The End of Sports Journalism

Sorry aspiring sports writers. As if the internet’s near massacre of the newspaper business has not eliminated enough journalist jobs, now technology is going for the jugular by actually penning game recaps. A joint effort between GameChanger software and Narrative Science can take raw stats from the local high school baseball game and create an editorial article recapping all 9 innings instantly.

GameChanger Media is a 2009 startup that offers scorekeeping and stat-tracking apps for tablets and mobile phones. It works by having a team admin record real-time game information on the app by moving players around a virtual field and recording outs, steals, hits etc. Furthermore, the data all lives on GameChanger’s servers so it is real-time and does not take up space on personal devices. Many teams have already begun using it. The company added 10,000 teams in 2010 and another 14,000 in this first half of 2011. Currently it is only offered for baseball and softball but there are plans to expand to other sports in the future.

Any high school sports fan knows this app is aptly named; it really is a game changer. Team mangers and coaches will no longer be required to manually copy paper stat sheets into the computer to share. Parents (or alumni) can now follow the results of games and view player information in real time. Super fans can opt for the premium services package and subscribe to email/Facebook/Twitter game alerts. Schools or local online media can even install a GameChanger widget on their site for real time game info (non-Kindle readers will see I installed a sample team widget at the bottom of this article). Additionally, the basic features of setting up teams, using the scoring app and entering game stats are completely free. GameChanger makes money when fans opt to pay for a premium account which offers additional information like access to live play-by-play game stream, spray chats, game logs and premium SMS (text)/Facebook/Twitter alerts. Individual subscriptions to premium accounts are $10 per team, per season.

Teaming up with GameChanger, Narrative Science is a small startup that takes a data set of numbers or text and creates articles. This means that articles can be published about a game seconds after the final pitch. Here is a sample article. To be honest, I doubt Bill Simmons or Rick Reilly are getting too nervous about their job security. My journalistic side thinks these stories read like they were written by an enthused English-as-a-second-language 9th grader who just learned the rules of baseball. The articles have simple sentence structure and are a little repetitive. My technical side is amazed that such software exists. It is remarkable that a program can generate unique (though lackluster) articles that are both accurate and comprehensible.

This partnership will undoubtedly continue to make waves in the sports industry. While GameChanger has strategically positioned themselves in the youth baseball/softball market, growth is imminent. It will be interesting to see how they market themselves as they expand. Whether they go to bigger leagues, different sports or global markets, the options are plentiful. Strategically, the way they plan growth could ultimately determine the success of the company…and how long it will take until I can get my St. Francis High School volleyball app. Ref. gamechanger.io, narrativescience.com, techcrunch.com

White Sox Pitching Coach Launches Instructional Pitching Website

Don Cooper, former MLB pitcher and current pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox, has launched a website targeted at young pitchers looking to improve their game. The site, DonCooperBaseball.com, offers private video analysis of pitchers. The analysis includes evaluation of a pitcher’s style and offers a side-by-side comparison to another pitcher who is properly demonstrating their suggestions for improvement. This personal analysis offers pitchers many benefits. First, a tried and true expert explains what is being done wrong and how to improve. Second, this correction of improper technique potentially prevents future injuries. Finally, this site offers pitchers the all-important exposure to a major league coach.

In addition to a side-by-side comparison for visual learners, Cooper’s analysis will suggest drills used in professional baseball to help shake the bad habits and instill some stronger practices. Bad habits are hard to break, but Cooper’s hope is to mechanically instill the appropriate methods to keep people healthy and hopefully set them up for a successful future.

By simply uploading videos of yourself pitching, (3 pitches from two viewpoints, side and front views) the site’s team will be able to judge your current ability and make suggestions for improvement. The instruction does not have to stop after the initial analysis either (which costs $149.99). Players can continue to correct their pitching and receive further instruction with follow-up analysis ($99.50). According to Wired.com, Cooper “hopes his clients will stick with him for years; he said he’ll go as far as to recommend successful high school players to his numerous contacts in the college ranks.”

