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Welcome back to The Sports Road, ladies and gentlemen! Where do we even start from this week… A busy one for sure. I mean, from VAR seeing its biggest changes yet, to Crypto’s big comeback, you do NOT want to miss this… Enjoy!
Here's what we got for ya today:
VAR: WHAT!?
NBA’s Newest AI
Crypto: The Comeback?
Rugby: Steps in the Right Direction
Most Valuable Sports Teams:
Let's get into it!
We Need to Talk About: VAR
We know what you’re thinking. We usually end with this section. But, trust us. This one is big – maybe even the biggest we’ve seen so far.
So, VAR. Ah, here we go again.
Being a Newsletter centred around covering sports and technology, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that VAR is a bit of a constant here at The Sports Road.
Yet there always seems to be something new. Unfortunately, usually being negative in its reasoning, the system is – how should we put this – inconsistent and can be pretty hard to understand…
Two things you love to hear about a system put in place to ensure coherency and fairness 😅
Especially confusing for fans who watch the game live in-stadium – in the system's current form – there is quite literally no way to understand what is actually happening. You know, apart from an incredibly vague screen.
Well, that could all be changing. Yep, you heard that right. People in charge at the top level of professional Football are actually lobbying to enhance fan experience 🤯
How? Yesterday, FIFA approved VAR to become 🥁🥁🥁 audible in stadiums!
Having the potential to completely change the way that we as fans interact with on field decisions, the authorisation will see certain decisions – and the process for which it was found – become available to fans.
Increasing clarity in the technology’s use, this decision will only work to streamline decisions and create a more tolerant relationship between fans, teams, and officials.
It is said that this advancement will first appear in Portugal.
“What should happen in 2024 is for everyone in the stadium and all the viewers to hear the decision that the referee is going to make and why he made it at that moment. It’s not at the end of the game, it’s during it. I will do everything in our power to ensure we are the first to do that.”
Jose Fontelas Gomes, Head of the Portuguese Referees Department
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The NBA Has a New AI 🔥🔥
The NBA has a new AI partner and – it’s fair to say – it’s set to save certain people A LOT of work…
Let’s not beat around the bush here. Technology makes our lives easier; and at the most elite levels of sport that stands truer than ever.
With every decision – be it small or large – having the potential to have massive implications on both the on-pitch and off-pitch performances of teams, everybody working to organise activities at this level has to be on top of their games.
However, this season – and with that probably the last few years, as well – there’s been a problem plaguing professional sport – scheduling.
Don’t believe us? Ask Jürgen Klopp…
“We sit here and it sounds like I am having a moan or whatever… It is just the situation, in the long term, is not acceptable… They need a holiday. It's not like after three days you can say to them Hey. Come on. Let's start running again.”
Jürgen Klopp
While, obviously, this specific situation is aimed towards Football, with the increased commercialisation of the world’s biggest sport leagues, games are beginning to come thick and fast – an issue that the NBA has also been struggling with.
BUT, it looks like the American Basketball league may have cracked the code. How, you ask? Using AI, of course.
That’s right. Announcing a partnership with AI-Scheduling specialists, Fastbreak.ai, some big changes can be expected in the league. This is what we know so far:
The NBA will leverage Fastbreak’s Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) solution to aid in scheduling, extending efforts into the WNBA, G League, and the NBA2K League.
Currently being one of the most complex processes in the NBA, the technology will need to – as described by Dr. Chris Groer, Fastbreak Chief Product Officer – “analyse everything from travel to game density to television viewership. The NBA schedule is one of the most complex scheduling puzzles in the world as the league must balance travel, home/away patterns, and competitive fairness across many metrics while also accounting for dynamically changing venue availability and now a new In-Season Tournament.”
Bayern Munich x Crypto
Let’s be honest. When talking about sporting institutions, there aren’t many quite like Bayern Munich.
Holding a rich history extending from Football, Basketball – get this – Chess, and Ping Pong 🤯🤯🤯 Yep. You learn something new every day, I guess.
With that, you may be wondering why we’re talking about them today. Well, over the last couple of months – right alongside their achievements in the sports world – the team has extended their horizons towards the efficient usage of technology.
And no. We’re not talking about goal machine, Harry Kane. Cringey. We know 😅
But really… From partnering with several technology-based startups such as MindFly and Catapult, to using Augmented Reality (AR) to transform EVERYTHING we know about what a Basketball court is, the team is NOT messing about.
And it looks like they’re not ready to stop just yet.
Announcing a new partnership with Austria-based Crypto firm BitPanda, the German Giants have signed a multi-year deal securing their first ever official Crypto partner.
As part of the agreement, Bitpanda will receive exposure including extensive TV coverage, player engagement with the brand, and live stadium visibility.
Coming at a period in time where Crypto deals in sport seem to be significantly decreasing, Bayern and Bitpanda alike could act as pioneers for the next generation of sport and Crypto…
“Bitpanda stands for quality and a long-term perspective… Like FC Bayern, Bitpanda is also the market leader in its field. We want to achieve our goals together in the future.”
Jan-Christian Dreesen, Bayern Munich Chief Executive
Already garnering top level experience in the sports world, Bitpanda has worked with the Italian Rugby Federation and the World Padel Tour.
Could this be a turning point in the world of sport and Crypto?
Rugby: The Future
Rugby – in the least offensive way possible – is a weird sport.
Not due to the way in which it’s played, officiated, or broadcasted. But rather, due to its popularity. And we know what you’re thinking… International Rugby is HUGE!
But what about the sport at the club level? Why is there such a big discrepancy between viewership numbers in international and club Rugby?
To that, the answers are probably too vast and complex for us to simply gloss over here. BUT, that doesn’t mean it should remain like that.
In fact, if the last couple months are anything to go by – it won’t!
Introducing their very own streaming service, as well creating various digital experiences in which fans can further familiarise themselves with the sport at club levels, those in charge seem to be shifting their philosophy.
Using technology as a means for which to engage current and garner new fans, this week the Rugby Super League – the top level league for British club Rugby – announced the creation of a new fantasy game.
This is what we know so far:
Using digital cards, the game will combine elements of traditional ‘fantasy sport’ endeavours with new data-driven elements. These will be specifically broken down to 65 live stats and be the basis for which points are scored.
Rewards will be received both in-game and in real-life: these will extend from digital cards, to real match tickets.
This deal is a partnership between the Rugby Football League (RFL) and Rugby Super League. The two have also recently established a joint venture together under the name ‘Rugby League Commercial’ (RLC).
Two of the key priorities of our long-term strategic partnership with IMG are to transform Rugby League’s digital presence, and to increase our appeal to young fans… We believe this exclusive partnership with Voono is a major step forward in both those areas. It’s a unique blend of fantasy gaming and sports card collecting, tailored specifically for the Rugby League community.”
Rhodri Jones, Managing Director of RLC
Quick Bites
Transfers: Things are Heating up…
Louis Rees-Zammit: The Craziest Story of 2024
F1: Building…
Meme of the day
— Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24)
Jan 17, 2024
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Quote of the day
“F**K”
Pep Guardiola after being asked who would win in a game between his prime Barcelona and Man City teams
Picture of the day
Namibian Footballers After Recording Their First Ever AFCON Win
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