, say, Jerry Jones, the young trailblazer wants to let the 49ers’ digital-savvy fans tailor the experience to suit their needs. “You can
plug into the stadium in any way, shape, or form you want,” he says.

Multiple in-house cameras designed by Sony will capture the action in ultra-high-def. Want to replay Colin Kaepernick’s first-down scramble on your cell phone? Done. Zoom in on left guard Mike Iupati? Done. Read a brief bio on the undrafted free agent who just returned a kickoff 104 yards? Done. By using the stadium’s app, you get instant access to content unavailable anywhere else.

In theory, the software will get smarter with use, collecting real-time data on traffic and purchasing habits to make your life simpler. It can already show you the quickest route from your home to the stadium. Help you locate your buddy in section 315. Even tell you which restroom has the shortest line during the halftime rush. But it might one day offer you a flash discount on the jersey belonging to the guy who caught that last touchdown pass. It might anticipate your desire for a steak sandwich with a side of truffle mac and cheese and have it waiting at the counter for you. And you won’t need money to complete the transaction: Everything is digital.

And then, of course, there are the interactive exhibits in the multigallery Hall of Fame, which bring the team’s history to life.

“It’s the Disney experience, the themepark experience, and this stadium takes it to a whole new level,” says Rick Horrow, a Harvard-trained expert in sports business, who has consulted, on the NFL’s dime, on the creation of more than a dozen modern arenas. “The best new stadia will improve on the practices of this one.” 

A 50-Year-Old Quarterback Will Lead the Team
Like most athletes, Tom Brady can’t bear the thought of retirement. Two years ago, he confessed—at age 35—that he’d like to keep playing into his 50s. Yes, that sounds like a joke; even George Blanda, who played QB and kicker, fell short of the feat, retiring in 1975- at age 48. But according to physical-therapy specialist David Reavy, we now know much more about how to prolong careers.

“Most injuries—noncontact injuries—are preventable,” he says. “You overuse tissue, and certain muscles get tight, others shut down, and you keep going. That’s how you get hurt. All your muscles work together. Understanding that and looking at the body holistically are the future of physical therapy.”

As an example of the perils of old-school thinking, Reavy, who counts Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery and NBA guard Dwyane Wade among his clients, points to Kobe Bryant, who went to Germany for experimental blood treatments for an arthritic knee. Though he returned feeling healthy, the Lakers star fractured a bone below the knee in 2013. Why? Because he didn’t address the muscle imbalance. “If Brady takes care of his body,” says Reavy, “he can avoid the overuse injuries that sideline so many players because their bodies are out of whack.”

This strategy doesn’t prevent contact injuries, though, in a sport where they are as common as Corn Flakes. Take Brett Favre, now a 44-year-old grandfather, who holds the all-time records for completions, yards, and TDs. He retired in 2010 after a string of nasty injuries that included a shoulder separation, concussions, a severe ankle sprain, elbow tendinitis, a broken thumb, a sprained lateral collateral ligament in the left knee, ulnar nerve dysregulation, and an ankle stress fracture. Despite all that, he started a record 297 consecutive games (321 if you count the playoffs) with the Packers and the Jets.

In the future, injuries like Favre’s may be cured with stem cell treatments like the one Peyton Manning used to heal his neck. By injecting cells from stromal vascular fraction tissue—also known as fat tissue—into injured areas like they would a cortisone shot, doctors have used the therapy to repair arthritic knees and shoulders. “We’re treating boxers, handball players, golfers,” says Mark Berman of L.A.’s Cell Surgical Network. “We’re in the early days, but we’ve seen a lot of success.”

For all the promise of these miracle cures, though, it’s hard to overlook the data linking football to degenerative brain disease. Favre recently reported that he couldn’t remember a summer’s worth of his daughter’s soccer play. No wonder he declined to come out of retirement when approached by the Rams last year…at age 43. 
—Tyler Graham

That New Uniform Will Elevate Your Game
Though the Wayland-Weston Warriors lost the Massachusetts state title in 2013, thumped 30-0 by a better team, in one regard the squad of seventh graders were without equal: They wore Reebok’s Checklight beanies. Tucked beneath their helmets, the beanies had a black tab that stretched down their necks like a tail with red, yellow, and green lights on it, announcing the severity of each blow to the head. Earn a red light and a kid found himself on the sideline.

In time, the players had learned to modify their style of tackling so as not to invite the hook. Leading with their shoulders instead of their heads, they won the bulk of their games, paving the way for a gear revolution.

The future belongs to “wearable networks,” says Peter Li, CEO of Atlas Wearables, which piqued the NFL’s interest with a wrist-based device that tracks complex movements. The watch can be “trained” to evaluate nearly any action—letting coaches compare a rookie’s passing motion to that of Aaron Rodgers.

Li believes the device will promote safety by teaching players the ideal techniques for blocking, tackling, and route running.

Low-cost motion sensors are working their way into uniforms, too, making it possible to monitor health metrics such as heart rate, fatigue, and dehydration. 

While the NFL plans to put the Atlas watch to the test at the 2015 Combine, Li envisions a future with live telemetry beamed to your TV. Imagine seeing the sheer force of Joe Flacco’s rifle arm—and how it turns to a pop gun when he fails to plant his back foot. Yes, fantasy football will never be the same, nor will scouting…or betting. And video gaming? Whoa.
—Michael Fran