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Welcome back to The Sports Road, ladies and gentlemen! So – this week was pretty big, wasn’t it 😅With some huge tech releases being announced, let’s not beat around the bush. Nothing will EVER be the same – including, of course, some of your favourite sports… Dramatic? Yeah, you’ll get used to it. Enjoy!
Here's what we got for ya today:
The Apple Vision Pro…
Super Bowl x WHAT!?
The NBA’s Newest Tech…
This is Just Wild.
Most Valuable Sports Teams:
Let's get into it!
Apple Vision Pro…
I mean, where else could we start today’s Newsletter?!?!?
The Apple Vision Pro is OFFICIALLY on the scene. And wow… There has been serious hype around its release; which, to be honest, makes sense.
I mean, have we really seen anything quite like it before? Allowing people to dive into the world of mixed reality, the product – in some ways – is actually giving us a look into what the future of technological immersion holds.
Operating using motion gestures, eye tracking, and speech recognition, the system utilises some extremely advanced tech and is set to have big implications on how we consume sports content.
In fact, it already is… Just listen to what Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner, had to say about it…
“This is in many ways better than sitting courtside. It can take you anywhere on the floor. It can give you the perspective of a player, it can bring you places that you could never otherwise go and absorb it… This is of course early days, but this is transformative. This to me, will be how people over time experience sports through the media.”
Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner
Being the case, three major sports organisations – including the NBA – have already released Vision Pro-based apps…
That’s right. The NBA, MLB, and PGA Tour are all trying their hands in mixed reality… This is what we know so far:
Available both live and on-demand, the NBA app has been redesigned for the product giving fans the opportunity to – get this – stream up to five games at THE SAME TIME… Alongside that, the organisation has also set up multiple views in which fans can explore real-time data and stats.
The MLB – on the other hand – has taken a much more direct (and radical) approach. Giving fans the opportunity to become immersed into virtual ballparks while being able to track a variety of different movements in real-time, the organisation seems to be looking at a more-immersive live experience than ever using the device.
Developed by Quintar, the PGA Tour’s dedicated app will include a combination of 2D and 3D overlays to let fans experience the action as if they were really there…
SOMEONE MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!
Apple Vision Pro lets you watch 5 live sports games at once while texting your friends.
This is an iPhone moment in technology.
— Deedy (@debarghya_das)
Feb 4, 2024
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The Super Bowl!
For those who (somehow) don’t know, it’s Super Bowl weekend!
And you know what that means, right? Big. Tech. Innovation.
Being one of the biggest games in sport, and undoubtedly the biggest in the USA, the Super Bowl is treated with a certain passion that not many other games are.
Including big players, big names, and most importantly big tech, the match is truly a spectacle to behold.
And this year, it’s only getting bigger. Kitting themselves up with dozens of robotic cameras, AR devices, and new ‘doink’ angles, fans are set to be immersed into the action like never before.
As you may have expected, though, it hasn’t stopped there.
And yes, another massive sports organisation has partnered with (drumroll please 🥁🥁🥁) Roblox!
Yep. While this may sound pretty random, the NFL has teamed up with Roblox and Nickelodeon to create a Spongebob-themed NFL Super Bowl experience.
We know.
BUT, if we’re being honest, no one can deny that Roblox isn’t a major player in the sports scene now…
Having partnered with FIFA, the NBA, NHL, and more in the past year alone, the gaming platform provides benefits for basically everyone involved.
Allowing organisations to experience operations in the Metaverse, Roblox offers a unique opportunity to expand viewership, engage younger fans, and create experiences unlike any other.
Being the second year in a row that the NFL will be partnering with them for the Super Bowl, it’s fair to say that this union will not end anytime soon!
“Bringing together the NFL with SpongeBob to Roblox’s over 70 million daily users further demonstrates how the NFL is working to reach new audiences while engaging existing fans with entertaining and innovative activations tied to the NFL’s largest tentpole event.”
Ed Kiang, Vice President of Video Gaming at NFL
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The NBA Did WHAT!?
Recently, technological innovation in the sports scene has been dominated by data-driven and performance-based metrics.
And while, yes, that does – indirectly – improve fan experiences, technological advancement in sport isn't as ‘fan-centric’ as it once was…
Well, you know. Unless we’re talking about the NBA, of course.
Putting fans at the heart of their digital operations, recently the organisation has placed an extended focus on using technology as a means for which to engage fans from all over the world into their content.
Whether this be done through their unique ‘Launchpad’ or other activities, the NBA just seem to be getting it right – and guess what?
It doesn’t look like they’re stopping anytime soon!
Announcing this week a switch into using a glass court for the first time ever, the NBA ‘All-Star’ weekend is set to showcase a completely new set of graphical elements.
Allowing for the organisation to utilise LED lighting across the actual court itself (🤯), the game could see the introduction of Augmented Reality (AR) features.
With the weekend including a range of mini-games and activities that the players partake in, the implementation of the GlassFloor will ensure that fans can be kept up-to-date and informed with what’s actually happening on the court.
Specifically set to be used during shooting and slam dunk competitions, this could be the start of a VERY big change in the way that the NBA produces their content…
“It gives us a little bit more range in what we can do as far as interactive graphics, reactionary graphics that happen on the floor, changing the floor design, changing the colours, really reacting to the play that happens on the court.”
Carlton Myers, NBA Senior Vice President of Live Production and Entertainment
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We Need to Talk About: The World Cup?
No, not that one…
Alright, alright. We know. Sometimes, this section of the Newsletter can be a bit – how should we put this – wacky.
BUT, we just couldn’t not talk about this story.
Recently, there’s been a lot of conversations regarding what athletes – yet more particularly, Footballers – should do after retirement.
Having usually taken the traditional routes of going into punditry or coaching, the last few years have seen more and more retired Footballers going into mainstream media.
Garnering millions of subscribers on Youtube or other streaming platforms, faces such as Ben Foster and Serio Aguero have been able to expertly capture what goes on behind-the-scenes at our favourite clubs.
Now, though, we may be seeing players take a different route… Doing what, you ask?
Playing Football. Yeah, counter-intuitive – but, just listen to this…
Organised by the Elite Players Group (EPG) – a platform founded by former players to help retired professionals continue their careers – this summer will see a World Cup-style tournament being played between some of the world’s best retired players.
I mean, just listen to some of these names.
Confirmed Players: Steve McManaman, Esteban Cambiasso, Marco Materazzi, Michael Owen, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Fabio Cannavaro, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, David James, Frank Lampard, Robbie Fowler, and MORE…
This is what we know so far:
The tournament will be competed in by England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Uruguay – all eight winners of the World Cup.
According to news reported earlier this week, the tournament is set to be held in England this Summer and – in addition to the players mentioned – will involve only those who have played over 100 club appearances and/or have been capped internationally.
The tournament will be played 11 aside and games will be 70 minutes long.
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Quick Bites
Scouting: Doing it Right
Super Bowl: The Preview!
F1: It Stays!
Meme of the day
Just so we're clear
Ivory Coast FIRED its coach after the group stage and is now in the final of AFCON
That is positively ridiculous and makes absolutely no sense and I love it
— Zealand (@theoldzealand)
Feb 7, 2024
Quote of the day
“Hopefully this year. There is no date. I'm hoping for [autumn]”
Dana White on the return of Conor McGregor
Picture of the day
Football will use a ‘Blue Card’ for the sin-bin trials!
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