Liga MX Clubs Atlas, Santos Laguna Partner With Facial Recognition Company Incode to ID Fans
By
Andrew Cohen
Facial recognition and identity verification company Incode has partnered with Orlegi Sports, owner of Liga MX clubs Atlas FC and Santos Laguna. The clubs will implement Incode’s technology ahead of Mexican soccer’s facial recognition mandate to admit fans at all Liga MX stadiums for the 2022-23 season.
Atlas played Querétaro in the suspended March 5 match that saw a bloody brawl break out in the stands among fans from both teams. The incident prompted Liga MX to require facial recognition starting next season as part of the league’s Fan ID program. Santos Laguna began using Incode’s AI-based verification system for fans that attended its April 3 match against CF Pachuca.
Incode’s software asks users to upload a selfie and scan their government issued ID to verify someone’s identity. Fingerprint verification is also among the security tools offered by the company. Incode is based in San Francisco and raised $220 million in December to value itself at $1.25 billion.
“Incode has a fast and reliable platform that complies with personal data protection regulations and enhances Orlegi Sports’ goal to provide safe environments for those attending its soccer games,” Incode CEO Ricardo Amper said in a statement.
In U.S. soccer, MLS club LAFC partnered with Alcatraz AI last year to use the company’s facial recognition to verify players and employees at access points for the club’s stadium and training facility. Facial Recognition is also being used at Citi Field, where the New York Mets will offer Wicket’s facial ticketing system with the aim of improving fan ingress at home games.
NBA Players Association Leader Tamika Tremaglio Prefers Expansion; Las Vegas and Seattle Are Top Options
By
Andrew Cohen
Tamika Tremaglio, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, said she is in favor of the NBA expanding beyond the league’s current 30 teams. Her comments came Tuesday during SportTechie’s State Of The Industry conference at One World Trade Center in New York City.
“We do want more teams, I think it’s good for the business,’’ Tremaglio said during her opening keynote conversation with SBJ executive editor Abraham Madkour. “Ideally, we hope that there will be more teams popping up in the U.S.’’
Las Vegas is a potential NBA expansion city given Oak View Group’s plan to build and complete a 20,000-seat arena by 2026. “If they [the NBA] made a commitment to Vegas at some point in the future, this building will be built so that it would be spectacular for the NBA,’’ OVG CEO Tim Leiweke told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in March. “Not just in the way that it operates, meeting and exceeding all their standards, but in a way economically it could generate revenue for an NBA team.’’
Seattle, home to the NBA’s SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008, is another city rumored to be a frontrunner for expansion. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrel said in March “the odds are high” of an NBA team returning to the city.
Tremaglio has led the NBPA since January. The NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement runs through the 2023-24 season, although both the league and union have opt-out clauses following the 2022-23 season. Tremaglio said Tuesday that she does “absolutely not” foresee either side exercising that opt-out. She also acknowledged some “privacy concerns” regarding player-tracking data collected through wearable devices or the league’s Second Spectrum optical camera system.
“It’s something that is used so that [players] can hone in on their skills, recognize when they are exhausted and when they can do things better,” Tremaglio said. «But there are still some privacy concerns. We have to look at what that will mean going forward. It is certainly something that we are exploring.”
FIFA to Debut Streaming Platform FIFA+, Plans to Produce 40,000 Live Games in 2022
By
Tom Friend
FIFA is launching a streaming platform, FIFA+, which will provide ubiquitous international soccer coverage of elite and youth teams, not to mention original documentaries and archived games dating back to the 1950s.
Over the course of 2022, FIFA+ expects to stream roughly 40,000 live games from 100 member associations across the six confederations. About 11,000 of those will be women’s matches, while others will be previously anonymous youth matches. Another focal point of the digital platform is Match Centre, which will produce a daily recap of men’s and women’s soccer news, as well as offer interactive games, fantasy games and predictors.
Some of the original documentary titles are “Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World,’’ a 90-minute film about the Brazilian legend, and “Captains: Season 1,’’ an 8-part docuseries that follows six team captains trying to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“This project represents a cultural shift in the way different types of football fans want to connect with and explore the global game and has been a fundamental part of my vision 2020-2023,’’ said FIFA president Gianni Infantino in a statement. “It will accelerate the democratization of football, and we are delighted share it with fans.’’
