Sports Analytics: How Video is Changing the Game – Chapter 9

Most sports analytics systems use a single wide-angle or two fixed camera angles to capture the full playing space.

Sports Video Essentials – Level 2 – Sports Analytics

As sports production technology advances, level 2 focuses on sports analytics systems, which are designed to provide detailed performance analysis, game reviews and team presentations. This level leverages fixed cameras, typically high-resolution 4K cameras, positioned strategically around the playing field. These cameras capture wide-angle views ideal for analytics platforms that offer video breakdowns, annotations and player tracking.

Most sports analytics systems use a single wide-angle or two fixed camera angles to capture the full playing space.

In today’s world of sports, data is as valuable as the game itself. Coaches, teams and analysts are increasingly relying on advanced sports analytics to gain insights into player performance, tactics and game strategies. One of the most powerful sources of data comes from video recordings, which provide an invaluable visual record of every movement on the field, court or track. When integrated with score keeping and play tagging, sports analytics can offer a deeper level of insight that traditional statistics cannot provide.

Cameras with an operator that move and follow players are still valuable to sports analytics systems and teams will often upload video from their broadcast/streaming system to their video analytics platform. For example, some teams like to have a PTZ camera following a specific key player. Other times teams like to have a single camera follow the action back and forth down a field.

Here are some example camera viewing angles used for sports analytics:

Breaking down sports analytics by camera angle is a great approach. Different angles provide unique perspectives that coaches can use for tactical analysis, player performance evaluation and game strategy development. Here’s how you could structure it in your book:

1. Tactical (Wide) Angle

Primary Use: Team formation, tactical shape and overall gameplay structure.
Best For: Soccer, football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse.

Position: High, centered view from the press box or elevated platform. Often cameras are on tripods or mounts at least 12’ high.
Tip: Using two cameras, one for each side of the playing area, often gives a higher level of detail. Video from static cameras are easier to use with telestration tools in most cases.
Key Metrics Captured:
- Team formation and spacing.
- Tactical adjustments.
- Player runs and passing lanes.

2. Sideline (Lateral) Angle

Primary Use: Play development, player tracking, sideline coaching reviews.
Best For: Football, soccer, lacrosse, track and field.

Position: Near the field’s sideline, parallel to the main play area. Often cameras are on tripods or mounts at least 12’ high.
Key Metrics Captured:
- Player acceleration and movement.
- Coaching interaction during timeouts.
- Substitutions and tactical play adjustments.

3. End Zone (Goal/Behind-the-Net) Angle

Primary Use: Scoring analysis, defensive setups, goalkeeper performance.
Best For: Soccer, football, hockey, basketball.

Position: Behind the goal or baseline.
Key Metrics Captured:
- Goalkeeper/defender reactions.
- Offensive set plays.
- Scoring opportunities from different angles.

PTZOptics Studio 4K for Sports

4. Close-Up (Tight) Action Angle

Primary Use: Player technique, ball control, injury evaluation. Great for a camera specifically zoomed in for the goalie.
Best For: Baseball, tennis, soccer, basketball, golf (any sports with goal areas).

Position: Above heads at field level, courtside or near the action zone.
Key Metrics Captured:
- Player technique and mechanics.
- Ball/puck tracking.
- High-detail review for slow-motion playback.

5. Overhead (Bird’s-Eye) Angle

Primary Use: Positional awareness, full-field tracking and formations.
Best For: Indoor sports like basketball, volleyball and futsal.

Position: Mounted on rafters or drones (if allowed).
Key Metrics Captured:
- Player positioning and rotation.
- Team movements in dynamic play.
- Tactical strategy analysis.

6. Referee/Official View (Optional/Advanced)

Primary Use: For officiating reviews, addressing controversial calls and implementing systems similar to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for accurate decision-making.

Best For:
High-level sports leagues and tournaments with access to advanced equipment. Examples include the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and other professional leagues.

Position:

Body Cameras on Referees: Capture real-time footage from the referee’s perspective, aiding post-game reviews and analysis.
Fixed Cameras in Key Zones: Strategically placed near goal lines, penalty boxes and other critical areas for comprehensive coverage.

How Camera Angles Affect the Analysis Process

By selecting the right camera angles, coaches can gain better insights into their team’s performance, spot tactical issues and enhance game preparation through comprehensive video analysis.

Pro Tip: Always opt for tall tripods when setting up your cameras, ensuring they can extend high enough to stay above the crowd’s line of sight. It’s a common rookie mistake to set up your cameras thinking you’ve got the perfect angle, only to have your view obstructed when fans fill the stands. Plan ahead to keep your shots clear and professional!

