For the first time NFL players can sell their own fitness data, following a new deal between the NFL Players Association and sports tech firm Whoop.
The groundbreaking partnership sees the Whoop Strap 2.0 becoming the official ‘recovery’ wearable of the NFLPA.
This is the first time a pro sports players association has teamed up with a wearable tech firm to give players “access to, ownership of, and the option to commercialize their health data”. For example, NFL players could potentially sell their data to TV networks looking for more detail on the team lineup for what is already an incredibly stat-heavy sport.
Professional sports leagues and teams have been early adopters of wearable tech but concerns have been raised over privacy in the past due to the amount of personal health data being gathered and where it could potentially end up.
The new deal means that the players themselves own the data, rather than the teams they play for.
“This partnership with the NFLPA is truly the first of its kind in that athletes will finally become both healthier and wealthier by collecting, controlling, and ultimately having the ability to sell their own health and performance data,” said Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO at Whoop.
All players will be issued with Whoop’s arm-based tracker packed with sensors for measuring “strain, recovery and sleep.” The devices automatically transmit data to mobile and web apps for analysis to help with training, recovery and prevention of injuries. Players will also design custom licensed bands for the Whoop Strap for their own use, and for commercial sale.
“Every day, NFL players produce data that can translate into physiological and financial opportunities,” said Ahmad Nassar, president of NFL Players Inc, the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA. “We see partnering with Whoop as the first step in harnessing this exciting technology”.
The partnership with Boston-based Whoop is the first to be confirmed under the NFLPA’s OneTeam Collective – a sports tech business accelerator for startups that launched in December 2016. The companies get funding, mentoring and the chance to use licensed material that would typically be prohibitively expensive, such as a picture of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s face.
“Whoop and the NFLPA are putting the power of data directly in the players’ hands,” said Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Russell Okung. “I want to recover faster, avoid injuries, and have a longer career. This partnership has the potential to contribute to my health, which is imperative to my career in football.”
The NFL has previously invested heavily in developing concussion-busting technology. Repeated blows to the head experienced by players has been linked to the degenerative brain disease, Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE.
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