Science of the London Games

Science and technology are practically cousins when it comes to sports. Recently NBC created great short videos about the science of the Summer 2012 Olympic Games. They have uploaded several of these videos to NBCLearn.com, and I highly recommend checking them out.

My personal favorites are the “Designing a Fast Pool” video and the “Sarah Robles and the Mechanics of Weightlifting.” The pool video dives (I apologize) into the simple but impactful science of waves in a pool. The video explains what makes the London pool so ‘fast’ and why the inner lanes are favored by athletes.  My other favorite video features friend of the blog Sarah Robles. You may remember I wrote about Sarah’s clever marketing techniques to raise money to go to the Games. That video shares the complexity of recreating the amazing strength of Robles with robotics. Other topics these videos cover include the Biomechanics of Usain Bolt, the Long Jump of Bryan Clay and Engineering for Mobility (wheelchair mechanics). (Ref. nbclearn.com)

What the MLB All-Star Game Teaches the World About Social Media

In general, All-Star games are pointless and do not receive much fanfare. But this year, the MLB turned the All-Star game into a week-long social media frenzy. They did it the same way they made baseball's All-Star game the only professional sports All-Star game worth watching; they made it MATTER. The league that wins the All-Star game gets home field advantage for the World Series Final, something that matters...a lot. That exact same principle is true for all social media, be for a team, event, or even a business. Social media will only get attention if it matters and is interesting.

This year the MLB did an amazing job building excitement and buzz by rewarding fans for their participation and making their participation matter. The week leading up to the game, fans could Tweet their votes to fill the final spots on the roster (see #TakeJake). During the game, players were actually allowed to live Tweet to fans. The MLB also planted the very simple #asg (all-star game) hashtag to encourage even more sharing. Teams, leagues and even regular businesses could learn a lot from the way the MLB managed social engagement this year. The MLB simply applied to their social strategy the same concept that works for their sport’s all-star game---make it matter and people will care.

Below is a great infographic from Bluefin Labs about this year's MLB All-Star game.

Goal-Line Technology Approved by FIFA

Today FIFA announced it will introduce goal-line technology at the December seven-team Club World Cup taking place in Japan.  After the Club World Cup, the plan is to use this technology at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil and then at the 2014 World Cup.  Goal-line technology has had a long and bumpy road to FIFA adoption.  Way back in February of 2011, FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke in an interview that FIFA was very interested in leveraging the technology, but only if it worked perfectly, which would require a battering of tests.  Those sentiments remain but if everything goes well in Japan, widespread adoption does not appear to be too far off.

Both Hawk-Eye and GoalRef technology will be used in Japan after each was approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) panel.  I previously discussed the Hawk-Eye system back in March 2011 relating to the potential implementation of goal-line technology in Gaelic Football.  According to ESPN.com, “Hawk-Eye is a British camera-based system already used in tennis and cricket. GoalRef is a Danish-German project using magnetic sensors to track a special ball.” 

One important note, this technology comes with a large price tag.  The English Premier League will likely soon adopt one of these systems with an expected cost of around $250,000 per stadium.  MLS (Major League Soccer) has also indicated an interest in implementing goal-line technology. 

However FIFA’s announcements were not just about high-tech modifications today.  They also approved the use of 5 referees during matches (the additional refs to be placed beside each goal).  Similar to goal-line technology, this 5 ref system was approved in the effort to better officiate the most important part of the game, goals.  However the IFAB approval of both goal-line and the 5 ref system are considered purely optional...if a league chooses to use and pay for it. Ref. espn.com

#TakeJake Campaign Heats Up All-Star Game Vote

The White Sox have put together an All-Star Game bid campaign that has taken social media by storm.  #TakeJake was launched in an effort to persuade fans to vote in pitcher Jake Peavy to the All-Star Game coming up Tuesday, July 10th.  While nearly all the roster is set, fans get the chance to vote for the final person who makes the American League and National League teams. 

The White Sox have thrown their weight behind Jake Peavy with a catchy #TakeJake campaign.  Since its launch, teammates, fans, and even celebrities like Charlie Sheen have Tweeted and shown their support for Peavy.  Paul Konerko and Chris Sale made short YouTube videos urging fans to vote for Peavy to join the AL All-Star roster.  Below is Konerko’s 25 second video.  The White Sox have also put together a pretty funny ‘campaign’ video poking fun at political videos by ending with a picture of Peavy in front of an American flag with a recording of him saying “I’m Jake Peavy and I approve this message.”  You can see the Jake Peavy campaign video here.  The fan-voted favorite will be announced Thursday.  Click here to vote for Peavy.  Ref. mlb.com, youtube.com