Pro Football Schedule Release Day Reflections

Last Wednesday was pro football schedule release day. That might not be a holiday in your city or state, but it certainly seems like it’s well on its way to becoming one for pro football fans. The day, in a format somewhat akin to New Year’s Eve, is marked by hours of eager anticipation, followed by a flurry of activity once the appointed hour arrives. Teams have really embraced the moment, and now compete fiercely for who can produce the most engaging content around the big reveal. And fans, of course, start making bold predictions about win-loss records and post-season heroics. In all, it’s just a fun day to celebrate our collective love for football.

These milestones on the annual pro sports calendar always prompt some reflection on where Evolv stands in the industry, and I’m pleased to say that we continue to make great strides in pro football and all the other major sports in North America.

We now support 13 pro football teams and our systems did fan entry screening at more than one-third of all games last season – about 8.2 million total scans. Those 13 teams join more than 70 others in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, and Australia. And that count doesn’t include the many major one-day and multi-day sporting events at which Evolv systems are used.

It’s gratifying to see the fruits of our collective labor so clearly.  Whenever I do a customer count or reflect on our rapid growth, I come back to the question of why. Why do sports teams, venues, and events choose Evolv systems, either as their first investment in entry screening or (more commonly) as the replacement for a current system?  There’s not a single answer across such a diverse range of customers and situations, but there is a common theme. Security is of vital importance to the sports industry, and rightfully so.  But so is guest experience, just as rightfully so. Going to the game is supposed to be fun for the fans, after all.  Our systems are designed to help operators find the right balance between these two critical goals. That’s the bottom line.

If last year’s trends continue, we’ll be put to the test more than eight million times in the coming football season. I’m confident that Evolv systems will deliver.

Good luck to all of Evolv’s pro football customers. Football season starts in less than 100 days!