​Satisfi Labs, the conversational AI platform for destinations and experiences, announced today a partnership with StatMuse, the leader in Search for sports stats and information. The two Google Assistant portfolio companies partnered to provide NFL teams instant access to comprehensive statistics and player information, from real-time all the way back to the inaugural season (1920). NFL teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are enhancing the fan experience with conversational access to stats, scores, odds, recaps & more.
 
With more than half of the NFL stadiums playing games this season without spectators, fans are looking for new ways to connect with their favorite teams and players from home. The integration of StatMuse’s Sports Search API into Satisfi Labs’ Interactive Answer Engines platform will allow fans of the home team to receive instant answers to their most pressing sports questions via webchat, app, messaging channels and voice.
 
Fans can now ask directly in a conversation with their team’s virtual assistant for a player’s career stats against a specific team, how their team is performing, post-game recaps for players and teams, head-to-head match-up questions, historical player and franchise information, and more.
 
“We’re thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Satisfi Labs and integrate our industry-leading Sports Search API in Satisfi’s platform. Whether it’s to follow the home team, dominate their fantasy league, or beat the book, we’re excited to deliver personalized, on-demand stats and info for passionate NFL fans,” said Eli Dawson, Co-founder and CEO of StatMuse.
 
“Our integration with StatMuse brings fans closer to the game, even when they aren’t in the stadium,” said Don White, CEO and Co-founder of Satisfi Labs. “Our Interactive Answer Engines are expanding in capabilities for each team, and will continue to be a valuable resource for fans, whether they are in-stadium or at home watching the game.”
 
The integration of StatMuse Sports Search into the Satisfi Labs’ platform is available for select NFL teams during the 2020 season. Expansion of the Search stats and info databases will be available for NBA and NHL by the end of 2020, and EPL by early 2021.
 

SSB, a leading data management and analytics company, and Legend Labs, a renowned brand and communications consulting firm, have partnered to create FanLab, a collaborative offering that drives fan engagement to yield revenue growth for professional and collegiate sports organizations. By combining innovative expertise in operational systems, business intelligence and communications strategy, FanLab allows sports organizations to create new revenue streams and bolster existing ones by individually connecting with modern sports fans in a meaningful way.
Professional and collegiate sports organizations are experiencing rapid changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fan engagement from traditional channels such as game attendance and TV viewership have plummeted, causing a significant decline in revenue. The need for personalized digital fan engagement to sustain organizations and fuel revenue generation has never been higher.
FanLab leverages SSB’s Central Intelligence platform, the industry leading hub for fan data integration and analysis, which also includes an innovative new fan segmentation technology called Fan Factors. Informed by decades of experience with hundreds of sports organizations, Fan Factors defines the behavioral and brand engagement attributes of successful teams across the entire fan universe. Taking millions of data points from ticketing, donation, merchandise and CRM systems, Fan Factors classifies fans into three core segments - Disengaged, Casual, or Avid.
“Every fan differs in enthusiasm and devotion, which translates to variations in spending, engagement, attendance, advocacy and more,” states Steve Hank, SSB’s Senior Vice-President for Sports and Entertainment, Collegiate Athletics and Higher Education. “FanLab distills a database of thousands or millions into distinct fan segments, allowing for unprecedented segmentation and the development of meaningful fan communication strategies.”
Segments can be broken down into fan personas, allowing for further personalization. This information informs and drives strategic brand and communications initiatives.
“Fan segmentation is a critical first step in building engagement strategies that grow loyalty and revenue,” explains Jeff Hunt, Partner at Legend Labs. “How disengaged fans feel and think varies compared to Avid or Casual fans, and each group needs to be communicated with differently. With the right fan intelligence and a communications function built to tell great stories with rich content, organizations can personalize engagement, measure results and continuously optimize."
To help organizations prioritize how and where they invest to drive fan engagement, FanLab has developed a free and easy Organizational Readiness Assessment that delivers actionable recommendations. The assessment is built on FanLab’s understanding of attributes successful organizations share, and a growing recognition that all leaders need to be well versed in the operational systems they use, how data can be leveraged, and how branding, storytelling and reputation management can meaningfully impact business results.
To learn more about FanLab’s offerings and capabilities, join SSB and Legend Labs for the first of a series of hourlong webinars on Thursday, November 19th at 1 p.m. CT. To complete a complementary Organizational Readiness Assessment, read more about FanLab, or to register for the upcoming webinar, visit FanLab.us.

