Ben Sheehy talks about how drones are slowly moving into the sports world -- particularly football. Schools such as UCLA and Oregon State have already implemented using drones, giving them a birds-eye view of how every play unfolds. It allows coaches to closely evaluate quarterbacks and linemen, helping them improve techniques.

1. Drones Moving Into The Sports
World

2. Aerial photography is an
emerging field.

3. Some are hobbyists, some are using
it to get offer a unique perspective
of their real estate, and some are
using it to design football plays.

4. Wait, what?

5. Drones are being used more and
more by the football community as
an inexpensive way to see exactly
what is happening on the field.

6. The view - one that is similar to the
view offered in video games so that
the user can control every player -
has become more and more
accessible due to the rising
popularity of the practice.

7. Colleges such as Clemson, UCLA and
Oregon State are just a couple of the
major Division-1 schools that are
using the technology.

8. It's not unusual for football teams to
have a director of video operations;
in fact, football practices are filmed
more than any other sport due to
the nature of it.

9. Every 30 seconds, a new play is
set up and executed.

10. It's not a fluid game like
basketball, baseball or hockey.

11. The offense determines what it
wants to do and the defense has to
react.

12. In the past, UCLA's Ken Norris would
be running a camera from the
sideline.

13. Sure, you can go higher up in the
bleachers, but you're still not getting
a perspective like the one you can
with a drone.

14. Norris has the ability to float a drone
right above the quarterback's head,
watching his progressions, seeing
how the offensive line operates, etc.

15. With all of the precision and
execution required to perfect a play,
this data is incredibly valuable.

16. Norris has been using drones at
UCLA's practices since last spring.

17. Norris noted that having a drone sit
right above the line of scrimmage is
somewhere that they've never been
able to access before.

18. They have the ability to look at the
linemen's footwork, hand placement
and schemes.

19. It's impossible to see these
details from the sideline.

20. The first adopters in the sports
industry were those participating in
extreme sports - skateboarding,
snowboarding, motocross, etc.

21. It offered a way to view their
mechanics, critique their form and
improve their skills.

22. Now, many startup drone companies
are trying to acquire football teams
as a client.

23. Michael Williams, a student at
Oregon State, simply visited the
Beavers' practice and started
filming.

24. He handed the coaches a tablet
computer and allowed them to
watch the footage in real time.

25. With FAA regulations limiting drone
use to less than 400 feet in the air, it
is very feasible for teams to operate
the system without any
intervention.

26. Don't be surprised if we see
more and more drones popping
up at practices across the
country.