New Hawk-Eye Technology Struggles To Measure NFL First-Downs

The National Football League and Sony have work to do with the new 'Hawk-Eye' technology tested Thursday night in the preseason game between the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants.

It didn't go very well. The league says it will be faster and more accurate than the metal chain it has used for over 100 years. The accuracy is still up for debate, but the speed was a problem.

The First Test For Hawk-Eye Technology

Giants broadcaster Phil Simms said, “ Are we going to use it if it takes this long? ” The game stopped, and it took several minutes to get a result: this left broadcasters and fans in an uncomfortable silence.

The system is being tested during the preseason this year. The NFL plans to use it full-time in 2025 .

"We're in the installation phase for all of our stadiums, really getting them calibrated and up to date," NFL executive Gary Brantley told the Associated Press.

Hawk-Eye Works Well In Other Sports

Hawk-Eye is already being used in baseball and tennis. It shows fans where the baseball crosses the plate in the K-Zone system . In tennis, it measures whether a ball is in or out. It's also used in volleyball and badminton . It works well in those sports.

Paul Hawkins founded Hawk-Eye in 2001 . He designed ball tracking modeled on missile tracking technology. His system was initially created for cricket games. Sony now owns the Hawk-Eye system.

The track of the ball is analyzed using video shot by multiple cameras installed around the arena, and Sony writes, within seconds, it is replayed on screen at the venue. That's what didn't happen last night in Detroit.

This is what officials see on the screen when the system works properly.

It works nearly instantly in baseball. "We're reducing a significant amount of time, 40 seconds for each time of use (in football) that basically is making the game much more impactful," Sony president and chief operations officer Neal Manowitz said .

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