NFL Zebras Officiate Sunday’s Super Bowl

nfl zebras

Nicknamed “zebras” because of their black-and-white striped uniforms, college football officials aren’t nearly as riveting to fans as quarterbacks or receivers. But they do have their moment in the spotlight, whenever one of their flags is thrown. The National Football League referees—along with umpires and linesmen—work about 82 games per season. And when they’re on television, you can usually spot their faces thanks to an American flag patch and the Interlocking UA logo (for Under Armour) that appear on their uniforms.

Referees in the NFL are responsible for officiating every play of a game. Those calls include pass interference, roughing the passer and touchdowns. But they also include fouls, false starts and other violations. Each official must understand the rules and decide what to call and not call.

In addition to knowing the rules, the nfl zebras need to be able to read the game, make quick decisions and have good communication skills. They also need to be physically fit and have good balance and posture. They must also have a high degree of concentration to keep up with the pace of the game.

Despite the grueling schedule, the nfl zebras work very hard to do their jobs well. They often have to travel long distances, and sometimes even across the country, to attend games. They also have to spend a great deal of time away from their families. Having a supportive family can help referees get through the long hours and demanding workload.

A fourth-year NFL referee, Scott Novak is part of a crew that will officiate Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Novak and his crew will officiate the team’s Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, too.

Zebra Technologies, whose player-and-ball tracking system powers the NFL’s analytic platform Next Gen Stats, has renewed its partnership with the NFL until at least 2025. As the NFL’s Official Real-time Location Solutions Provider, Zebra’s RFID technology is used throughout each NFL stadium and captures a trove of data for each down, including speed and acceleration of players.

The league’s patented technology, Zebra MotionWorks Sport, helps teams to improve performance and increase efficiencies in training by allowing trainers to optimize and adjust workouts based on individual player metrics and fatigue thresholds. Zebra’s solution is transforming the way fans, teams and networks watch, coach, play and analyze the game.

Being selected to officiate two Super Bowls in three years is a rare feat for any NFL referee. According to Football Zebras, the last person to do so was Jerry Seeman, who officiated Super Bowl XXIII and Super Bowl XXV. Here are the other referees that have officiated at least two Super Bowls in their careers.