Press Sports, a sports social media app that istransforming the way fans, athletes, coaches, and teams build their brands and engage with sportshighlights, today announced the closing of its $750,000 pre-seed funding round.

Press Sports was founded in 2018 with the goal of becoming the leading global sports social
network that brings athletes, fans, coaches and teams from all levels closer together. Press Sports offers unique features for the sports community like live-updating leaderboards and
individualized Hypezone feeds that the community curates by “hyping up” videos. The app
recently released the new Breakdown feature that allows fans and coaches to easily add their
feedback or reaction to an athlete’s original post.

“Growing up playing just about every sport together, Drew and I never had a place to compile
and share footage of our favorite moments as athletes,” said Conrad Cornell, CEO and co-founder of Press Sports App. “We created Press Sports for the over eight million high school
and college athletes out there that are just like us—who don’t have a chance to showcase their
career in a way that can be used to create opportunities and one day look back on. It was clear
that the mainstream social media platforms would never cater to the specific needs of the sports community, so we started building a healthy alternative for modern day athletes and fans to interact in a sports-focused atmosphere.”

The funding round was led by Overline, an Atlanta-based seed-stage venture capital firm that
primarily focuses on startups in the Southeast, and included Central Piedmont Investment Group and Sound Media Ventures, an Atlanta-based fund that focuses on high tech firms that power tomorrow’s media experiences.

Sean O’Brien, Managing Partner of Overline said, “We have tracked the growing popularity of
vertical social networks that build community among people with shared interests and passions, enabling them to share highly relevant content and to make more meaningful connections around their common interests. We are thrilled to partner with the Press Sports team in its mission of creating the world’s leading sports-centric social network for athletes and fans.”

Drew Williams, Head of Growth and co-founder of Press Sports continued, “We’re proud to
have built an engaged community that includes thousands of the country's most highly recruited athletes alongside their fans and friends. Press Sports gives players a platform where it is not only acceptable, but encouraged, to promote their personal achievements. As they build their fanbase on the app, student athletes will be well positioned for the NCAA NIL rule changes expected to take effect next Fall, which will allow college players to monetize their name, image and likeness directly through our app.”
​
“We have been working with the Press Sports team since early this year, and we continue to be
impressed by their understanding of today’s sports markets,” said Michael Cohn, Managing Partner of Overline. “With the recent additions of both the technical co-founder and the CTO from YikYak, which previously generated social media success at scale, we see the Press Sports team as having all the ingredients needed to build a world-class company.”

The Hawks weren’t inside the NBA bubble, but you got to observe how the league and other teams operated within it. What have been some of the most significant lessons learned from the bubble so far? And are they informing your plans for the new season?
Steve Koonin: From a business side, we learned that there are unique opportunities. I don’t know how much you watched, but all of the floor signage was virtual, which gave the opportunity to feature different brands. Microsoft Teams [was] integrated into the TV broadcasts in order to put fans virtually in the stands, even though they were in their living rooms. It’s hard to look and see that we’re going to start next season with full stands. I think that’s a safe assumption. So how can you make up for some of the attendance gaps with advertising and marketing programs that utilize technology in and around the court? That’s going to be a big focus for our team and others.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90558140/atlanta-hawks-ceo-steve-koonin-on-how-covid-19-is-changing-basketball

Every aspect of a top athlete's performance is now monitored by some form of artificial intelligence. Heart rate, blood sugar, sleep... you name it, somebody, or something, is checking it.

