Football and The Internet

When the editors of American Football Monthly approached me with the challenge of projecting the impact of the Internet on the game of football, I was torn. On one hand, I could go on and on about all of the sites that focus on recruiting and our collective infatuation with athletes who weigh 250, bench press 375 and run sub-4.4 40s. But the 'Net offers many more uses and opportunities beyond the recruiting arena that will make a real impact on coaching and the game of football.

I should probably start at the beginning - the beginning of the Internet, that is. Although its impact has only taken place over the past eight years or so, the Internet actually was hatched in a UCLA laboratory in 1969. And for all of you who thought computers were temperamental now, just imagine what the UCLA professors thought after their computer crashed after trying to type B-O-O-T and only getting through the first two letters.

Since that time, the Internet has grown into a business must-have, a communications phenomenon and a modern-day mega mall for consumers. It has also quickly become the way in which we talk to one another. I recently saw a study that found the number of emails Americans send have surpassed the number of letters sent via the U.S Postal Service. And with the growing excitement surrounding the Internet, the number of companies launching into the fray has increased exponentially.

Every professional market - including coaching - is finding ways to use online technology to improve their operations. Here a few ways in which the Internet will impact the football coaching industry.

Let's start with information gathering. The days of "how-to" books, videos and coaching clinics are giving way to Internet-based white boards, coaching chat rooms and streaming video. Unlike traditional clinics, the Internet is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sites such as nflhs.com and americanfootballmonthly.com provide coaches with a cost-effective, easy-to-use channel for gathering and analyzing information and coaching methods in order to help them improve their gameplans. Soon these and a host of other sites will provide video-on-demand so coaches and players can view the latest instructional video on new techniques and methods to improve their game.

www.nflhs.com

The Internet will also dramatically help coaches with their daily management responsibilities. Take the most obvious example - statistical analysis. In the past year or so a number of sites such as www. statmaster.com and www.coachesoffice.com were launched to help coaches with managing stats. These sites not only help the coach manage the team's statistics for their own use, but they can also post the information for family, friends, alumni and recruiters to see on a regular basis.

www.statmaster.com

Another very cool site is www.instasports.com. This site allows coaches to manage their statistical information as well as help them distribute that information to the local newspapers and TV stations. With its headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md., InstaSports.com is rooted in the East but will be coming to a TV station near you soon.

www.instasports.com

The 'Net is obviously a hotbed for recruiting information. As we all know, the NCAA doesn't allow coaches to speak publicly about recruits. But recruits have carte blanche when speaking about the schools and programs that are recruiting them. Sites like www.rivals.com provide a wealth of recruiting reports and projections as well as updated sports news.

www.rivals100.com

Surfing the Web not only allows you to learn more about high-profile recruits but also those otherwise overlooked athletes who use the Internet as a means to attract the attention of recruiters. One site that is currently taking advantage of this is www.sportscapsule.com. It allows athletes to post, view and distribute their sports highlights and game footage to friends, family and, of course, recruiters. The potential of this tool - for both the recruit and the recruiter - is almost limitless.

www.sportscapsule.com

Highwired.com is another Web-based service providing high school coaches and athletic directors with free tools for scheduling tasks and the reporting of game results and stats. Highwired is in the process of linking together via the Internet every high school in the United States - not to mention another 15 countries - and building an online community for every aspect of high school sports.

www.Highwired.com

One thing is for certain, innovations and improved technologies will continue to bombard the landscape of football in the future. To keep up, coaches will need to utilize the Internet and all of its tools. Good luck!

AFM asked its readers to participate in an online survey at www.americanfootballmonthly.com to get your thoughts on football and technology.

What innovation had the greatest impact on the game of football during the 20th century?

Forward pass: 41%

Racial integration: 23.5%

Film/videotape: 21.5%

Better equipment: 6%

Sports medicine: 6%

Other: 2%