You are here: Home / Archives for 2011

Archives for 2011

Bloomberg Exec Squadron at Baseball Winter Meetings with Mobile Scouting Pitch

December 5, 2011 by

Bloomberg Sports' Bill Squadron

Bloomberg Sports is pushing hard at The Baseball Winter Meetings in a bid to sell more teams and players on the merits of sports information products that tailor video and statistics to an individual player’s needs, MobileSportsReport.com has confirmed.

Bloomberg Sports head Bill Squadron and two sales executives are maintaining a big presence at the annual Major League Baseball Winter Meetings, which began today and run through Thursday, December 8 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. Bloomberg’s goal is to sign as many as 11 new Major League Teams as clients for its Pro level product, which would make Bloomberg a perfect 30-for-30  in selling its Pro level of service into teams.

“Right now, we have 19 out of 30 clubs,” Bloomberg’s Squadron told Mobile Sports Report. “I am not going to make predictions, but I guess our goal is to have all of them.”

Used during the 2011 season by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, among others,  Bloomberg Pro is a secure, rights managed, web-based system that provides real-time analytical tools, data and video to team executives, employees, broadcasts and players.  The 2012 version, which will be showcased at the Baseball Winter Meetings, is faster and has improved scouting data, including reports from Caribbean leagues, college and high school baseball, Squadron said.

Bloomberg will be closely watched at the Baseball Winter Meetings. If successful in sewing up the baseball market, it is likely to quickly push into NBA and NFL products in the year ahead. Such products as Bloomberg’s are a natural fit for the new world of mobile sports because the next generation of professional athlete is completely comfortable using iPads and other devices to access game-day information, and there are more video-centric and Sabremetric-savvy professional athletes than ever before.

Bloomberg’s product isn’t the only data and video platform available in professional sports. As reported by MobileSportsReport, Modevity LLC is used by National Football League teams and the National Hockey League’s Phoenix Coyotes to deliver playbooks and scouting videos to players through its ARALOC Sports Platform. There are significant differences between Bloomberg and Modevity. Bloomberg has ready access to video, news and analytics by being a part of the same company that dominates financial services information, among other verticals. Modevity handles proprietary information generated by coaches and players, and shared in a totally secure environment. Both are examples of new ways sports teams are leveraging technology to get an edge.

For his part, Squadron is an executive of interest to the mobile sports business community. Before joining Bloomberg, Squadron worked at SportVision, which is the company behind the Emmy-Award winning Virtual Yellow 1st & Ten line shown on network football broadcasts, the FoxTrax hockey puck used during the NHL All-Star Game and the concept of virtual advertising shown during television sports broadcasts. If Squadron continues to enjoy success at Bloomberg, it could make one of the first time a mobile sports innovator has risen through the ranks to much broader responsibility at a Fortune 500 company.

Filed Under: Bloomberg Sports, Major League Baseball Tagged With: , ,

Pac-12 calls for Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins fans to do hashtag battle

December 2, 2011 by

The Pac-12 Conference, one of college football’s most aggressive promoters of social media, today called on Oregon Ducks and UCLA Bruins fans to  include #GoDucks and #GoBruins in their comments during tonight’s Pac-12 Football Championship Game.

The athletic conference is administrating to the hashtag battle as a means to increase fan engagement in tonight’s game between the No. 9 ranked Ducks and the un-ranked Bruins.

The Hashtag Battle Defined

Already underway, the Pac-12’s hashtag battle keeps score of the percentage of overall #GoDucks and #GoBruins tweets, and features the best Ducks and Bruins tweets in side-by-side scroll bars for the two teams.

The Ducks and Bruins are scheduled to kick off tonight at 8:30 E.S.T.

The hashtag battle could be more interesting than the game. Oregon is thirty-one and a half point favorites versus the Bruins, whose six win and six loss 2011 season is best described as mystifyingly erratic. A Rose Bowl stake goes to the winner.

Pac-12 uses simple, effective sports social media promo

The Pac-12 did a good job explaining its value-proposition to potential users in 120-characters or less.

Here’s how the Pac-12 promoted the battle on Twitter:

The battle has begun! Use #GoDucks or #GoBruins to cheer on your team. See the results of the hashtag battle: http://t.co/Rx2OZp7L

December 2, 2011 12:31 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite
@pac12

Pac-12 Conference

Gamespaces from Twitter Streams

In creating a simple read-out of the percentage of overall #GoDucks and #GoBruins tweets, the Pac-12 has produced a rudimentary gamespace from the Twitter stream.