Legacy Fantasy Sports Launches with Investments from Bob Stoops, Cavs’ Co-owner Gary Gilbert
By
Andrew Cohen
Legacy Fantasy Sports, a startup funded by Hall of Fame college football coach Bob Stoops and Cleveland Cavaliers co-owner Gary Gilbert, has launched its free-to-play fantasy sports app on the IOS and Google Play stores. The app lets users build rosters consisting of current and retired players from previous decades.
Legacy’s patent-pending proprietary software leverages current and historical play-by-play statistics from Stats Perform. Team rosters can include current athletes alongside former NBA players dating back to 2002, NFL players from 1997 and MLB players from the 1974 season.
“The sports world is emerging from two years of pandemic shutdowns, game postponements and a lockout that threatened the MLB season — all impacting the ability of fans to play fantasy sports. We set out to change that,” John Latella, co-founder of Legacy Fantasy Sports, said in a statement. “Our pandemic-proof, injury-proof, strike-proof and even retirement-proof game is here for fans to play whenever they want.”
Stoops and Gilbert are seed investors in Legacy Fantasy Sports, which also includes retired four-time NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Herman Moore as a co-founder. The company plans to expand its fantasy offerings across soccer, cricket, hockey, boxing, golf, auto racing and horse racing.
Elevate, Recentive Analytics to Collaborate on New AI for the Ticketing Market
By
Joe Lemire
Elevate Sports Ventures, the consulting firm formed by the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is partnering with Recentive Analytics to bolster its work supporting clients.
Recentive’s signature product is Precast, a machine learning-based predictive software solution, that helps users set price points for tickets and premium hospitality. Elevate and Recentive will collaborate on developing new AI for the ticketing market. Precast touts a 98% accuracy rate for its predictive models.
Among the sports teams and programs who have begun using Precast as part of their work with Elevate are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Stars, Seattle Kraken, St. Louis City FC, University of Southern California athletics and action sports company Thrill One. Elevate added Oak View Group (OVG), Ticketmaster and Live Nation as partners soon after launching in 2018.
Recentive’s client list includes the NFL, CBS, USTA, the Boston Red Sox and Arthur M Blank Sports & Entertainment, which operates the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Sony Names Tracey Kitt CTO and Michael Markovich CCO to Grow Hawk-Eye, Pulselive
By
Andrew Cohen
Sony has made two C-suite hires to help lead its sports business division that consists of optical tracking leader Hawk-Eye and web services provider Pulselive. Tracey Kitt will join as the group’s chief technology officer, while former NFL executive Michael Markovich has been named chief commercial officer.
Kitt previously served as the chief operating officer and director of technology and delivery at YouView, a television company founded by UK broadcasters BBC, BT Group and ITV. Markovich has worked at the NFL since 2011, most recently as the league’s VP of club business development. He oversaw the league’s ticketing partnerships and gameday experience strategy; and previously led the NFL’s international media business.
Pulselive’s digital media tools are used by the Premier League, World Rugby, ICC and WTA. Hawk-Eye’s computer vision cameras dictate line calls in tennis, support replay reviews in the NFL and are being tested by FIFA to automate offsides calls. Hawk-Eye also powers the WNBA’s player-tracking system, MLB’s Statcast and the automated ball-strike zone being trialed in the minor leagues.
«I have no doubt that [Kitt and Markovich] will help, not only to continue the incredible growth journey of Hawk-Eye and Pulselive, but also pave the way for the wider growth of Sony’s Sport businesses,” Rufus Hack, CEO of Sony’s Sports Business, said in a statement.
American Airlines Center Adds Two Autonomous Checkout Stores Powered by Standard AI Cameras
By
Andrew Cohen
The American Airlines Center in Dallas, home to the NBA’s Mavericks and NHL’s Stars, is partnering with Standard AI to open two autonomous retail stores in the venue. A new grab-and-go market is now open on the arena’s terrace level, while a larger storefront on the main concourse will debut later this month.
Standard AI’s ceiling-mounted cameras will recognize shoppers as they enter the store and identify the products they grab inside. The computer vision cameras automatically register those items into a mobile app that patrons must download to check out. The app is powered by mobile payment provider SpotOn and lets users tap to pay without waiting in line or scanning items.
