Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Collegiate Sports Organizations Tiptoe Into Wiring Athletes for Sound

05/06/2024

Collegiate Sports Organizations Tiptoe Into Wiring Athletes for Sound Manufacturers say affordable, accessible technology can expand deployment By Dan Daley, Audio Editor

Wednesday, June 5, 2024 - 10:24 am

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

When it comes to sound, one of the most glaring differences between pro and collegiate sports is that schools and the NCAA have been adamantly against putting microphones on their athletes, even as major leagues seemingly put them everywhere.

That may change in the future. The NCAA has recently green-lighted a few significant rules changes, including allowing Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams to wire one player on the field with a helmet microphone to communicate with coaches. Penn State has already announced that its quarterbacks and middle linebackers will use the mics.

The use of technology has been on the committee's agenda for several years, and the time is right to introduce it in NCAA football, says Big Ten VP, Football Administration, A.J. Edds, who co-chairs the conference's Football Rules committee, in an NCAA statement.

It likely won't be long before college teams' intercoms are operating at near-pro levels. But the transition won't be without speed bumps.

Often, in college sports, observes Sara Seidel, regional marketing manager, Americas, Riedel, you will see the students running the operations. These students cycle through [during their time at the school], so the equipment has to be intuitive and easy to use, as they may be very new to the idea of comms and the whole production process for sports. Depending on the college, funds for initial purchase and maintenance may not be as high [as for pro teams], and, with inexperienced users, more drops and mishandling may occur, so [the comms systems] have to be able to take a lot of abuse and keep working.

An RF receiver (the green dot shown on a Green Bay Packers helmet) will soon be allowed on some NCAA helmets.

However, she says, robust comms at the college level are as necessary as they are for the pros: College games have a lot of fan engagement during the games, [including] people coming down onto the court or field for special contests, as well as marching bands and cheerleaders. Making sure all of this happens seamlessly requires communication.

Seidel notes out that comms are increasingly integral to gathering and capturing audio content on the field for use beyond game sound effects. She notes that the Bolero wireless beltpacks used by the Georgia Tech Bulldogs are able to connect to the team's Bluetooth headsets for sideline interviews.

We do see that, as the pro-sports leagues move to certain technologies and workflows regarding communications, within a few years, Division 1 Conferences start to embrace similar technologies, says Rick Seegull, SVP, technology and business development, Americas, Riedel. As the [Tier 1 schools] do major upgrades, they tend to want a flagship system and mimic systems at the pro-level stadiums. Division 1 is more similar to a major-league level, and [schools] usually have a more traditional broadcast team, but it does still come down to budget.

Others have noticed the same dynamic. Tom Buffolano, head of business development, college sports, The Switch/TATA Communications, says, In terms of audio as part of an in-venue presentation, schools have taken a page from pro sports, with boisterous pregame introductions, flashy video, and music that gets the crowd excited and engaged in a game.

Still a Way To Go NCAA rules continue to restrict the use of wireless audio on athletes and officials. The 2023-24 NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Book says, Players and team members are not permitted to wear a microphone or any other equipment which enables sound transmission from a player to an off-court receiver (Rule 1/Court and Equipment, Section 26, Article 9). Football is less dogmatic: The committee had a thorough discussion of wearable technologies. The committee invites non FBS conferences that are interested in wearable technologies to submit an experimental proposal to the committee.

Says Paul Johnson, CEO, Q5X, which makes microphone systems for players and officials, We have not yet seen an increase of player audio at the college level that would parallel the increases in professional sports. There continues to be interest expressed in Q5X's PlayerMics and CoachMics by some colleges, but most of the usage is restricted to practices since the NCAA continues to have very strict guidelines restricting the use of technology, including microphones on players, during games.

However, he notes, some schools are using these wireless systems during practices to create sizzle reels and packages for websites and social media. Some coaches are using PlayerMics on athletes during warmups and practices to capture audio to be reviewed with the players for coaching purposes.

More Affordable, Less Complicated Tech Integrating more comms for sports at the college level seems inevitable for numerous applications beyond wiring athletes for sound, and doing so is already becoming less costly and easier to implement.

From coordinating the actual team/coaching staff, coach-to-player communications, official communications, and instant replay to broadcasters' and stadium facilities' needs as well as actual school production needs, virtually any available frequency is at a premium, explains Gary Rosen, VP, global sales, Pliant Technologies. The number of wireless comms has risen dramatically in the last five years. They [will have to] be operated by volunteers from the schools, so having affordable, simple-to-deploy systems for the teams is critical.

