The Milwaukee Brewers have today begun accepting reservations for a new golf simulator room that fans can access during Brewers home games and on non-game days starting Sept. 16 at American Family Field. The indoor simulators are designed by X-Golf and will sit in an 11,000 square foot facility located in the space that was previously called the Stadium Club on the Club Level at the ballpark.
X-Golf’s new space at American Family Field will be the company’s first location inside a sports stadium. The facility will span seven golf simulators across two floors, including three simulator bays that offer views of the Brewers’ playing field. Fans can play victual replicas of more than 50 iconic golf courses on X-Golf, such as The Old Course at St. Andrews, Pebble Beach and Bethpage Black. The system tracks golf shot metrics such as ball speed, launch, direction, and spin along with club path, impact, and club speed.
The new space will open 90 minutes before first pitch and close at the end of the game on game days, and will be open 9am-10pm Monday-Thursday, close at midnight on Friday and Saturday on non-game days, and open from 8am-7pm on Sunday non gamedays. The space includes two full bars with food and an outdoor patio with views of the field. The Brewers will also offer X-Golf as an events space.
The Brewers say the new facility will be the first of its kind permanent indoor golf simulator facility in an MLB park. Topgolf operates its Topgolf Live stadium tour where MLB field are turned into pop-up driving ranges, having so far stopped at Chase Field, Dodger Stadium and T-Mobile Park.
WSC Sports, which automates the creation of highlights, has partnered with LaLiga for the first time in a wide-ranging deal.
Beginning with the new season’s matches that begin tomorrow, WSC Sports will generate AI-powered video clips with graphics and branding for every first and second division match in Spain. This will include digital distribution on the website, app and social media as well as the use of WSC Sports’ new Broadcast Pro product, which will produce the highlights in sufficient resolution and quality for LaLiga’s broadcast TV.
Furthermore, WSC Sports will scour the LaLiga archive from the past six seasons to index and tag about 5,000 matches for use in future highlight reels.
WSC Sports, a 2018 SportTechie Outstanding Technology award winner, has a number of existing global soccer clients, including LaLiga powerhouse Real Madrid, UEFA, Serie A, Bundesliga, the English FA and the Italian Football Federation. Domestically, the NBA, NASCAR, MLS and PGA Tour are all partners as well.
Duke has created a new centralized database in conjunction with INFLCR for its athletes to pursue NIL opportunities.
Called “Blue Devil Exchange,” the free portal will allow Duke student-athletes and businesses to directly connect with each other to see if there is a possible NIL match. Neither the university nor the brand-centric company INFLCR will be part of any ensuing negotiations between the athlete and the business. If a deal is reached, however, signed forms in compliance with North Carolina law and Duke’s NIL guidelines will be cross-checked by the school.
The new platform also ensures student-athletes are paid securely, and, in addition, Blue Devil Exchange will house each athlete’s 1099 form for tax purposes. The app will also provide educational forums on NIL issues, finances and brand-building.
INFLCR is owned by Teamworks, a company developed by former Duke offensive lineman Zach Maurides. In February, INFLCR partnered with Meta to help collegiate athletes enhance their profitability on Instagram and Facebook, and, later in March, struck a similar deal with TikTok. Its app that manages social media content is used by 70,000 athletes. INFLCR is currently involved with over 250 college and pro sport organizations.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has invested in Antidote Health, a telemedicine company with a social mission. Antetokounmpo will also serve as a brand ambassador.
Antidote Health seeks to offer affordable healthcare through telemedicine. Its platform asks screening questions about symptoms and then connects patients to a medical practitioner. Antetokounmpo made his investment with the intention of aiding underserved people in communities such as hometown of Milwaukee. Among his other investments have been in sports media company Wave Sports + Entertainment and collectible marketplace Alt.
“I believe that every human being has the right to affordable quality healthcare, no matter their race, location or circumstance, which is why I am proud to join forces with Antidote Health,” Antetokounmpo said in a statement. “My siblings and I grew up impoverished and marginalized. Though we had the support of loving parents, getting healthcare was a struggle. That’s why I empathize with the many Americans who can’t pursue their dreams because they can’t afford healthcare. Antidote Health can help this crisis.”
Social tennis website Break the Love is partnering with American Express in advance of the US Open to offer 10,000 free court reservations in the New York City area. The offer extends to all users of Break the Love with AmEx card members having additional access to peak reservation times.
Break the Love was founded by CEO Trisha Goyal to connect players of similar ability and proximity and then find available court times. The startup, which raised a $2.5 million seed round, is a graduate of the leAD Sports & Health Tech accelerator in Lake Nona. It previously partnered with Wilson Sporting Goods on discounted tennis permits in NYC and with Equinox, a health and fitness club, for scheduling court times in NYC and the Hamptons.
American Express has been a partner of the USTA for nearly three decades and has created an immersive Fan Experience at the Billie Jean King National Tennis center. It includes Glow Tennis, a mixed reality VR game, among other exhibits.
The Web3 blockchain platform HUMBL is opening a metaverse-based store alongside Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes called “House of Hayes.”
In conjunction with the Ballengee Group sports agency, HUMBL will produce 3D interactive content surrounding Ke’Bryan and his father Charlie Hayes, a member of the 1996 World Champion New York Yankees. Users will be able to take a Ke’Bryan avatar through the virtual “House of Hayes’’ to gather insight on their careers and shop for the family’s endorsed equipment, such as the Wilson A2000 glove, Franklin batting gloves, Old Hickory bats and New Balance cleats.