PTZ Cameras for Sports

PTZ cameras set up out of the way of fans.

Camera Angle	Impact on Analysis
Wide Sideline View	Best for tactical and full-team analysis.
End Zone View	Highlights defensive structure and depth.
Corner View	Adds depth and situational awareness.
Close-Up View	Shows technical skill and player actions.

Understanding Field of View and Camera Distances for Sports Capture

When setting up cameras for sports capture, understanding the relationship between field of view (FOV), camera distance and image detail is crucial. Here’s a breakdown to help guide camera placement and system design.

Field of View (FOV) Explained

FOV refers to the width of the area a camera can capture. A wider FOV means the camera can see more of the field but at a lower level of detail.
Camera Distance Impact:
- Moving the camera closer to the action reduces FOV but increases detail and pixel density (fewer pixels are spread over the viewing area).
- Moving the camera farther away increases FOV, capturing a larger portion of the field but reduces detail since more area is captured using the same number of pixels.

Example:

A soccer field captured from the sideline at midfield with a 4K camera might clearly show player movements.
The same camera placed farther away from the field will capture the whole field, but individual players will appear smaller and less detailed.

Best Practice for Camera Placement

Wider Field Coverage: Place the camera far enough to cover the entire playing area but close enough to maintain acceptable player visibility.
Optimal Pixel Density: Consider the intended use case:
- For sports analytics, focus on full-field coverage and team formations.
- For highlights or close-up action, use a secondary camera with a narrower FOV.

How Optical Zoom Works

Optical Zoom uses the camera’s lens to adjust the focal length, magnifying the image without reducing quality. This is ideal for close-up views when the camera is positioned far from the action.

Example Use Case:
- A PTZOptics camera with 30x optical zoom can zoom in from the sideline to clearly see the goalie in a soccer match, maintaining high image quality.

Key Recommendations

Full-Field Coverage: Use fixed wide-angle 4K cameras at calculated distances for comprehensive coverage.
Close-Up Shots: Add a PTZ camera with high optical zoom for dynamic, detailed shots of key areas like goals, benches or scoring plays.
Avoid Digital Zoom: Digital zoom reduces quality by stretching pixels, so rely on optical zoom for critical shots.

Nacsport integrates with live cameras and provides data analytics and presentation tools for coaching.

System Components:

Cameras: Typically two fixed 4K cameras with wide-angle lenses.
Mounting Hardware: Pole or tripod mounts near the sidelines, positioned according to calculated distances for optimal coverage.
Analytics Platform: Software for live recording, data processing, annotation and playback.
Network Connection: A stable wired or wireless network for data uploads if cloud processing is required.

When to Use This Setup:

Level 2 sports analytics systems are ideal for high school, college and professional teams focused on improving performance and game strategy. This setup can also serve dual purposes by integrating live streaming and video production for fans when paired with additional PTZ cameras or video switchers.

Challenges and Considerations

While integrating video into sports analytics offers numerous benefits, there are some challenges to consider. First, the quality of the video is essential for accurate analysis. High-resolution footage is necessary for tracking fine details such as ball movement or player positioning. Additionally, processing large volumes of video data requires significant computational power and storage.

Pixels Per Foot Video Recording Standard

Understanding Pixels per Foot (PPF) in Sports Video Analytics

When you watch a sports game on TV or online, you’re actually seeing a grid of tiny dots called pixels. The more pixels there are in each inch of the video, the more detailed the image looks. This measurement is called Pixels per Foot or Pixels per Meter (PPF/PPM). For sports video, PPF/PPM tells us how clearly we can see important things like the ball, players and even the lines on the field.

Standards for Pixels per Foot / Pixel per Meter (PPF/PPM)

Use Case	PPF	PPM	Why It Matters
General Viewing	10-20 PPF	30-70 PPM	For wide field views (players visible but not detailed).
Broadcast TV	30-40 PPF	100-130 PPM	Clear enough for live broadcasts.
Sports Analytics (Players)	40-60 PPF	130-200 PPM	Recognize players and track movements accurately.
Sports Analytics (Ball)	60+ PPF	200+ PPM	Clearly track balls and small objects.
Facial Recognition (Ref/Coach)	75+ PPF	250+ PPM	Identify faces, read lips or track small hand gestures.

In sports video analytics, PPF or PPM is a crucial measure that determines how much detail a camera captures on the field. The higher the pixel count, the more detailed and clearer the video will be. This concept directly affects how well players, balls and even referee signals can be tracked during a game. Let’s explore how this works using examples from a standard soccer field.