Under the jersey, on the arm, around the wrist, the devices are as discreet as possible but are precious tools in honing performance.
"Today, the number of technological advances, which make it possible to follow the physiological state of an athlete, is exploding," Gael Guilhem, director of the sport, expertise and performance laboratory of the French Sports Institute (Insep), said. The object is to collect personal data so as to leave nothing to chance and perfect each parameter of preparation.

www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/tech-trackers-becoming-precious-tools-in-sports-science

Mobilitie, ​the largest privately-held wireless infrastructure firm in the nation, is deploying a network upgrade to support top wireless carriers and 5G capabilities throughout Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, Florida, home to the 2020 AL Champion Tampa Bay Rays. An iconic venue in the Tampa Bay area for more than 30 years, Tropicana Field has accommodated numerous sporting events under its dome, including countless collegiate football and basketball games, tennis matches and even sprint car and motorcycle racing.
“We are thrilled to have selected Mobilitie as our long-term wireless solution provider, said Juan Ramirez, VP of IT for the Tampa Bay Rays. “Their expertise in deploying innovative network infrastructure has made them a great technology partner, and we are excited about the new network and the future technologies, including 5G, it will provide for the stadium, the team and the fans.”
Mobilitie’s massive network upgrade is comprised of 15 sector MIMO DAS and features more than 15,000 feet of fiber, 138 remotes and 276 antennas, ensuring fans have a robust wireless experience within the stadium by improving network speeds, capacity and cell reception throughout the venue. With faster and more reliable connections, fans can freely text and make calls, take and share pictures and video, and use data-heavy apps without missing a moment of the action on the field.
“The latest mobile technologies and enhanced connectivity are a vital part of the fan experience for major league sports venues. With the league hopeful that attendees can soon return to the stands, what better way to welcome fans back than by offering a best-in-class wireless experience. We are making that a reality for Tropicana Field and all those who will soon visit to cheer on their favorite teams," said Michael Curry, VP of Wireless Solutions at Mobilitie.
Tropicana Field is the latest Major League sports stadium where Mobilitie has invested in new infrastructure to provide support for 5G and future technologies. In recent months, the company announced projects and upgrades with LA’s Staples Center and Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.

The Seattle Seahawks are running another play from an evolving virtual fan engagement playbook, teaming with Microsoft once again, this time to connect fans in Microsoft Teams with players and coaches before a game.
The experience using the tech giant’s collaboration software is called Pregame Huddle, and allows a select group of fans to feel closer to the action as the Seahawks warm up at CenturyLink Field. As the team continues to play in an empty stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Seahawks are seizing on technology to try to bridge the divide.
Players coming out of the tunnel to the field are encouraged to stop at a Microsoft Surface Hub where they can say hi and chat with the fans who have assembled in Teams. Seahawks game-day emcee and radio personality Gee Scott serves as a host, leading chats between fans and getting the players to interact. As the team is warming up, a video feed in Teams might show stars such as Russell Wilson tossing passes to D.K. Metcalf, or offer up stats on Bobby Wagner and so on.

www.geekwire.com/2020/teams-players-seattle-seahawks-microsoft-partner-put-fans-virtual-pregame-huddle/

Ticketmaster, the global leader in advanced ticketing technologies, today announced the development of SmartEvent, a new suite of technology tools that helps fans safely return to live events. Designed with flexibility in mind, SmartEvent gives event organizers the ability to adapt protocols to meet evolving needs of capacity, distancing and other logistics throughout the reopening journey for concerts, sports games, comedy shows and other events. Many of these capabilities will deliver long-term implementation value, opening new doors for fan experience.
“We know that fans around the world are eager to return to live events and SmartEvent gives event organizers an array of solutions to help make that possible,” said Mark Yovich, President of Ticketmaster. “SmartEvent brings together our advanced technology platform and industry-leading venue and seating insights, putting Ticketmaster in the unique position to facilitate paths back to live.” 
While the road back to live events will look different in markets around the world depending upon local conditions and regulations, Ticketmaster’s SmartEvent offerings provide event hosts with tools they need to operate in this new environment while giving fans peace of mind. 

www.livenationentertainment.com/2020/10/ticketmaster-introduces-smartevent-solutions-to-help-events-welcome-back-fans/