Premier League Expands Smart Mouthguard Study on Heading Impacts

By Andrew Cohen

The Premier League is expanding its study on the health impacts of heading in soccer by outfitting 12 clubs with Protecht sensor-embedded mouthguards supplied by Wales-based sports technology company Sports & Wellbeing Analytics (SWA). The 12 clubs play across the Premier League, English Football League and FA Women’s Super League.  

Liverpool and Manchester City began equipping players with SWA’s Protecht mouthguard last season. The expanded study will see players from 12 clubs wear the smart mouthguards during training sessions. Sensors in the mouthguards track the frequency of hits to the head and the force and direction of each impact.  

The data will be used to monitor a player’s training load and inform the Premier League on its future heading guidelines for players. As part of its research with SWA, the Premier League developed neck strengthening programs for players after discovering a potential relationship between neck and shoulder strength and head acceleration. 

SWA developed Protecht in collaboration with mouthguard manufacturer Opro. Premiership Rugby clubs Harlequins and Gloucester and Welsh rugby club Ospreys also wear the mouthguards as part of head impact-monitoring studies with SWA. Harlequins rugby player Danny Care previously spoke to SportTechie about what he’s learned from wearing Protecht in training. 

I don’t get into the big collisions, so these were just running to the line, passing to someone, getting hit. The force that was having on my neck or on my head, which I wouldn’t classify as a collision, for me was mind-blowing,” Care said. “To see the g-force that some of our big lads were hitting people with or getting hit, and the rate of knots that their neck was going back was mind-blowing, really, of how physical the sessions can be.” 

UFC Champ Amanda Nunes to Offer Personal Training in Digital Gym in Partnership with The Sports Metaverse

By Joe Lemire

The Sports Metaverse has launched a presale for real estate in its digital world and partnered with two-time UFC division champion Amanda Nunes in which she will offer training in her metaverse gym. 

A full public land sale is planned for June, with the Sports Metaverse announcing the first five brands to purchase space: Phat Fish Fantasy, Own the Moment, ThriveFantasy, Beyond The Game Network, and Press Sports. Nunes is creating her own digital gym in which her 3D avatar will offer MMA coaching. 

This is the latest venture from SportsIcon, a graduate of the 2021 Techstars Sports Accelerator that previously released a batch of NFTs that included interaction with and training lessons from pro athletes. The company’s executive team has experience at Sony, Doom, Playstation Home, and Nvidia. It rasied a $5.5 million seed round with investments from Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou, retired NBA player Andrew Bogut, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley and the rapper Nas. Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku partnered with SportsIcon last November. 

Real Madrid Creates Digital Replica of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for Fans

By Andrew Cohen

Real Madrid has created a digital replica of its Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in which fans can navigate their avatars to view 3D replicas of the venue’s halls, museum and trophy room. The app includes a real-time automated text and voice translator for fans from all over the world to communicate. 

The La Liga soccer club developed its Real Madrid Virtual World in partnership with Spanish company Astosch Technology. The app can be viewed on smartphones or tablets via downloading from the App Store, Google Play or China’s Huawei AppGallery. 

In a separate metaverse activation, the Real Madrid TV streaming service partnered with AR glasses maker Nreal in January to let fans watch matches via an augmented reality display.  

Washington Nationals Promote Terra as UST Stablecoin Plunges

By Andrew Cohen

Terra, the cryptocurrency company that signed a $40 million partnership with MLB’s Washington Nationals in February, had its algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST) trade at less than 30 cents on Wednesday. Terra’s UST is meant to maintain a 1-to-1 peg with the U.S. dollar as a so-called “stablecoin” intended to serve as a less volatile form of cryptocurrency.  

On Tuesday amid the coin’s rapid market plunge, the Nationals tweeted a “crypto 101’ video from their official account that was presented by Terra. The 45-second video details perceived benefits of cryptocurrency such as “cryptocurrency can’t be counterfeited or double-spent […] and allows for secure transactions with no middle-man.” 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen mentioned the collapsing value of TerraUSD during her testimony on Tuesday for the U.S. federal government to pass a regulatory framework for stablecoins. “A stablecoin known as TerraUSD experienced a run and declined in value,” Yellen said according to MarketWatch. “I think that simply illustrates that this is a rapidly growing product and that there are risks to financial stability and we need a framework that’s appropriate.”

The food and beverage club located behind home plate at Nationals Park was renamed The Terra Club in February as part of the team’s five-year deal with Terra. As part of that deal, MLB said that UST could be accepted as a payment method at Nationals Park as early the 2023 season. 

SAS Builds AI-Powered Batting Cage for Youth Baseball, Softball Hitters

By Andrew Cohen

Software analytics firm SAS is set to open The Batting Lab in Cary N.C., a batting cage for little leaguers that contains sensors and computer vision cameras to track their stance, swing and ball flight data. Cary-headquartered SAS aims for the cage to help educate kids about analytics and data literacy. 

More than 50,000 data points are collected on each swing inside The Batting Lab. Feedback is shared in real-time via in-cage screens on its floors and walls. Batters will see data on how to improve their weight distribution, hand position and core movements. Swings from youth players are compared to The Batting Lab’s optimal swing model that SAS created after analyzing thousands of swings from North Carolina State University’s baseball and softball teams. 

NC State partnered with SAS in 2020 to study fan behavior and identify potential donors. SAS will also offer an online Data Playbook for kids to improve their swings and gain data literacy at home through analytics tracked by The Batting Lab.  

AT&T, Quintar Partner on Second-Screen AR Activations Inside Venues

By Andrew Cohen

AT&T and augmented reality startup Quintar are collaborating to develop AR experiences for fans attending live sports events. The AR activations will run on AT&T’s 5G network, which is currently installed at more than 40 venues. 