This is a fascinating business plan. I believe the spirit is 100% right on. Too many youth are not properly instructed on the mechanics of pitching and will either not reach their full potential or worse, hurt themselves. As a White Sox fan I am biased, but if you are looking for tips on pitching, you cannot get a much better source than an MLB pitching coach. Furthermore, the low injury rate of White Sox pitchers since Cooper took over full-time in 2003 (including winning the 2005 World Series on the backs of their pitchers) only strengthens his credibility. I cannot wait to see how this takes off, and if video analyzing as a service business will explode into other sports (golf, tennis). Ref. DonCooperBaseball.com, Wired.com, Picture: DonCooperBaseball.com

sOccket Soccer Balls: Spotlight on Innovation

Some of the world’s best innovations are born from people without resources or expertise but who have passion, creativity and are striving to make the world a better place. Quite possibly my favorite invention of all time was created by 4 college girls: Jessica Lin, Jessica Matthews, Julia Silverman, and Hemali Thakkar. These girls became aware of the energy crisis in Africa and happened to be assigned to the same fall 2008 engineering class assignment at Harvard University. In turn, they invented sOccket. (Note: This invention gained publicity last year, but I just became aware of it so I thought it was worth covering today.) sOccket is a soccer ball that captures kinetic (motion) energy during play and stores it in the ball. At night, the ball can be plugged into (and power) an LED light. The ball captures enough energy in just 10 minutes of play to power the small LED for 3 hours of light once the sun goes down.

The original prototype functioned by using “an inductive coil mechanism similar to those found in shake-to-charge flashlights. The movement of the ball forces a magnet through a coil that induces a voltage to generate electricity” (Takepart.com). Unfortunately, this technology was expensive and only lasted for a few months of play before breaking down. The good news is that the model has been updated and will be released later this summer/fall. sOccket’s website offers further product information and how people can donate to this cause: http://www.soccket.com/

What is the need for this invention? Many take for granted the ability to flip a switch at dusk. However the energy crisis in Africa is one of staggering proportions. The following are statistics from the soccket.com website. “More than one out of every five people in the world lives without any access to electricity” (IEA, “World Energy Outlook” 2009). Which begs the question what do people do at night? Many use kerosene lamps that are potentially dangerous to the health of people and the environment. The effects of this hazardous source are clear, “indoor use of solid fuels is single-handedly responsible for almost 500,000 deaths per year in Africa” (WHO 2006).

This invention is far from perfect and is constantly being enhanced. However, the spirit of the invention is inspiring for so many reasons. sOccket demonstrates lessons we have all known since we were children, but do not always see in action. First ‘I am only one, But still I am one’ – These college girls were just people who put their talents to help a good cause where they could. Second: ‘Every little bit helps’ – The inventors are well aware this will not solve the world’s energy crisis, but they saw the opportunity to make a small but significant difference and took it. Third: ‘Teaching a man to fish’ - Co-founder Jessica Lin said it best, “[sOccket] is a new way of thinking about problems many people face on a day to day basis…and it enables empowerment, for children to literally power their own lives.” And isn’t that really the beauty of the whole project. Ref. soccket.com, takepart.com pic. takepart.com

Women’s World Cup Final - Something to Tweet About

If you Tweeted during the final match of the Women’s World Cup this past Sunday, you were not alone. In fact you were part of history. The Women’s World Cup game drove a new record high Tweets Per Second (TPS). Twitter announced on its own Twitter account @twitter, “New Tweets per second records! End of the #WWC final: 7196 TPS. And today's end to the Paraguay/Brazil game is now 2nd with 7166 TPS.”

For those who tuned into the game, there was plenty to write about. Fans saw the excitement of the US gaining and losing two different leads, going to overtime and the game ending dramatically with penalty kicks finally determining Japan as the winners. Ironically, the previous record of Tweets Per Second was reached in March 2011; 5,000 TPS in the moments following Japan's earthquake and tsunami. While a disappointing ending for the US, it is great to see the subject of ‘Japan’ trump its own sad record with one of happiness. Ref. yahoo.com, picture ref. nutmegradio.com

USA Wins World Cup…Well Slightly Creepy World RoboCup

Some Americans claim soccer does not have enough action or excitement. I totally disagree, or at least disagree that humans playing soccer is not exciting. On the other hand, watching robots play soccer could seem somewhat monotonous and even a little disturbing. However my national pride swells for the two USA robots that took first in the adult-size and child-size categories at the 2011 World RoboCup.

I became even more proud once I read what went into the victory of USA’s CHARLI-2 beating Singapore’s Robo Erectus 1-0 in the adult-size category. To give some perspective of this machine, last year Popsi.com comprehensively wrote about a similar robot, CHARLI-L. The article said, “Its name is CHARLI-L (the “L” stands for “Lightweight” and the rest for “Cognitive Humanoid Autonomous Robot with Learning Intelligence”). Created at Virginia Tech, it’s America’s first true humanoid, in that it requires no remote power source or computer, it stands roughly five feet tall and has arms and legs, and it walks—left, right, left, right—like a human.” Click here to read more about CHARLI-L.