Within the mobile sports industry, there are more sophisticated examples of this approach. One is GiveMojo, which incorporates Twitter within its gamespace, but also allows participants to buy extra points, and features referees who assign added value to particularly good tweets. At MobileSportsReport press time, GiveMojo was not offering the Oregon versus UCLA game within its gamespace.

Testing 1,2,3

The Pac-12 is on the ball in administrating to its hashtag battle. A post by MobileSportReport’s @BroApp,  depicted below, referred to an historic UCLA game in which the 15-point underdog Bruins defeated No. 1 Ohio State in the 1976 Rose Bowl.

The MSR test tweet said,

 #GoBruins A little John Sciarra magic tonight? It’d be as big an upset.

This tweet appeared almost instantly in the Pac-12 interface.

However, a second post, under hashtag #GoDucks, commented on the point spread. This tweet was not picked up by the Pac-12. So, the Pac-12 isn’t asleep at the switch in curating its Twitter rivalry.

Here’s what the Pac-12’s presentation looks like:

A post by MobileSportReport's BroApp immediately appeared in the Pac-12 interface. It said, "#GoBruins A little John Sciarra magic tonight? It'd be as big an upset." Another post, under hashtag #GoDucks commented on the point spread. It was not picked up by the Pac-12. Kudos Pac-12. You were not asleep at the switch.

UPDATE: Check out what Fox did after the game (thanks @tariq_ahmad for the pic):

Hashtag battle between #goducks and #gobruins shown on FOX at end of game #smsports #sportsbiz http://t.co/gOTYiA8G

December 2, 2011 10:49 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@tariq_ahmad

Tariq Ahmad

Filed Under: Pac-12, Twitter Tagged With: , , ,

Frookie Speaks Out: DeSean Jackson Sulk Underscores Game-Day Picture Power

December 2, 2011 by

A picture is worth a thousand words, and increasingly during the 2011 National Football League season it is a sideline image that tells the most compelling game-day story.

Thursday night, it was troubled Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson ignoring quarterback Vince Young during an embarrassing, nationally televised 34-14 loss to the mediocre Seattle Seahawks:

Vince Young (left) and DeSean Jackson during loss to Seahawks. Photo from FoxPhilly.com

This isn’t the first time that a sideline image or video clip, perfect for smartphone distribution, has dominated post-game conversation in the 2011 NFL football season. An image of Washington Redskin’s QB Rex Grossman after teammate John Beck threw a touchdown pass had many of the team’s fans questioning whether Grossman isn’t just in it for himself:

Is this a meaningless expression, or the telltale sign of a selfish football player?

Frookie Speaks Out: Media outlets distinguish themselves in today’s sports media arena when they come up with a great photo, video clip, player profile or analysis. In fact, I’m less likely than ever to read a run-of-the-mill game recap on any website other than StatSheet, because StatSheet’s automated approach gives me a cleaner, more consistent read, and all the statistics I need to optimize my sports betting and Fantasy experiences. But, give me a good image or video clip that I can share via a smartphone, and I am all over it.  And share opinion or insight that allows me to contribute to my sports discussions with friends, and I am all over that, too. Just don’t waste my time producing anything less.

On the Eagles:

Frookie Speaks Out: After taking a flyer on Michael Vick and having it work out, the Philadelphia Eagles came to believe they could be successful with any talented player no matter what transgressions they had, or what the Wonderlic Test revealed about their character (or lack thereof).  Eagles fans are paying a steep price for that hubris.  Beginning with coach Andy Reid and general manager Howie Roseman, the Eagles should clean house. Then, they should build a winning team of character, befitting the city and state they represent. In that way, Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians can again have at least one  nationally recognized football team they can be proud of.  That would be the picture-perfect solution.

Finally, here’s a link to footage where the photo of Grossman originated. Decide for yourself whether this is simply an NFL QB hankering to get into the game, or a selfish player you’d be better off not having on your team.

 

 

Filed Under: Frookie Speaks Out, Sharing Sports Media, Sports Social Media, StatSheet Tagged With: , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Who Could Hate ESPN?

December 2, 2011 by

SEC Championship to be streamed live at CBS Sports
Once again the SEC has two of the top teams in the country locked in a battle, this time with #1 LSU vs #14 Georgia in the fight for the SEC title. The game will once again also be a top on-line offering from CBSSports.Com as it continues to raise its streaming sports profile.

Take your pick?

The game will be broadcast on Saturday at 4 pm ET and pits the Eastern Division Champions Georgia against the Western Division winner LSU at the Georgia Dome. It will be streamed live over CBSSports.com/SECLive and CBS Sports Mobile.