Products available inside the stores include freshly prepared food, packaged snacks, soft drinks, beer, wine and merchandise. Standard AI says its cameras to track shopper movement do not use facial recognition. The two new stores at American Airlines will debut in collaboration with hospitality partner Levy.
The company also operates autonomous stores at the University of Houston and San Jose State University as well as Polar Park, home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Standard AI raised a $150 million Series C funding round in Feb. 2021 with the goal of opening 50,000 stores by 2026.
Techstars Picks 13 Sports Tech Startups for Indianapolis Accelerator
By
Andrew Cohen
Techstars has selected 13 startups to join its fourth-annual Indianapolis sports accelerator. Startups will receive mentorship throughout the 13-week program, whose partners include the Pacers, Colts, NCAA, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series.
This year’s cohort includes sports betting startups FTN Network, Scrimmage and GameplAI, mental training app Rewire Fitness, athlete fan token platform VO2, fitness training apps RepOne, Fit! and EvenLift, AI running coach Perform, anti-microbial leggings maker OYA Femtech, season ticket customization app Season Share, loyalty program startup The Fan’s Place and racehorse ownership app Thoroughbred Racing.
Techstars receives 6% equity in each company and makes an offer to invest $120,000 at a valuation between $3-$5 million. The accelerator will conclude with a demo day on July 7 for startups to pitch to hundreds of potential investors.
The USFL to Go Chainless This Season, Will Rely on Sensors in the Football to Measure First Downs
By
Andrew Cohen
The USFL will use sensors in game balls to measure first downs during its inaugural season that kicks off April 16. The sensors will enable “first down measurements that are more accurate than ever,” the league said in a tweet.
Referees will not use chains to measure first downs, a departure from the NFL and college football. A broadcast of a USFL pre-season game on Friday included graphics of the league’s first-down system which appeared similar to the line-judging system in tennis that is powered by Hawk-Eye’s ball-tracking cameras.
Zebra Technologies has embedded sensors into NFL game balls since the 2016 season for the purpose of tracking data for the league’s Next Gen Stats system. The chips can track location within six inches of accuracy and, although the NFL explored this off-season whether to use the chips to see where a ball sailed out of bounds on a punt, there are no imminent plans to go chainless on plays from scrimmage.
«That question will be discussed every year,’’ the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told SportTechie in February. «Keep in mind with officiating, the ball may be one place, but the runner is being tagged where that body part went down. So his knee may be in one location, but the ball may be at another. So we, too, would like to get away from the chains. Really, like, we would like to get away. But there are some other aspects that we’ve just got to keep in mind as we work through officiating. So [we’ll be] working with our officials on what’s the best way to evolve to being, let’s say, chainless.»
Plantiga Makes Its Insole Sensor Program Available to Public
By
Joe Lemire
Plantiga, which tracks movement through insole sensors, has created a public membership program for athletes of all ages and abilities to receive data-driven insights and coaching.
The company’s inertial measurement sensors (IMUs) are worn inside the shoe to collect data around ground contact, speed, acceleration, load asymmetry and running cadence. Plantiga’s movement coaches provide personal feedback to all users in order to maximize performance, prevent injuries and rehab properly. Following a one-time hardware cost, a subscription costs $30 per month.
Notable users of the Plantiga sensors have included Olympic gold medal sprinter Andre De Grasse, Olympic bobsledder Cynthia Appiah, professional triathlete Rach McBride, MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers and the US Tennis Association player development. Among the company’s athlete investors are Toronto Raptors forward Thaddeus Young and wide receiver Will Fuller, who played last season with the Miami Dolphins.
HBSE Launches Second Fund for Sixers Innovation Lab
By
Andrew Cohen
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment has announced a second fund to invest in startups as part of its Sixers Innovation Lab. The fund will focus on investing in companies across sports, esports and gaming, direct-to-consumer, media and entertainment and consumer packaged goods.
HBSE, which owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils, launched the Sixers Innovation Lab in 2016. The accelerator has since invested in 17 startups, 65% of which have had at least one minority founder at time of investment and 40% with at least one female founder at time of investment.
Successful portfolio exits from the Sixers Innovation Lab’s first fund included its investment in gameplay screen recording tool Lowkey.gg, which was later acquired by Pokémon Go developer Niantic. The fund also invested in community gaming platform U.GG, which Enthusiast Gaming acquired for $45 million.
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