A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know this morning, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web.
Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 – MLS may soon be the next major U.S. sports league to embrace gambling, while across the pond, soccer giant Arsenal is launching crypto-collectibles. Women are becoming a growing force within esports, and Google is looking to disrupt traditional console manufacturers.
- MLS May Embrace Betting: Major League Soccer is expected to soon become the latest North American sports league to place its bet on legalized gambling. “We are about to announce a relationship with a new gaming company that will sponsor the league and we are very excited about that,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Garber added that MLS is about to announce a new “data relationship” that would provide fans with statistical information for placing bets on in-game events.
- Google’s Yeti Could Disrupt Consoles: Google has plans to announce a new streaming gaming hardware called “Yeti” next month, according to 9to5Google. The service would allow users to stream video games without having to buy a console like Microsoft’s Xbox or Sony’s PlayStation. Google’s ambitions to disrupt the gaming industry with its streaming technology comes a week after market research firm Newzoo projected the global esports industry to eclipse $1 billion in revenue in 2019.
- More Women Tune Into Esports: Female esports viewership grew 6.5 percent from 2016 to 2018, according to data released Thursday by market researcher Interpret. Women now represent 30 percent of the total audience watching esports events. According to Skillz, a platform that offers mobile competitive gaming, seven of its top 10 mobile earners were female. Recently, SportTechie covered a non-profit called The 1,000 Dreams Fund that plans to award $1,000 grants to women pursuing a career in esports.
- Arsenal FC to Launch Crypto-Collectibles: Sports technology firm Fantastec announced a licensing agreement with Arsenal FC to create a new blockchain-powered collectibles app called Fantastec SWAP. “As football fans, many of us remember collecting and swapping player cards with friends,” said Peter Silverstone, Arsenal’s Commercial Director, in a press release. “This initiative with Fantastec SWAP brings that concept into today’s digital world and gives our fans access to unique Arsenal collectibles and content wherever they are in the world.”
- Hailey Dawson Joins the Hall of Fame: Eight-year-old Hailey Dawson made baseball history by becoming the first-person to ever throw the ceremonial first pitch at all 30 MLB stadiums, and now a piece of her story is headed to Cooperstown. Dawson, who was born with Poland Syndrome, is sending the 3D-printed robotic hand she used in 2015 to throw her first ceremonial pitch at Camden Yards to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, according to Hailey’s Instagram.