Are you ready for some football … with iPads? This upcoming college football season should see plenty of Apple tablets teaming up with coaches and players on the sidelines. Two powerhouse NCAA Division I conferences — Southeastern (SEC) and Atlantic Coast (ACC) — recently struck deals with Apple to use iPads in college football games.
iPad’s “unique capabilities and versatility make it the ideal solution to support coaches and student-athletes,” said Scott Brodrick, a manager in Apple’s worldwide iPad product marketing group. “With an unrivaled combination of advanced displays, powerful performance, portability, fast connectivity, all day battery life and versatile accessories, iPad will let coaches and players make in-game adjustments and empower athletes to compete at the highest level.”
SEC and ACC get ready to use iPads on college football sidelines
You might wonder if using advanced technology like Apple’s iPad Pro and iPad Air in the middle of a football game is cheating, but it’s not. Recent rule changes made that clear, when the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved viewing video during games back in April. So suit up and get out there, iPads. The college football season gets rolling for most teams in late August.
“The SEC is committed to using technology to support the competitive experience, and today we are excited to announce new ways we are integrating technology to advance the sport of football,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey when he announced the news. “The SEC is proud to introduce iPad to the sidelines during college football games to elevate the performance of student-athletes into the future.”
Coaches and players often watch game videos before a matchup to know what to expect from the other team and gain a competitive advantage. Now they’ll be able to watch game film during the game itself. The video provided to each team’s sideline will include the broadcast feed and camera angles from the coach’s sideline and coach’s end zone, according to the SEC.
SEC and ACC conferences team up with Apple
Photo: ACC
The SEC and ACC are two of the most dominant conferences in Division I college football, with plenty of bowl game appearances and championships under their belts. Now every team in those conferences will gain the same competitive advantages iPads will bring to every game during the season.
“The ACC continues its commitment in embracing the use of technology to elevate the performance of our student-athletes, teams, officials, and more,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips. “We are proud to advance the sport of football and build upon our positive experiences over the last two years of testing in men’s and women’s basketball. Between our state-of-the-art ACC Game Day Operations Center, being at the forefront of testing the technology in basketball and with this year’s integration in football, we are proud of our unparalleled prioritization of technology and the positive impact it will have for our league.”
