The Shifting Landscape of American Football: A Personal Journey from the 80s and 90s to Today
Head Hits and High Tech: Why AI Officiating May Be Football’s Next Frontier
I grew up in what I consider the “golden era” of football—the 1980s and 1990s—when defenses could singlehandedly dominate a game. Legendary linebackers like Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary, and Ray Lewis unleashed ferocity on the field, striking fear into the hearts of opposing offenses. Meanwhile, the secondary was patrolled by iconic safeties like Ronnie Lott and Steve Atwater, whose hard-hitting style defined the toughness of that era.
Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for teams with merely adequate quarterbacks to compete for championships, provided they had a formidable running game, a stout offensive line, and a dominant defense. The classic example is the Washington team that relied on John Riggins and the renowned “Hogs,” a towering offensive line that could bulldoze just about any defensive front. Today, in stark contrast, the formula to win a championship feels painfully simple—if you don’t have an elite quarterback, you’re essentially out of contention before the season begins.
The Evolution of Rules and the Decline of My Fandom
The NFL and college football rules have shifted over the years, ostensibly in the name of player safety. Quarterbacks receive unprecedented protection, and wide receivers benefit from stricter rules on pass interference and targeting. It’s true that CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) concerns and related lawsuits forced leagues and organizations to take head and neck injuries more seriously. However, these rule changes have fundamentally altered the game—removing some of the defensive dominance that made football so exciting to watch during my formative years.
An additional frustration for me has been the officiating; in spite of technological advances, referees still get it wrong far too often. As a lifelong Arizona Cardinals fan, I saw my personal breaking point during their heartbreaking failure to win the Super Bowl. At that moment, I realized the game I grew up adoring had transformed beyond recognition. Between the rule changes and refereeing inconsistencies, I no longer felt it was worth the emotional investment.
A Shift to Rugby
Disillusioned, I found myself exploring alternative sports and gravitated toward rugby. At the professional and international levels, rugby maintains a very physical style: 15 players per side, minimal protective gear, and an emphasis on the collective team effort. While rugby also grapples with player welfare issues—particularly around head injuries—it enforces stricter rules on tackle height, requiring defenders to stay below the shoulders. Although not perfect, it felt closer to the spirit of the game I grew up loving: gritty, hard-hitting, and, most of all, governed by a consistent set of officiating standards that left less ambiguity on the field.
The ASU Renaissance and My Return to Football—For a Moment
This year, however, I got pulled back into watching football when Arizona State University pulled off a remarkable turnaround. After last year’s dismal 3-9 record, no one expected them to win the conference title—let alone secure a first-round bye in the College Football Playoffs. Their success intrigued me enough to watch a full 4½-hour game, which was largely enjoyable…until a crucial officiating error brought back my old frustrations.
A defenseless ASU receiver was knocked unconscious by a Texas defender. The defender had yards of space and plenty of time to adjust the tackle height, but still launched upward, connecting directly with the receiver’s head. By all appearances, it was a textbook example of targeting. Yet the referees swallowed their whistles. Would this have been called if the situation had been reversed—if the receiver wore burnt orange? Or if the race or profile of the players were different? Would the call have been made if the star quarterback was the one taking the hit? These uncomfortable questions are bound to arise when officiating seems so blatantly inconsistent.
Where Legal Tech and AI Come In
So what does this have to do with legal technology and innovation? Quite a bit, if you think about it. We already have the tools—through AI-driven motion tracking, instant replay, and biomechanics sensors—to make more accurate and consistent calls, especially for clear-cut infractions like targeting. Machines can analyze frame-by-frame contact points, force vectors, and trajectory angles. Properly implemented, AI could flag potential penalties more quickly and objectively than human referees do. Imagine an automatic review system that pings an official’s headset the instant a hit to the head is detected, complete with the speed, angle, and location of contact. These innovations might reduce the bias (or mere human error) that so often determines the outcome of critical plays.
The Changing Landscape of College Football
I’m also intrigued by how money, specifically Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, is reshaping the competitive balance in college football. We’re already seeing newer or previously underfunded programs challenge the old powerhouses by securing deals that help recruit talented athletes. This dynamic shift in the economic structure of college athletics introduces both opportunities and pitfalls. With more money in the game, oversight and compliance become increasingly important—and perhaps, ironically, this is another area where technology can help. Platforms that monitor NIL deals and track compliance in real-time could provide more transparency and fairness.
Final Thoughts
For all my gripes with how football has evolved, there’s no denying the sport’s continued hold on the American imagination. Innovation—both in rules and technology—can be a double-edged sword: it can dilute some aspects of the game’s old-school identity while making it safer and possibly more equitable. My hope is that future changes will strike the right balance between protecting players, preserving the sport’s competitive soul, and leveraging modern technology to reduce human error.
As an observer now half in and half out of the football world, I remain fascinated by the potential for AI and tech solutions to transform sports officiating, just as NIL is transforming college football economics. While I’m still not convinced I’ll ever again be the kind of diehard fan I was in my youth, I will continue watching with cautious interest—especially if our collective innovations can make the game both safer and fairer.
Where to Learn More and How to Research Further
Rule Changes & Player Safety
The NFL’s Official Playing Rules outline the evolution of safety-oriented measures, including targeting and roughing-the-passer regulations.
The NCAA Football Rulebook details college-level rules aimed at reducing head and neck injuries.
AI in Sports Officiating
Research papers on machine learning and computer vision (e.g., from arXiv.org) often explore sports applications, including player tracking and collision detection.
Professional leagues have begun experimenting with AI-assisted replay systems—studies on the Hawk-Eye technology used in tennis and soccer can provide insight into how such systems might be adapted for football.
NIL and the Changing Economics of College Sports
The NCAA’s NIL Updates page provides official stance and guidelines.
Business publications like Sports Business Journal and Forbes frequently cover emerging deals and impacts of NIL on college athletics.
By exploring these resources, you can get a sense of how football has arrived at this pivotal moment in its long history—and how technology and legal frameworks might steer it going forward. My journey with the sport may be in flux, but I remain optimistic that the right innovations can restore some of what made the game special while keeping today’s athletes safer, better compensated, and on a more level playing field.