Exclusive Ke’Bryan Hayes NFTs designed by MLBPA-licensed Lauren Taylor Illustrations will also be available for purchase. The first iteration of the “House of Hayes’’ is at the moment in beta testing and is scheduled to be released prior to the end of this year’s 2022 Major League Baseball regular season.
Google is planning to integrate fitness trackers into its Android TVs to better accommodate the growing demand for at-home interactive workouts.
According to protocol.com, the plans are part of Google’s “Better Together” initiative to ensure that Android and Google TV devices sync efficiently with third party audio hardware. The integration will allow users to monitor heart rate, caloric consumption and various real-time health data from a Fitbit or Wear OS device on their home TV.
Protocol —which claimed Google declined to comment—reported that the augmented Android TVs could be available as soon as 2023. Although Tonal recently cut 35% of its workforce due in part to a possible recession, at-home fitness products such as JAXJOX and Kabata are on the rise. Google’s interest in the sporting landscape increased last year when it became the official technology partner of the WNBA.
Inter Milan has become the first Italian soccer club to join Scotland-based streaming platform Recast. Inter’s new pay-per-view channel on Recast will let fans watch match highlights, player interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and live gameday content from its men’s, women’s and U16, U17, and U18 youth teams.
Recast’s subscription-free online streaming app is available in more than 90 countries and lets users purchase in-app credits to watch specific content through a micro-payments model. Fans can also earn Recast credits through watching ads, sharing content, or inviting friends to join the platform. Other teams with channels on Recast include English soccer clubs Manchester City, Millwall FC and Queens Park Rangers, Scottish clubs Hibernian and Glasgow City, British Fencing, World Curling, and LIV Golf star Ian Poulter.
Inter’s Recast channel will also include an exclusive original series featuring content from past and present club icons such as retired Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo, who played for Inter Milan from 1997-2002. Recast has raised $18 million in funding to date and its investors include former British Olympic Association chief executive Simon Clegg, Indian Premier League cricket star Chris Gayle and former Pixar CFO Simon Bax.
Fuel Hub, a U.K.-based meal prep startup that delivers healthy meals to sports teams and elite athletes, has raised a new $1.4 million (£1.2m) funding round. The company was founded in 2019 by former English professional rugby player James Laithwaite and his wife Michelle Laithwaite.
Current subscribers to Fuel Hub include the EFL Championship and soccer clubs Fulham FC, Blackpool FC and Derby Country FC, as well as national organizations Team GB and England Rugby, and the Warrington Wolves and Catalans Dragons of Super League rugby. Andy Hall, owner of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Moor Hall in England, was a lead investor in Fuel Hub’s new round.
According to BusinessLive, the new funds will help Fuel Hub plan to double its staff to 30 employees and increase its production capacity to more than 20,000 meals per week. “This investment is a turning point for our business as it provides us with the means to scale our operational capabilities and the capacity to partner with even more sports organisations and bodies across the UK,” Michelle Laithwaite told BusinessLive.
Swing analytic company Blast Motion has added three more elite softball players as brand ambassadors, continuing its emphasis on hiring social media influencers.
Just two months after Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo, Jayda Coleman and Kinzie Hansen became Blast’s first-ever active NIL college athletes, Blast has named pro softball’s Amanda Lorenz, Aliyah Andrews and Nicole Bates to its “Team Blast’’ roster with an eye on promoting the company’s swing analyzer sensors and cloud-based services through Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.
Lorenz, a former three-time All-American at the University of Florida, plays professionally for Athletes Unlimited and recently helped USA Softball win a gold medal at the 2022 World Games. Andrews— nicknamed “Air Aliyah’’ for repeated diving catches in the outfield—is a former LSU All-American who also plays for Athletes Unlimited. Bates, the University of Washington’s all-time hits leader, also plays for Athletes Unlimited, while simultaneously coaching for the Huskies.
Blast’s original ambassadors are former Oregon outfielder Haley Cruse and former UCLA catcher Paige Halstead, who each have substantial social media followings. The newest members of Team Blast —Lorenz, Andrews and Bates—will use their platform to generate interest in the Blast mobile app and enhance player development in the softball community.
Liga Portugal will deploy fraud detection services to combat the sale of fake online merchandise through its new partnership with LaLiga Tech, the technology subsidiary of Spain’s top soccer league. All 36 soccer clubs across Liga Portugal 1 and Liga Portugal 2 will now have access to LaLiga Tech’s Brand Protection technology that uses machine learning to quickly detect counterfeit products being sold online.
LaLiga Tech’s software analyzes aspects such as a product’s price, sales channel, security certificates, delivery times and user comments to determine if an item is properly licensed or not. If the report comes back as showing the product is fraudulent, LaLiga Tech then takes steps to remove the product from the internet through its relationship with the world’s leading online retailers.
Existing clients using LaLiga Tech’s Brand Protection services include Vermont-based rowing equipment manufacturer Concept2, the Royal Belgian Football Federation, and Mexican baseball club Tomateros de Culiacán. According to LaLiga Tech, its customers have seen more than 90% of all illegal products removed from online sale so far this year.
