Amazon Web Services Will Be Used For NFL's Player-Tracking System Next Season

The NFL starting next season will use Amazon Web Services for the league’s player-tracking system, Next Gen Stats, as part of a deal announced today. Amazon Web Services machine learning and data analytics services will be used to develop new statistics that quantify, for example, a wide receiver’s ability to get open. The stats will be generated through radio-frequency identification tags placed in player equipment and the football. As part of the deal, Amazon Web Services will become an official technology provider of the NFL, joining Microsoft with that designation. MLBAM previously signed a similar deal with Amazon Web Services for its Statcast platform. Financial terms were not available. The stats will be generated through radio-frequency identification tags developed by Zebra Technologies and placed in player equipment and the football.