Ask HN: Can AI make American football comprehensible to non-Americans?
American football seems incomprehensible and hard to enjoy unless you have a deep knowledge of the sport. Maybe AI can help non-American viewers enjoy it?
I like the stop-and-go aspect of American football. Between plays, they can go over replays. You can watch 22 players each fulfilling their separate tasks. For that, you don't need AI; you just need to listen to the commentators.
I think soccer fans like the continuous drama of a sport that does not stop. So, I think, do hockey fans, which has the same property. I think it's to hockey's advantage that there are only 6 players per side, so it's easier to track more of the action.
I'm sure somebody could build an AI to do the job of the commentators. The data exists, though access to it without the express written consent of the NFL would be problematic. Still, once you've done it, it would be even better to be able to interrogate the virtual commentators: "Why didn't they try this play? Why was this player in that position? Can you show me another team attempting the same play more successfully?"
There are various other sports people in the rest of the world enjoy watching, without feeling that they’re missing out by not getting American football.