Wednesday, May 29, 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
- MLB All-Stars to Be Chosen Via Google Online Voting Platform: Major League Baseball worked with Google to introduce an exclusively online voting system for this year’s All-Star Game in Cleveland. Fans can search “MLB Vote” on Google to find the form, and select up to 17 players per day. They can also type the names of individual players into Google to cast their vote. Google voting is available to U.S. and Canada users only and a separate voting period will be implemented to determine starters for the All-Star Game. Fans can also vote online and via mobile devices through MLB.com, all 30 Club sites, the MLB At Bat app, and MLB Ballpark apps.
- Football Tech Startup GoRout Named Finalist in NASA Competition: GoRout has been named among the 10 finalists of NASA iTech. The company’s in-helmet display system allows players to view diagrams of plays while on the field. GoRout and the nine other finalists will present their business plans at the iTech forum in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Jul. 10-11. Three winners will receive continued mentorship to help develop their technologies, though no money will be awarded. “NASA iTech provides the opportunity for companies to engage with NASA center chief technologists, investors, and industry leaders so they can continue to make an impact on Earth and in space,” said Kira Blackwell, the NASA iTech program executive for the Space Technology Mission Directorate, in a NASA press release.
- FIFA Hosts Virtual Hackathon to Crowdsource Voice Assistant Tech: FIFA is running a virtual hackathon to find ideas and build prototypes related to voice assistant technology. The organization is looking for new ways that voice assistants can support soccer events and interact with data. The hackathon is being hosted on GitHub and will run until Jun. 10. Winners will receive two tickets to the France 2019 Women’s World Cup Final. “In particular, we are looking to gather product ideas and prototypes of Alexa Skills / Google Actions showing innovative and compelling ways to interact with football related content through voice-driven devices,” FIFA explains on the event’s participation page.
- New Jersey Approves Media Group to Expand Sports Betting Ties: The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has approved an Ancillary Casino Service Industry Enterprise license to Nova Scotia Sports Media Pros. The license permits NSSMP to expand its partnerships with legal sports books and online gaming operators within New Jersey, allowing sister site Covers.com to receive revenue share for referring customers to those partnered operators. “The application for an ancillary CSIE license is an insight into our plans in New Jersey and other states, as they launch online gaming and sports betting,” said Mark Harper, General Manager of Nova Scotia Sports Media Pros and Covers Media Group, in a press release.
- Esports Organization Dignitas Signs Broadcast Deal With Caffeine: Esports organization Dignitas and social broadcasting platform Caffeine have signed a multi-year partnership. All official Dignitas content will be exclusively live streamed on Caffeine, a competitor to Twitch that has received funding from both 21st Century Fox and Disney. Dignitas and Caffeine will also produce an original digital series that highlights Dignitas’s teams in games such as Rocket League and CS:GO. Caffeine will also broadcast Dignitas’s upcoming initiative to produce original content and live shows for leading influencers across both gaming and pop culture.