2012 Ryder Cup Team Allowed to Tweet

Davis Love III, captain of the 2012 US Ryder Cup team, announced that he will allow his US team to Tweet throughout the tournament. The 2010 US Ryder Cup captain, Corey Pavin, banned his team from Tweeting throughout the week of the tournament. The reason for the ban? Pavin was quoted in 2010 saying, "The team has come to a consensus not to do that. It can be a little bit distracting some times. I think it's important to focus on the Ryder Cup and playing the matches.”

A new captain brings new rules, and Love spoke out about Twitter in an ESPN interview. About social media Love said he plans to tell his team, “Look, guys. You can do whatever you want with social media, but you're representing the United States team.” He went on to say, “It doesn't matter if we're talking about Twitter or the way you carry yourself on the golf course. We're going to represent the U.S. well.”

In a recent article I discussed how pro sport mascots tweeting is a brilliant marketing move to keep fans engaged in the action. Once again I believe allowing team members to Tweet is a positive move. Undoubtedly players will be keeping a lid on some details of the tournament, but being able to get into the heads of some greats like @ZachJohnsonPGA, @bubbawatson, @stewartcink and @RickieFowlerPGA will be awesome for fans. The 2012 Ryder Cup will take place at Medinah Country Club in Illinois. Ref. AFP, espn.com

YouTube Talks of Live-Streaming Sports

This week there has been much discussion over whether or not the NBA and the NHL are entering talks with Google’s YouTube to stream live videos of games. An article from Bloomberg quotes Brian Suh, head of YouTube Partnership at Google’s Korean unit, saying that YouTube is in talks with, “most pro sports leagues” including the NBA, NHL as well as some European soccer leagues. However recently CNN reported that according to a statement by the NHL, "The NHL is not in discussions with YouTube to stream live games. The NHL has not had conversations with the Google spokespeople mentioned in the Bloomberg report."

Live streaming sports video on YouTube is not new. Last year YouTube began live-streaming Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches. The two year deal with the IPL gave YouTube the exclusive right to stream live matches online. The IPL and YouTube agreed to split revenue earned from advertising and sponsorships. Additionally, according to Business Week, That venture proved lucrative, with games bringing in 55 million visits from more the 250 countries.

While the NHL is denying talks with YouTube, Michael Bass, a rep from the NBA said, “We’re pleased that YouTube recognizes the value of live sports.” The opportunities for streaming live sports could mean big business for Google’s YouTube. An average person visits YouTube for minutes, but potentially watches TV (especially sports) for hours at a time. This means that not only are advertising opportunities more prevalent; it also opens up opportunities for reaching various other customer markets.

Since nobody will actually confirm talks, it is unclear under what terms this agreement might be struck. However, if a deal is made it could be huge for sports fans. This deal could allow fans in various cities to view live games no matter where they are located.

It will be interesting to follow this story to see what (if any) agreement can be made. Ref. bloomberg.com, cnn.com, guardian.co.uk

Teddy Roosevelt Tweets About The Nationals

What better way to celebrate Presidents' Day then by following Teddy Roosevelt on Twitter? Numerous professional sports team mascots are on Twitter including Teddy Roosevelt (@Teddy26Nats) who Tweets about the Washington Nationals. Twittering mascots are an inexpensive marketing gimmick used to connect team fans across the Twitterverse and update them on upcoming events, promotions and team news. Not only do mascots reach some key demographics of younger sports fans, their Tweets engage fans with the team year round.

What is in it for the fans to follow the mascots? This varies by team, but the majority of the mascots are downright hilarious. This writer’s personal favorite is @Southpaw, the Chicago White Sox mascot. Most mascots make silly comments and jokes about rival teams, pop culture and their appearances around town. Additionally, mascot Twitter posts sometimes offer fans the chance to score free tickets or promotions.

Social media offers huge potential opportunities in the marketing world, especially for professional sports teams. Controlled Twitter accounts that release a mix of team information and goofy commentary charm fans throughout the year (even in the off season) and connect with an elusive but potentially lucrative audience. Truly a win-win.

PGA Show 2011

The PGA recently posted this video showcasing some of the awesome new golf technology for 2011 that was featured at the PGA show.



Highlighted products this year include golf simulators, motion analyst systems, and GPS. The theme of this year appears to be new tools and gadgets that gather data about the way you swing and contact the ball. That data is then interpreted and a recommendation is made for how you can leverage technology to maximize your game.

Beyond analyzing your game, the simulators have become so advanced that snow-bound golf enthusiasts can hit the links for a round of 18 completely indoors. So while a lot of the new technology is slated as 'game-improving,' in some cases it is actually 'game-enabling' for those who cannot wait for spring.

Human VS. Machine - BOWLING

This week on Jeopardy!, Ken Jennings (Jeopardy! record holder with 74 wins) and Brad Rutter (Jeopardy! all time biggest money winner) will take on Watson, an IBM computer designed to compete on the game show. The spirit of human vs. technology is not limited to trivia. Back in Oct. 2010 Pro Bowler Chris Barnes took on bowling Robot, EARL to see whether technology could dominate over humans in sports.