CBS plans to start its game coverage an hour earlier and there will be a special tailgate program starting at 1 pm ET. There will also be the usual” 5th Quarter with Gary Danielson” after the game for an interactive post game program.

However interest in the game may not be what past championships have garnered. The Big Lead points out that with LSU a lock for the BCS title game win or lose sales for tickets has been less than stellar and that prices are dropping as fast as the point spread is increasing. I guess fans want to save their money for the expected trip to a bowl game.

Is your smartphone following your every move?
With the revelation that 140 million smartphones have a software component installed that records every keystroke that you make. The program, called Carrier IQ records and sends each keystroke as it is made and sends the information to the company.

Carrier IQ said that it is using the information as a diagnostic tool that will help it gain insight into issues such as why certain calls are dropped. Researcher Trevor Eckhart, who unveiled the issue, shows that it records browsing history, SMS logs and location data as well as keystrokes.

There are some claims that the technology violates Federal wiretapping laws. Well the good news is that congress is getting involved and I am sure that they will have the users’ best interest in mind when they inquire into this issue.

Is Craig James the most hated man at ESPN?
This seems to be the point of a recent Bleacher Report piece that states that he is strongly despised by a significant portion of the sports world. I must have missed this hatred, although I have to say I am not a fan, no one has ever come up to me and said they despise him like they do for say Joe Buck (I know he does not work for ESPN).

Anyway the article goes on to say America wants him fired and that “A vocal population of college football concludes James is a self-aggrandizing liar of the worst kind, who uses sophistry to get what he wants like we use paper towels to dry our hands.” Wow!

The bulk of the trouble seems to have arisen from his role in the Mike Leach ouster at Texas Tech and his inane votes in the BCS poll that alters the standings for both good and bad teams.

There appear to be several different pushes to get him fired and now at least some are trying to target advertisers to force ESPN’s hand. I think that if the revelations in Bruce Feldman’s book did not harm him at the WWL, and in fact drove out possible its best college football writer then nothing will.

New startup fund-Bye Bye Silicon Valley!
A new startup fund called the Revolution Growth Fund has been established by industry veterans Steve Case, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis has been formed with a $450 million in initial funds. It is taking a different slant than many funds which mine Silicon Valley for potential startups.

Instead it will seek to find investment candidates on the East Coast. “We will generally focus on investments in the Eastern United States. We believe there are great entrepreneurs building great companies all over the country, so we will focus our attention outside of Silicon Valley,” according to a note posted on the Revolution Growth web page. The three founders are the three largest investors and there are an additional 24 limited partners.

The ideal company will be one that are consumer focused and are looking to disrupt large industries. The fund expects to be an investor in companies that have already had some venture funding and are now looking to take the proverbial hockey stick upturn. Initial investments are expected in the $20-$25 million range.

Tide turning for Samsung in patent wars?
Samsung won a patent victory of sorts in Australia where the Federal Court overturned a lower court ruling that said Samsung had copied Apple’s iPad and iPhone. This moves the company closer to selling its Galaxy tablets in that country.
However it is not entirely a get out of jail free card as it has been reported that Apple will in its turn appeal, this time to the High Court in an effort to get the overturning overturned. So at least in the near term the injunction against selling the products remains in force.

Make you (NFL Pro Bowl) Vote Count!
The voting closes following the December 19th following the Monday Night Football game between the Pittsburg Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers. You can go here to vote and also try and get tickets to the game, which would make a nice break in a Hawaiian vacation.

Currently Aaron Rodgers if the top vote getter and I saw somewhere that Tim Tebow was 4th among AFC starting quarterbacks. I hope he gets voted in just for all of the gnashing of teeth from sportswriters across the nation!

Filed Under: Android, Apps, bleacherreport, CBS Sports, ESPN, Live sports via mobile, NCAA Football, NFL, Samsung, The Big Lead, Tim Tebow Tagged With: , , , ,

Rovell’s 2012 Sports Business Predictions Include Mobile Spin

December 1, 2011 by

Darren Rovell > Tebow

Powerhouse CNBC Sports Business reporter Darren Rovell today published his 2012 predictions for the sports industry.

Three of Rovell’s 2012 predictions are most relevant to the mobile sports business community:

1. The sale of game start times and final minutes will drive sports sponsorship.

MSR says: This plays into the hands of mobile sports application developers. If you own the last five minutes of a Knicks game, and there’s a lengthy television timeout, what do you do? Look for game-time sponsors to promote branded games and contests during those valuable time periods. That’s good for sports social media application developers, who today find chief marketing officers and advertising agencies are a tough sell. That won’t remain the case if Rovell’s prediction comes to pass.