The Telos Infinity communication system in the Notre Dame Studios Martin Media Center

Telos Alliance VP, Business Developmen
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2024/06/05/collegiate-sports-organizations...
See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Zixi to Demonstrate Live Video Workflows and Satellite Replacement

Zixi will demonstrate IP-based live video workflow solutions at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W2057). The industry is moving quickly toward IP-based distribution as br...

09/04/2026

Deloitte Research: Women's Elite Sports Revenues Expected to Reach at Least $3 Billion in 2026

Global women's elite sports revenues are expected to reach at least $3 billi...

09/04/2026

Monitor Engineer Gavin Tempany Mixes Kylie Minogue's Tension Tour on Solid State Logic L550 Plus

Monitor engineer Gavin Tempany mixed Kylie Minogue s Tension Tour on a Solid Sta...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America to Debut New 4K Camera and Remote Control Panel

KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5507), debu...

09/04/2026

NBC Sports Reviews Innovations and Milestones from Its 2025-26 NBA Regular Season

With the 2025-26 NBA regular season concluded and the playoffs beginning next we...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telestream and Mimir Announce Integration for Ingest-to-Editorial Workflows

Telestream and Mimir have announced an integration connecting Telestream's V...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Bitmovin Expands Live Encoding and Observability Solutions for End-to-End Live Streaming Monitoring

Bitmovin has expanded its Live Encoding and Observability solutions to provide r...

09/04/2026

Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports Announce Multi-Year Broadcast Agreement

The Nashville Predators and Scripps Sports have announced a multi-year media rights agreement covering local preseason, regular season, and first-round playoff ...

09/04/2026

ASG Partners with Beam Dynamics for Asset Intelligence Platform

Advanced Systems Group, LLC has announced a partnership with Beam Dynamics to offer the Beam Asset and License Intelligence Platform to its clients. The platfor...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo Introduces Edge One Converged Video and Audio Stagebox

Lawo has unveiled Edge One, a combined video and audio stagebox for broadcast and Pro AV workflows. The device will be on display at NAB Show (Booth C2108, Apri...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: SMPTE to Host ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) will host the SMPTE ST 2110 IP Media Roadshow on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the Las Vegas Conven...

09/04/2026

Atlanta Braves Upgrade Video Displays at Truist Park

The Atlanta Braves have completed upgrades to video displays in and around Truist Park ahead of the 2026 MLB season. The upgrades include the Delta Out-of-Town ...

09/04/2026

USC Installs Daktronics LED Displays Across Four Athletics Venues

The University of Southern California has contracted Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to manufacture and install 22 LED displays across fou...

09/04/2026

NAB 2026: Backlight to Showcase Iconik and Wildmoka Integration

Backlight, the media technology company behind Iconik and Wildmoka, will showcase its Creative Operations Platform at NAB Show 2026 (Booth N2829, April 19-22). ...

09/04/2026

MotoAmerica Superbike to Air on VICE TV for 2026 Season

MotoAmerica and V10 Entertainment have announced a partnership to broadcast MotoAmerica Superbike racing on VICE TV for the 2026 season. Coverage begins live on...

09/04/2026

Proton Camera Innovations Appoints Tod Musgrave as US Sales and Marketing Director

Proton Camera Innovations has announced the appointment of Tod Musgrave as US Sa...

09/04/2026

Former UEFA, Orange Executive Nicolas Dal Launches OVERCAST Private-Cloud Production Service

Designed specifically for live sports broadcasting, new platform features IP-nat...

09/04/2026

NEWstalgia: How the Return of the NBA on NBC Was Driven by a Bold and Ownable' Graphics Package

Blending 1990s DNA, modern motion theory, and a distinctly colorful brand identi...

09/04/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Christy Media's Amy Vacher on What It Takes To Find the Best Person for the Job

Technical capability is essential, but long-term success often depends on how we...

08/04/2026

SVG College Sports Media Awards 2026: Entry Deadline is Monday, April 13

The deadline to enter the 18th Annual SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA is rapidly approaching! Submit your entries to this year's c...

08/04/2026

SVG Campus Shot Callers: Trever Sheets, Senior Director, ACC Network, Virginia Tech

The Pittsburgh product helps lead more than 100 annual ESPN broadcasts as part o...

08/04/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Harmonic's Jean Macher on Turning Live Sports Content Into a Smarter Monetization Engine

Dynamic ad insertion, AI-based technologies, programmatic advertising are some o...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ikegami USA To Launch Two New Viewfinders, Refine UHD Cameras

Ikegami USA will launch a refinement to the UHK-X700 and UHK-X750 3-CMOS -in. UHD cameras in the UNICAM XE series plus two new 7-in. viewfinders at NAB 2026 in...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: NAB Leadership Foundation to Host Technology Students Career Mixer

The NAB Leadership Foundation and NAB PILOT will host a career mixer for technology students at NAB Show 2026 on April 18, 5-6:30 p.m., North Hall, Room N225/22...