EARL (Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher) is a robot with capabilities to throw the ball down the lane from 10-24mph and spin from 50 to 900 rpm. Additionally the ball may be gripped different ways and at different angles to adjust the throw. The technology behind EARL involves hydraulics, air pressure and electronics. According to Neil Stremmel, the managing director of the United States Bowling Congress, "[EARL]'s able to throw a ball to within a tenth of a mile an hour, a third of a board down the lane, more consistent and more accurate than any human bowler." (Huffington Post)

EARL was created to help set official game rules and to test/design bowling balls, lanes and pins at a consistency that is not achievable by humans. Consistency however does not necessarily mean a better bowler and the world needed to know: are machines really better than humans at sports? The face-off between Barnes and EARL indicates that humans still have the edge over machines…at least in the bowling alley. In a triumph for the human race, Barnes defeated EARL 259-209.



The reason man beats machine? EARL’s consistency caused it to throw the ball in exactly the same spot each time, meaning the oil-slicked lanes created a pattern. It actually was EARL’s pin-point regularity that caused its defeat. It turns out humans can better adjust for the changing lane conditions than machines. Regardless of the outcome on Jeopardy! this week, the world knows at least one arena where man dominates machine. REF. huffingtonpost.com, jeopardy.com, robaid.com, sportstechreview.com,

Living and Literally Dying With Your Favorite Team

A study led by Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD in Los Angeles associated death with a home team’s Super Bowl loss. The study researched cardiac deaths in Los Angeles after the 1980 Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl loss. The study found there was an increase in cardiac deaths in the two weeks following the Rams' defeat as compared to other years when a Los Angeles team was not in the Super Bowl. The data speaks for itself, a 15% increase in circulatory deaths for men, and 27% increase in women. It is important to note that only the death certificate was referred to when conducting this study and it is unknown whether or not the individuals who died were Rams fans, or even watched the game.

The study also looked at the 1984 easy victory for LA Raiders over the Redskins. The number of deaths after that game actually went slightly down. Experts say win or lose, the emotional stress of an exciting game can be associated with death. Cardiologist Dr. Joon Lee was quoted by WCNC.com saying, "It's actually a phenomenon that's pretty well known among cardiologists that any type of stressful event can precipitate an increase in cardiovascular events." This is especially true in people who are already at high risk for a heart attack. While a similar study was done back in 2006 about soccer fans in Germany during the World Cup, the higher death rate results were mainly found in men. REF. wcnc.com, cnn.com, scienceblog.com

Conflict Resolution for Fantasy Sports

Now that football season has officially come to a close, some are still celebrating, some are counting the days until catchers and pitchers report (10 days for the White Sox) and others continue to bitterly resent a completely unfair trade that cost them their fantasy football season. With baseball season approaching, for those who do not want to get burned again by murky league rules, there are several on-line services that offer same day dispute resolution.

Sites like fantasydispute.com offer an unbiased 3rd party perspective on any disputes that arise in fantasy sports leagues. This site solves these disputes on the authority of years of fantasy play and training in dispute resolution (actually boasts a panel of lawyers). Fantasydispute.com allows a person to submit the dispute to the site, giving a brief description of the problem. Then the other person involved in the conflict may send a write-up of their response (their side of the story). To be fair, the league commissioner or others involved may also submit comments. The judge will make a ruling and email their decision with 24-hours of the submission. This particular site costs $14.95 per dispute. Other sites offer similar services, with comparable pricing per dispute or full season deals of unlimited dispute resolution for ~$100.

Fantasy sports have exploded over the past few years, and only continue to grow. Some leagues have pretty hefty sums at play and whenever there is betting and sports involved…some discrepancies are bound to arise.

Goal-Line Technology Under FIFA Review

Once again goal-line technology is being explored by FIFA officials, but this time it might actually be implemented. The goal-line controversy has been reviewed for years now, but is under special consideration this year because of a notorious incident at the 2010 World Cup. During the games in South Africa, a shot by England midfielder Frank Lampard bounced over the goal-line, off the crossbar and back onto the field. This goal against Germany would have brought the game to 2-2; however Uruguayan match officials somehow missed the shot and did not award England the goal.

Recently Sepp Blatter, FIFA President, spoke to CNN on the use of goal line technology in soccer. In his interview Blatter maintained that until there is a system that meets two key criteria, goal-line technology would not be accepted. The two criteria are that the system is accurate and immediate (he also commented that it should not be too complicated). The International Board is currently reviewing different types of this technology and will then make a decision whether or not to accept. When pressed, Blatter said that regardless how conservative the committee is, if the above criteria are met, goal line technology will be instituted into the game.

A CNN pole revealed that 92% of voters wanted to see goal-line technology in football (soccer). One of the most famous and influential dissenters is UEFA president Michel Platini. He has been quoted in saying that goal-line technology is not needed and will lead to “PlayStation football.” Essentially, what Platini and some football purists are afraid of is a slippery slope leading to technology regulating every element of the game.

I have been on the fence about the technology and honestly do share the fears of Platini. In the past I have even spoken out against changing the regulation process. However, I am coming around in appreciation for sport regulators’ ability to draw a line. It is so easy to get carried away with technology, and sports help put that into perspective. Tactful consideration of technology is what big tech businesses do every day. Likewise, I have faith the sports world will be able to implement a reasonable and progressive solution in the name of justice for the game. After all, where would the world be if fear of a slippery slope oppressed all new technological evolvement? REF. cnn.com/video cnn.com