Hashtags Popping Up in Unexpected Places #emergingtechnicalfoul

How do you get your college football game to trend on Twitter? Paint your hashtag on the end zone of course. That is just what Mississippi State has done in preparation for their big rivalry game against University of Mississippi this Saturday. They painted in huge letters #HAILSTATE, which represents the school's traditional fight song and rally cheer.

Twitter is utilized frequently by Mississippi State’s athletic director Scott Stricklin. He said they were discussing just painting HAIL STATE on the end zone, then somebody suggested hashtagging it.

This is a first in college football, but not a first for plugging a hashtag. According to Mashable, “A Mexican first-division soccer team recently replaced the player names on jerseys with their Twitter handles, also believed to be a first in the sports world.”

This idea, albeit a little loud, is awesome. While I will quickly become annoyed if hashtags start popping up all over players and courts, I love the ingenuity and creativity of this idea. Ref. mashable.com Pic Ref. mashable.com

MOTOACTV Launched

Motorola launched MOTOACTV on Nov. 6th at the New York City Marathon. This wristwatch is a fitness tracker/music player that utilizes Android software. MOTOACTV has the ability to track extensive data about your workout and trends improvement on a daily basis.

MOTOACTV is sweat-resistant and scratch-resistant and has an anti-glare screen. The device can be integrated to sync with your Droid Razr allowing you to read a text message right on your watch. However reviewers are most impressed with“the SF700 Wireless Sports Headphones with Integrated Heart Rate Monitor, which works via Bluetooth and keeps track of your heart rate through your ears.” The cost is on the high side at $250 for 8 gigabyte or $300 for 16 gigabyte sizes.

This innovative technology takes working out to the next level, but at a cost that may deter potential consumers. It will be interesting to see if this high-end product takes off in the athletic world. Ref. and Pic Ref. innovationforendurance.com

The New Booth Review…Twitter

For many, Twitter has completely changed the way they watch sports. It has allowed fans to watch games with their favorite announcers and sports writers, without leaving home. But this weekend I observed another unexpected way Twitter has changed the game viewing experience…right in the stadium. At the Bears-Lions game this weekend there were several booth reviews, challenges and other calls that required a break in the action for the refs to review the play. At Soldier Field most plays were replayed once but only from a single camera vantage. Therefore, Hester’s long return as viewed by the cross-field camera left the fans wondering if he actually did step out of bounds.

However not all fans wondered. My husband simply retrieved his phone, clicked on the Twitter app and read what his favorite sports guys had to say about the play. While the rest of the stadium held their breath in suspense if the touchdown would be called back, we already confidently knew (thanks to some local sports journalist and the multiple camera angles they saw on TV), that the call on the field would indeed stand.

Twitter is not only helpful at the stadium; it is especially helpful when controversial calls are made. Why was the down replayed? What was the coach thinking running that play? The best part is you control whose opinion to receive and are not forced to listen through silly announcer banter. Pic. Ref. sportslogos.net

What Your DNA Can Tell You About Your Game

Practice and hard work can bring people to incredible levels of success, but most professional athletes are also gifted with extraordinary genes. And while everyone can cite a jack-of-all-trades athlete who is great at many sports, the majority of people are predisposed towards certain types of (endurance or power) sports.

Skill predisposition is exactly what eager parents want to learn about their kids and they are willing to shell out $160 to find out. Atlas Sports Genetics, of Boulder, CO offers parents a DNA swab kit that collects DNA to be analyzed for the ACTN 3 Gene. The levels of this gene potentially determine which sports your child is best suited to play. People with low levels of ACTN 3 are better suited for endurance sports like swimming or cycling. While high levels equate to strength and power, skills ideal for sports like rugby or football, a little ACTN 3 represents mixed-pattern athletes with both strength and endurance skills (who can play most any sport).

Atlas Sports admits that kids could potentially succeed in sports that do not match their genetic code. However they are angling this as more of a ‘head start’ indicator to know what your kids are likely going to be better at, while not 100% locking them into just one type of sport. Skeptics argue these tests are a waste of money and could lead to parents pushing kids into sports in which the child does not have interest.

I think this sounds like an expensive, but fascinating test of science. I know genes play a huge role in success in sports, but for kids, it should be about fun and not grooming. Perhaps a better (and definitely less intrusive) test would be to expose young kids to an array of sports and let them decide what they like best. I predict most of the time kids will like what they are naturally good at. Ref. cbslocal.com, thepostgame.com