The NFL is putting microchips in the preseason footballs, but it is a waste of time.
On Monday, it was announced that the National Football League would be experimenting with microchips in all preseason footballs this summer. It’s a new idea, and innovative, but it lacks a certain amount of common sense.
The reason for the microchips are twofold. One, the placement of footballs can become more accurate after a play, and that’s always a good thing. No complaints there. Two, the NFL can monitor how close field goal attempts are coming to the uprights. From there, the league will determine whether or not to narrow the goalposts to challenge kickers, who are doing their jobs better than ever before.
This is where the idea comes off the rails.
Right now, commissioner Roger Goodell should be worrying about player safety. He should be spending the league’s time and money on designing the best possible helmet, not microchips. Goodell should be focused on doing a better job when it comes to player punishment and testing for performance enhancing drugs.
The NFL has all kinds of pressing issues that need both attention and money. The above are simply a few, but the obvious ones that clearly need fixing first. The idea that making life harder on kickers has become a priority is both laughable and misguided.