Jed York has stepped well beyond simply being curious about this tech and is prepared to broaden its use.
CEO of the San Francisco 49ers, Jed York, has said that wearable technology is a great deal more than simply being intriguing, and he is now prepared to use it as a more important part of his strategy for the players.
York has expressed that the data collected through wearables can be invaluable for several goals.
He stated that wearable technology may be great for helping to enhance the performance of athletes, but that this is only the beginning of its potential. He also believes that these gadgets can help to lengthen the careers of the players. Wearables are already being widely used by players as a tool to assist them in the preparations for their NFL careers, but it is York’s belief that adopting these devices for safety purposes and to help to prevent injuries are the areas in which there is the most to gain.
York is hoping to be able to use wearable technology to keep players off the injured list and in the game.
When speaking, recently, he asked “How do you get a guy to play 18 years in the league?… Or keep someone healthy for 16 games or an entire basketball season? I think you’re going to see analytics work for health and safety more so than calling better plays or drafting better players.”
The NFL has been placing an ever growing focus on player safety, to the point that it is now considered to be an extremely important issue. When taking into consideration the fact that the average NFL player’s career will last only just over three seasons, it doesn’t take long to figure out why this has been taken very seriously. Moreover, it is also becoming widely known that retired players are regularly having to cope with major health issues later on in their lives. League-wide changes to the rules have had to take place as a result of the prevalence of concussions in the game.
Many companies, such as Under Armour and Nike, are now pouring millions of dollars into the development of wearable technology devices that will help to keep players from becoming injured through techniques such as tracking the frequency and severity of hits, particularly when they involve the head.