07/04/2026

Survey: AVoIP Adoption Accelerating, With Interoperability and Security as Key Drivers

Audinate Group Limited and Futuresource Consulting have published results from a...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Eluvio Announces Commercial Availability of Content Fabric Bucharest Release

Eluvio has announced the commercial availability of its Content Fabric Bucharest...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Eluvio Introduces Inline AI Video Intelligence and Updated EVIE

Eluvio has unveiled a new architecture for video AI and an updated Eluvio Video Intelligence Editor (EVIE) ahead of NAB Show 2026. Eluvio AI runs analysis and i...

07/04/2026

Professional Fighters League Partners With Sky New Zealand for Exclusive Broadcast Rights

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced a deal with Sky New Zealand...

07/04/2026

NBA, Enjoy Basketball' To Produce Live Game Altcast, Enjoy the NBA Trivia Show as Part of New Multi-Platform Collab

The NBA and Enjoy Basketball, the digital media company co-founded by YouTube cr...

07/04/2026

Beyond Golf: PGA of America, Ko-Mar Productions Offer Clients a Customizable Production Studio

The 4,000-sq.-ft. space in Frisco, TX, has produced live and packaged programmin...

07/04/2026

A New POV: RefCam's Rise in the Bundesliga Signals a Potential New Era for Soccer Broadcasts

What began as a referee training tool is evolving into a powerful production ass...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Manifold Technologies to Join NEP Platform as Deployable Application

Manifold Technologies will announce at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C.1808) that its manifold CLOUD platform will be available as a deployable application within NEP Pl...

07/04/2026

Shaquille O'Neal and TNT Sports to Launch DUNKMAN Professional Dunk League in Summer 2026

Shaquille O'Neal, Authentic Brands Group, and TNT Sports, in partnership wit...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Telos Alliance Unveils Omnia XII Audio Processor

Telos Alliance will debut the Omnia XII, a new FM/HD/DAB audio processor, at NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas. Built on a 2RU hardware platform, Omnia XII features a...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: AWS to Showcase AI and Cloud Media Technologies

Amazon Web Services (AWS) will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth W1701), with demonstrations, speaking sessions, and int...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Synamedia to Demonstrate AI by Quortex

Synamedia will demonstrate AI by Quortex at NAB Show 2026, a framework that applies AI capabilities to video workflows on demand rather than continuously. The s...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: TVNewsCheck Announces 2026 Women in Technology Award Honorees

TVNewsCheck will present its 15th annual Women in Technology Awards on Tuesday, April 21, at 5 p.m. PT at NAB Show, in the Media and Entertainment Theater (W146...

07/04/2026

NAB 2026: Akta to Showcase AI Video Platform

Akta will demonstrate its AI video platform at NAB Show 2026, highlighting new capabilities in media processing and vertical video formatting alongside its exis...

07/04/2026

ESPN Expands to Disney+ in Europe and Select Asia-Pacific Markets

ESPN and Disney have announced the launch of ESPN on Disney in Europe and select Asia-Pacific markets, bringing the offering to 53 countries and territories a...

06/04/2026

Fab Five' Reunion Drives TNT and CBS's Experimental Final Four Altcast Built on REMI Workflow

Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...

06/04/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Optikka CEO Daniel Evans on Scaling Sports Content with Programmatic Graphics

From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...

06/04/2026

Quickplay and TwelveLabs Join AWS Business Outcomes Xcelerator Program

Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...

06/04/2026

Grass Valley Launches Future Playmakers Program for Students in Sports Production and Media Technology

Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...

06/04/2026

SVG All-Stars: Raasean Robinson, Gerente de Posproduccin y Operaciones de Estudio, FOX Deportes

El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...

06/04/2026

SVG All-Stars: Raasean Robinson, Manager, Post Production and Studio Operations, FOX Deportes

The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...

06/04/2026

Behind The Mic: SiriusXM Shares 2026 Masters Broadcast Team; ESPN to Produce Over 140+ Hours of Masters Live Coverage

Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...

06/04/2026

NHL Opens Innovation Lab in Partnership with Verizon, New Jersey Devils

The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...

06/04/2026

ESPN+ To Stream Inaugural Rock League Curling Season

Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...

06/04/2026

ASG Appoints Andrea Cummis as VP of Systems Design and Engineering

Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...

06/04/2026

Source Media Group Launches Source Golf, a Creator-Driven YouTube Network Targeting Next-Gen Fans

Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...