The partnership will focus on second-screen AR activations inside venues. Last week, the PGA Tour acquired a minority equity stake in Quintar as it became the league’s official mobile AR developer through 2024. Quintar has created shot data graphics for the PGA Tour AR mobile app since 2020, and it partnered with SharpLink Gaming last year to make an AR-focused sports betting platform. 

AT&T is the title sponsor of PGA Tour events such as the AT&T Byron Nelson and Pebble Beach Pro-Am. AT&T also operates StatsZone, a feature that displays game stats in augmented reality on apps for the NBA, WNBA and Chicago Bulls.  

“Augmented reality is about to transform from a tool that has only been used to deliver marketing gimmicks around the game to a highly personal, naturally simple, and indispensable companion to watching games,” Buddy Scott, Quintar’s SVP of platform products and experiences, said in a statement. “The Quintar platform, which delivers accurate long-range AR visualization, combined with AT&T 5G, transforms attending home games into powerfully meaningful in-game, on-the-court AR metaverse experiences.” 

LA Kings First NHL Franchise to Tap Volumetric Video Capture for Immersive Fan Experience

By Joe Lemire

The Los Angeles Kings, in partnership with Tetavi, are the first NHL franchise to use volumetric video capture to create an immersive fan experience for the metaverse.

Tetavi’s portable volumetric capture studio was set up last month at the Kings’ practice facility, the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo. Kings players Anže Kopitar, Phillip Danault, Adrian Kempe, Viktor Arvidsson, Trevor Moore and Alex Iafallo, as well as mascot Bailey, were recorded with the first videos airing during the Kings’ first home playoff game on May 6 at Crypto.com Arena. 

Israeli-founded Tetavi uses 3D video and machine learning algorithms to produce its volumetric video. Serial entrepreneur Miky Tamir—who previously founded SportVU, Pixellot and Track160, among other companies—is a co-founder and the chairman of Tetavi. 

$62.5M Series B Funding Round for Self-Checkout Kiosk Company Mashgin

By Andrew Cohen

Mashgin, whose self-checkout machines are used at more than 30 sports stadiums, has raised $62.5 million in Series B funding to now value itself at $1.5 billion. Venture capital firm NEA led the funding, which will accelerate Mashgin’s expansion and help the company scale internationally.  

Stadiums with Mashgin’s self-checkout kiosks to process food, beverage and retail transactions include Citi Field and Madison Square Garden in New York, Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, Honda Center and SAP Center in California, Seattle’s Lumen Field, Denver’s Mile High Stadium, Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and NRG Stadium in Texas. Mashgin’s machines are installed at more than 800 locations across venues, airports and convenience stores.  

Fans place their items on the machines for self-checkout and electronic payment. Mashgin says its computer vision correctly identifies 99.9% of items it scans. The company’s machines have to date processed 35 million transactions worth $310 million in sales.  

Portugal’s Benfica Teams Up With Genius Sports for Its AI Data Tracking Prowess

By Tom Friend

The Portuguese soccer powerhouse S.L. Benfica is the latest to partner with Genius Sports for data tracking and broadcast enhancement.

A holder of 37 Primeira Liga titles, Benfica will lean on Genius Sports’ Second Spectrum division for insight on player performance and analytics. Through Second Spectrum’s AI and machine learning, Benfica‘s staff and players —as well as its fan base and partners — will gain access to important data points such as expected goals, pressing metrics and player and shot speeds.

Benfica broadcasts will also go interactive, augmented with player statistics and digital overlays. Genius Sports is already ensconced in soccer—domestically and internationally—through previous partnerships with the EPL, MLS, Danish Superliga and Club Necaxa. The company, which acquired Second Spectrum exactly a year ago for $200 Million, also has deals with the NBA G League and the NCAA during March Madness.

Dustin Johnson, Jalen Ramsey Invest in OxeFit, Maker of XS1 Workout Machine

By Andrew Cohen

PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey have invested in AI fitness startup OxeFit, maker of the at-home workout machine XS1. The Texas-based company has now raised $35 million in total funding. 

Existing athlete investors in OxeFit include Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott, Toronto Raptors’ forward Thaddeus Young, former MLB star Matt Kemp and former NFL stars Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. OxeFit’s cable-based XS1 machine has a built-in force plate and supports more than 250 strength training and cardio exercises. A user’s workout data is tracked on the machine’s built-in screen, which streams classes and displays form-feedback during exercises.  

Similar to Tonal, the XS1 can generate up to 250 pounds of resistance through the machine’s dual electromagnetic motors. Packages for OxeFit’s XS1 direct-to-consumer product start at $3,799 and the monthly subscription to stream workouts costs $39.99. The company also sells another computer vision-based workout machine called the XPI that is tailored for use by elite trainers, rehab facilities, professional athletes, universities and sports teams. 

La Liga Expands Deal with GreenPark Sports for Match Day NFT Jerseys

By Andrew Cohen

Spain’s top soccer league La Liga has expanded its multi-year deal with metaverse gaming platform GreenPark Sports to release Match Day NFT jerseys to be worn by their in-game avatars. Fans will be able to collect digital team and player jerseys that commemorate the real jerseys worn during La Liga matches.  

GreenPark, which raised $31 million in Oct. 2021, will launch its inaugural collection of Match Day jerseys in the coming weeks. The company’s website and mobile app will let fans purchase “football lockers” to access digital player kits from specific La Liga matches. GreenPark’s virtual fan world lets users represent their favorite La Liga club while competing in minigames against other fan bases. 

Users can also visit other “fan universes” in the GreenPark app as the startup also has licensing deals with the NBA, MLS and League of Legends Championship Series. GreenPark’s La Liga offering is currently only available to fans in the U.S. and Canada, but there are plans to expand into more countries.