Monday, May 6, 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.
- USA Softball Women’s National Team to Use Blast Motion Swing Tracking: As part of a new partnership with Blast Motion, the USA Softball Women’s National Team will use the company’s swing tracking technology. More than 120,000 youth softball teams across the U.S. will gain also access to Blast Motion’s sensors for in-game use during USA Softball-sanctioned events. The data captured will allow players and coaches to compare hitting trends over time and provide real-time feedback during training sessions. “The best players in the world can do things no others can. This technology can help make some of those intangibles more distinguishable,” said Ken Eriksen, USA Softball Women’s National Team Head Coach, in a press release.
- NASCAR Announces Betting Content Partnership With The Action Network: NASCAR has signed a betting content partnership with The Action Network as part of the organization’s continued push into legalized sports betting. PJ Walsh, editor at The Action Network, will make picks for NASCAR’s new props game, the NASCAR Props Challenge, which will appear on NASCAR’s website. The Action Network will also share recommended picks and value bets for race winners and head-to-head driver matchups via race-day content. This partnership comes just a few days after NASCAR inked an exclusive betting data deal with Genius Sports.
- MyCujoo Streaming Service Signs Exclusive Rights Deal With Brazilian Soccer: Sports streaming service MyCujoo announced a multi-year exclusive digital rights agreement with the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol, the national governing body for soccer in Brazil. Nearly 700 CBF matches per season will stream on MyCujoo, including the men’s Brasileirão Serie D competition and the Feminino Serie A and B women’s leagues. MyCujoo’s platform will also include athlete-generated content, enabling CBF players to “claim their digital profile, own and share their individual contents,” according to a press release.
- TopGolf and the Chicago Bears Plan to Use Soldier Field as Driving Range: The Chicago Bears will welcome guests to hit golf balls out of the south endzone at Soldier Field as part of a new partnership between Topgolf and event marketing firm Complex Sports and Entertainment. Topgolf Crush will take place at Soldier Field from July 11-14 and tickets start at $50 per player and $105 for VIP tickets. Topgolf’s analysis tool Toptracer Range will be used to track the flight path of golf balls and score every shot. The company has previously run similar events at Heinz Field, AT&T Park, and Safeco Field.
- Details Emerge on Plans to Use Flying Car to Light Tokyo 2020 Olympic Flame: Toyota is rumored to be planning to use a flying car to light the flame at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. According to carsales.com.au, star Toyota engineer Tetsuya Tada is behind the project, as well as Toyota-backed startup Cartivator. Toyota is the global automotive sponsor for the 2020 Olympics and recently confirmed its financial backing for Cartivator, a startup company focused on making mass production of flying cars a reality. “For the Olympics, do you think we should have a car, or something else, some form of technology?” Tada said at a Toyota event in Australia.