Imagine using a 1080p camera to cover a soccer field that is 225 feet wide. With this setup, each foot of the field only gets about 8.5 pixels. This means players appear as blurry figures and the ball might be nearly impossible to see, especially during fast gameplay. For live streaming or general viewing, this might be acceptable, but for detailed coaching reviews or sports analytics, it falls far short of what’s needed.

Let’s use the standard soccer field width of 225 feet and calculate PPF (Pixels per Foot) for both 1080p and 4K cameras.

What These Calculations Mean:

8.53 PPF (1080p):
- Too low for tracking small objects like the soccer ball.
- Good for general field overview but not for detailed player analysis.
17.07 PPF (4K):
- Better for streaming and gameplay review.
- Still too low for precise ball tracking or facial recognition.

Switching to a 4K camera, which has double the horizontal resolution of 1080p, improves the PPF to 17 pixels per foot on the same field. While this is better, players are still not clearly defined and the ball can be difficult to track during long passes. This setup works well for streaming games to an audience but still lacks the precision required for professional sports analysis.

To capture more detail, consider moving the camera closer or zooming in on the action. If the camera only covers 100 feet of the field instead of the full 225 feet, the PPF improves dramatically. With a 1080p camera, the PPF jumps to 19 pixels per foot, making players easier to recognize and team formations clearer. Using a 4K camera in the same setup results in 38 pixels per foot, enough to see the ball clearly, track individual player movements and even detect referee gestures. While this limits the area you are covering, you can simply add more cameras to increase your coverage.

For specific areas of interest, such as a goal, you may want to use a camera with optical zoom to capture that area from a far distance away. For example, a PTZOptics 20X optical zoom camera can capture a 27’ wide space from 390 feet away (the width of a standard soccer field). Using a camera with optical zoom can greatly improve your picture quality for sports analytics.

These examples show why PPF/PPM matters in sports production. For live streaming, a lower PPF/PPM might be acceptable, especially if the goal is simply to show the game to fans. However, for sports analytics, coaching reviews or broadcasting, a higher PPF/PPM is essential to ensure that every critical moment is captured in clear detail. This makes decisions like camera placement, resolution and field coverage critical when designing a sports video production system.

Signs That Your PPF/PPM Is Too Low

You may have a PPF/PPM that is too low if:

Players appear blurry or hard to distinguish, especially when far from the camera.
The ball is difficult to track, particularly during fast movements or long passes.
Details like referee gestures or jersey numbers are unclear.
The image looks pixelated or distorted during zoomed-in replays.

Options for Increasing PPF/PPM

If you notice these telltale signs, consider the following options to increase PPF:

Upgrade to a 4K Camera:
- A 4K camera has twice the resolution of a 1080p camera, meaning more pixels cover the same field width. This instantly doubles the PPF, improving clarity for both players and ball tracking.
Move the Camera Closer to the Field:
- Reducing the field width captured by the camera increases PPF because the same number of pixels covers a smaller area.
- Trade-off: Moving the camera closer reduces the overall field of view, meaning the camera can’t capture the entire field.
Use Optical Zoom:
- Optical zoom allows you to magnify the field without losing resolution. This increases PPF by effectively “zooming in” on the action while keeping the original resolution intact.
- Trade-off: Like moving the camera closer, this narrows the field of view, requiring additional cameras to cover the entire field.
Add Dedicated Cameras for Critical Areas:
- In high-value areas like goal zones, free-throw lines or key player positions, set up dedicated cameras with a narrow field of view and high PPF/PPM.
- This setup is common in professional broadcasts where ball-tracking and player stats are essential.

Improving PPF/PPM comes with trade-offs. While upgrading to 4K cameras improves detail without sacrificing coverage, moving cameras closer or using optical zoom increases PPF/PPM but reduces the field of view. To balance this, consider using multiple cameras, including wide-angle views for the whole field and high-PPF cameras zoomed into critical areas like goals, free-throw lines or center court. This ensures optimal detail where it matters most while still capturing the overall game.

The Future of Video-Driven Sports Analytics

Looking ahead, the future of sports analytics is deeply intertwined with broadcast video technology. With the rise of AI, 4K/8K video and augmented reality, the level of detail available for analysis will only increase. We can expect to see more real-time analytics during live broadcasts, offering coaches and fans unprecedented insights into the game as it unfolds.

For broadcasters, this represents a new opportunity as well. By leveraging their video feeds as data sources, they can provide value not just for entertainment but also for enhancing the performance of athletes and teams. This blend of technology, sports and data will continue to reshape how we understand and interact with sports on every level.

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