2. Sponsorship and trademark will continue to thrive in the college sports arena

MSR says: In 2011, college sports emerged as proving ground for the most innovative uses of sports social media applications tied to live sporting events, and continued health of NCAA sports will foster continued advancement.

3. Teams will spend money to adequately wire stadiums and arenas

MSR says: Rovell’s comment marks one of the first times a mainstream business reporter has identified that live sporting events will need to have connectivity equal or better than the sports bar or home in order to remain competitive. In addition, for connectivity companies like Verizon, Sprint and AT&T, the stadium and arena will continue to evolve as the primary place where a large percentage of its customer base will decide whether they will keep their carrier when their service contract comes up for renewal.  Ten years from now, if mobile applications and sports information services continue to grow in importance and efficacy, the stadium or arena may be THE place where consumers decide whether their carrier has the chops to win your business the next time it comes time for the consumer to commit.

Rovell’s predictions are a must read.

 

Filed Under: Darren Rovell, Mobile sports pioneers Tagged With: , ,

Cisco Scoring Big in Europe with Stadium Wi-Fi, Infrastructure Deals

December 1, 2011 by

Warsaw's new National Stadium, soon to be powered with Cisco networking technology.


With a couple new deals for stadium-network infrastructure, U.S. networking giant Cisco Systems is at the start of what could be a big string of wins for its new focus on “connected stadiums.”

A Nov. 15 announcement of plans for soccer powerhouse Real Madrid to partner with Cisco to bring fan-accessible Wi-Fi and other improvements to its home stadium in Madrid was followed by an announcement on Nov. 21 of a deal for Cisco to bring a wide range of technology to the new National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, where next year’s Euro 2012 soccer tourney will kick off.

Cisco Sports and Entertainment Solutions Group SVP and GM David Holland

Though Cisco is no stranger to sports stadium deals — it helped AT&T build wireless networks inside stadiums like AT&T Park in San Francisco and Stanford Stadium, and is behind wireless efforts at facilities like Kansas City’s Livestrong Park soccer arena — the next year should see Cisco kick into full gear on its “connected sports solutions” group, headed by senior VP and GM David Holland. While free Wi-Fi is of top interest to most fans these days, Cisco’s breadth of networking smarts brings even more to the table for venue owners — including the ability to integrate voice, public safety and other data streams like ticketing and concessions into a tight, secure, single IT infrastructure.

For fans, the benefits of a connected stadium are clear: Personal access to instant video replays, the ability to order food from your seat, and the fun of connecting with fans and friends either in the venue or out on the Internet. For teams and stadium owners, a fully connected stadium not only helps make fans happier, it can also increase advertising and other revenue streams while reducing administration and cost of IT ownership.

Where Cisco has an edge over other technology providers is in its depth of offerings — not only is it the world leader in back-end routing and switching gear, but it is also among the market leaders in wireless access gear, through the expertise of its Linksys division. Unknown to most observers is Cisco’s strength in digital-display technology, which it uses in stadium situations to improve or enhance video display on screens both big and small.

Sports is something Cisco understands

And unlike other consumer-based offerings — such as its failed efforts to crack into the personal video market by buying handheld videocam maker Flip — Cisco clearly “gets” the sports fan’s desire to have better access to technology. Just read this snippet from a Cisco blog about stadium technology, which reads like something we might write here at MSR:

Picture a fan sitting in a football stadium full of tens of thousands of people getting ready for the game to begin. The stadium is roaring with noise, the team takes the pitch, and the fan uses his or her mobile device to snap a picture, capturing an iconic moment.

Like most football fans, and sports fans in general, he or she is a vibrant digital and social media consumer, and therefore tries to share that photo via a social media channel like Facebook.

However, with so many fans in the stadium desiring to do that same thing, or engage with their mobile device in another way, the strain on the existing mobile network at the game is intense. The fan finds the device has a low level of or no connectivity, and is unable to share that moment with friends, family and other fans…an inability to interact – something this fan and scores of others desire.

And going to Europe makes plenty of sense for a global powerhouse like Cisco, mainly because of the more-advanced cellular culture there. In some research we are conducting now at MSR we are finding out that most big stadiums in this country have little or no Wi-Fi access — except maybe in the luxury suites. In Europe the revolution toward fully wired fans is already in full swing, and Cisco is smart to get out in front early. It will be interesting to see how quickly these stadium deals contribute to the networking giant’s bottom line.

Filed Under: AT&T, Cisco, Facebook, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, Wi-Fi Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »