Friday, Mar. 15, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web.
- ECU Researchers Study Visual Processing Abilities of Baseball Hitters: Researchers at East Carolina University are using motion capture and eye tracking technology to understand how baseball players process visual information while gearing up to swing. High school to semi-pro level test batters were fitted with Qualisys motion sensors and eye-tracking goggles from SensoMotoric Instruments to track their movements as they swung at pitches. “This is the way sports and baseball are headed. Hitting and anything involving movement is very much an evolving science,” said Trent Britt, owner of Next Level Training Center in Greenville, N.C., in a press release.
- Pac-12 Basketball Tournaments Feature Noahlytics Data: Every shot taken during last week’s Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament and this week’s men’s tournament is being tracked by the Noahlytics data service. Teams are receiving shot charts, rim maps, and specific shot measurements after each game as part of a partnership between Noah Basketball and the Pac-12. Noah Basketball’s virtual shot chart data is also being used to generate graphics for Pac-12 Networks. The Pac-12 is the first NCAA conference to partner with Noah, whose shot tracking system has also been used by the Los Angeles Clippers.
- EA Builds Esports Competition Studio at Headquarters in California: Electronic Arts has opened the EA Broadcast Center at its headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif. The center includes a new competitive gaming studio that will host gaming tournaments, and will also serve as a content creation hub for producing esports-related shows, player-to-EA gameplay feedback panels, and player interviews. The venue is equipped with touch screen analysis and 360-degree visual sets, a players’ lounge with cameras and microphones, an AR green screen, and more than 60 TV monitors. EA Broadcast Center will host its inaugural event, the Madden NFL 19 Challenge, from Mar. 15 though Mar. 17.
- Minute Media Adds The Big Lead to Sports Media Portfolio: Minute Media has acquired The Big Lead, a digital sports news publication that previously operated under USA Today and was owned by Gannett. Minute Media, which mostly publishes fan-generated content, also owns sports news site 12up, soccer-dedicated platform 90min, and esports news site DBLTAP. “The Big Lead is the perfect complement to our current portfolio and a strategic step in Minute Media’s evolution as we look to power more brands utilizing our proprietary technology,” said Asaf Peled, Founder and CEO of Minute Media, in a press release.
- Overtime Plans Alternate Broadcast of Knicks v. Lakers on Sunday: Digital sports network Overtime will produce an alternate broadcast of this weekend’s game between the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. It will air on the MSG+ channel, MSG Go app, and MSGNetworks.com, and will feature Overtime talent calling play-by-play of the game in an effort to appeal to a younger audience. “[Viewers] want the people on screen to maybe be a little bit more relatable, be able to incorporate more things about pop culture and ultimately, too, feel a little more like their friend,” said Zack Weiner, Overtime’s co-founder and president, according to Front Office Sports. MSG Network was a contributing investor in Overtime’s recent $23 million Series B round.