Below is a video of the final match of the USA’s victory over Singapore. (to save you some time, the only real action is in the first 2 mins, after which there is a series of time violations and missed shots). Supposedly the goal is to have these robots ready to compete against humans by 2050. That appears to be a lofty goal based on this video, but who knows?

Congrats to CHARLI-2 and its human creators Dennis Hong’s RoMeLa team from Virginia Tech. Now (I never thought I would write this) let’s hope this weekend the US Womens soccer team can follow the robots’ example…so strange. Ref. popsi.com, popsi.com, picture: popsi.com

UCI Sets Regulations for Cycling Technology

Nothing motivates technology regulation like somebody pushing the limits just too far. And according to UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) President Pat McQuaid, the top 3 track cycling nations Australia, Great Britain and Germany have pushed track cycling technology outside of the spirit of the sport. McQuaid said, “It has become apparent to the UCI that over the past few years it [technology in track cycling] has got a little bit out of control.” Some prototype bikes cost upwards of 50,000 pounds and give the rider advantages that less expensive bikes simply cannot compete against. Many bikes are available as prototypes in these top 3 countries that are not even commercially available elsewhere.

Regulation in cycling has long been a murky subject. Positions, such as the insanely aerodynamic ‘Superman’ position have already been banned. The fire of this debate has really gathered momentum leading up to the 2012 London Games. Some from the lead nations argue that other countries could similarly invest in better equipment and then give themselves the advantage.

Rosemary Barnes of Sports Technology Ethics wrote an interesting reaction on the scrutiny being placed on cycling technology. Click here to see it. She claims that overregulating in itself is actually putting some athletes at a disadvantage. She says, “Another rule that is problematic for the UCI is limiting bicycle weight. This rule exists austensibly (sic) to ensure rider safety and to reduce bicycle costs. But the weight is the same for all bicycles, regardless of size. In this case, shorter cyclists are at a relative disadvantage, as a 50kg cyclist's bike must weigh the same as a 100kg cyclist. obviously the smaller bikes are going to be relatively over-built, and will contribute a proportionally larger amount to the total rider+bike weight.”

I like where Barnes argument is coming from. She points out that the UCI and other governing bodies do not know how to set up unambiguous rules to regulate sports. Rules like ‘spirit of the sport’ are vague and lend themselves to inconsistencies. Much like when a judge makes a ruling in court, once a precedent is set, it is hard to go back. That being said, I actually think (if only given two extreme examples) I would rather see overregulation (in the spirit of fairness for all countries rich and poor alike) over allowing an athlete to essentially buy a title championship. Yes, athletes from advantaged wealthier countries can train with better equipment and perhaps for longer hours since they do not need to work separate jobs to support their families. However at the end of the day, on the playing field all things should be held as equal as possible. Whatever happened in the gym two weeks earlier is subject to advantages per country wealth (outside of steroids), but the day of the event any person from any country should have a fair shake at winning. Ref. cyclingnews.com, sportstechethics.com,

‘High Tech’ Sports of The Past

Do you ever wonder if technology of the future will inspire new sports? While the next great sport may be just a couple high-tech inventions away, sometimes forcing technology to be sporty is just plain wrong.

Popular Science took a look at the interesting ‘hot new sports’ of the past. Check out this hilarious article, “Strange Sports of Tomorrow,” that highlights past Popular Science articles from the 1920s and ‘30s about cutting edge sports. Needless to say, these sports never really took off. They highlight everything from parachute sledding to archery-fishing to even airplane bubble chasing. What I cannot believe is that sports like motorcycle polo never came to fruition. This is what Popular Science said of it in 1935, “Not a game for timid souls is this machine-age sport, in which roaring motors replace galloping ponies.” Ref. popsci.com pic ref. popsci.com

How It's Made: Fireworks!

Happy 4th of July to all my US readers! In honor of this holiday, I have embedded a video showing how fireworks are made. While setting off fireworks is not actually a sport, it is still exciting and pretty extreme. Interestingly, to create these impressive pyrotechnics, makers use a shockingly low-tech process. Precision quality control? Not exactly. Link to video: http://youtu.be/3mlrjrLUpyg