The NFL advances through technological innovation by substituting traditional chain gangs for Hawk-Eye technology, which will mark first downs through 8K cameras during the 2025 season.
The End of an Era: NFL Replaces Chain Gang with High-Tech Cameras
Throughout a century of football matches, viewers have observed referees using a chain gang to stretch linked chains for determining first-down achievements. The ancient chain gang tradition will disappear completely by 2025.
A new first-down determination system known as Sony’s Hawk-Eye will become operational throughout all NFL games beginning in 2025.
To efficiently achieve accuracy both on and off the field, the league advances its technological implementation efforts.
How Will It Work?
Six 8K Hawk-Eye cameras, which transformed tennis and soccer refereeing, now surround every NFL stadium. Real-time location monitoring by the installed cameras ensures precise measurements of the football position.
NFL officials ran the complete Hawk-Eye system test last year and fully deployed it from their New York officiating facility, which incorporates it into their existing replay operations.
The updated system will offer measurement times of 30 seconds instead of 70, which will both decrease the duration of games and end controversies about calls.
The Chain Gang Stays—But in the Background
The usage of sensational chain measurements has been eliminated, but the chain gang will still serve as an operational backup. As a backup measure, the NFL decided that their crew members would stay on the field, yet they would only assist during technical breakdowns.
For some, resolving this freshness alongside on-field metrics may be tough.
Technology in Sports
Camera-based officiating is just one element of a trend in professional sports: Alongside the introduction of a computerized strike zone in Major League Baseball this spring, soccer has made it standard to employ Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
In football, human error has long been a cause for contention when ambiguous first-down calls become critical in determining the outcomes of games. One instance is the AFC Championship game in January, where Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen seemed to have achieved a first down according to the fans, but the officials denied him the yardage.
Hawk-Eye will not change how referees judge where the ball is—a subjective element—but it will cut down on how much leeway is given to error on deciding whether the ball has traveled the right distance.
The NFL Future of Officiating
With the NFL rapidly adopting top-of-the-line technology, more innovations in officiating can be expected from the public. While some will mourn the loss of the pageantry of measuring chains, perhaps greater accuracy and a faster game will sway the skeptics.
For sure, the NFL in 2025 will look a bit different, and from that moment on, the first down will never be measured the same.
