Big Game, Prova Launch Smart Chip Technology to Record Football History

DALLAS, Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Game USA, the premier manufacturer of official Football Bowl Subdivision college game balls, has partnered with Prova Group to release revolutionary smart chips to authenticate and track footballs.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140826/139979

The device, called gametag™, can track the life of each football, recording its history and ensuring authenticity. The gametag™ equipped footballs provide a complete historical timeline allowing each tagged ball to have a story of its own that can be accessed via the gametag™ app.

Before gametag™, collectible footballs had to be verified through an expensive and lengthy expert analysis and third party opinion process. Big Game embeds a gametag™ near the football's laces, using the app, the ball can be tracked from the moment it leaves the factory. Once tracking begins, the history of the ball is recorded and all activity is sent to a secure database operated by Prova.

"Gametag is cutting-edge technology that immediately changes the way game balls are authenticated, while also improving quality control of official college footballs we produce," said Chris Calandro, founder of Big Game USA. "We love the idea that the life of our footballs can now be tracked and preserved alongside the history of the game."

Prova's patented process connects smartphone apps to a secure cloud database enabling users to access each football's history, including manufacture date and location, whether the football was used in practice or a collegiate game, big plays and much more. Prova will release the app for free download in the Google Play store for Android users this fall, with later availability in the Apple App store.

"The days of marking footballs with ankle tape and Sharpies are long gone," said Haroon Alvi, CEO of Prova Group. "The concept of smart chipping footballs leaves no room for error and is a game-changer for football, its fans and sports memorabilia collectors."

Texas A&M will be the first to unveil gametag™ in its August 28 game against South Carolina. The US Naval Academy football team will use the technology in its opening game against Ohio State on Saturday, August 30 at 11 a.m. CDT on CBS.

"We're excited about the ability to track our game balls with gametag," said Greg Morgenthaler, assistant athletic director for the US Naval Academy. "The technology gametag uses is unlike anything we've ever seen."

Beginning this season, gametag™ technology will be used in all Texas A&M, US Naval Academy, Mississippi State and Nebraska games.

About Big Game USA
Big Game USA is the premier manufacturer of official Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college game balls. Its premium leather footballs, from regulation to commemorative, are all handmade at Big Game's facility in Dallas. The company is the largest American-owned football factory and ships more FBS collegiate footballs than any other company in the world.

About Prova Group, Inc.
Prova Group, Inc. is a mobile and web technology company pioneering the use of smart chips, smartphones and cloud based technologies to deliver game-changing solutions to protect fans and consumers from counterfeit goods.

SOURCE Big Game USA