Get Ready, AI is Coming...

April 10, 2023

Happy Holidays! What better way to enjoy your day off than a new edition of The Sports Road? Sport, Tech, Laughs, Cringes, and much more - Enjoy!

Here's what we got for ya today:

  • Volleyball x AI

  • How to Make Money…

  • The Game Will Never be The Same

  • UFC 287

Let's get into it!

Volleyball - Welcome to The Future

With a new edition every couple of days, it’s getting pretty hard to find new Sports to talk about.

Well, here’s a new one - and it’s come right on time…

That’s right. Volleyball season is right around the corner, and guess what?

AI is getting ready to run the show. Shock. We know 😂

Yep, Gerford AI have partnered up with Volleyball Australia to change the game. Helping develop the next generation of top Australian Volleyballers, this is what we can be expecting:

  • Gerford use a computer vision software powered by AI in an effort to accumulate data

  • Data is based around player performance and match play

  • Coaches and trainers are key beneficiaries of the product, being able to track their own players’ progress, as well as oppositions

  • The data gathered by Gerford will also be used by media and broadcast members

Importantly, the two-year-deal runs through the 2024 Paris Olympics. Having the prospect of using some of the best data out there, the team will have valuable insight into who should be on the plane to Paris.

With that, the Australians will be able to efficiently scout out future opponents, while improving their own team.

“We’ve seen great success in using our AI technologies to improve performance across emerging sports, particularly table tennis and swimming. It’s very exciting for us to work with Volleyball Australia as so many of the Australian Beach Volleyball players are at the elite level of their sport. Our aim is to help the teams find an extra 1% in their performance as they represent Australia on the world stage.”

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Time to Make $$$$

AI really is taking over. With that, obviously, comes many discussions.

While many hold valid opinions, one thing is for sure. AI makes our lives that bit more simple. Well, artificial intelligence might soon benefit us in more ways than just that.

Betting. If done responsibly can be a great outlet for a bit of banter and a fun way to engage with your favourite Sports while making (or losing 😉) a bit of money.

With AI, that margin for loss may be getting a bit smaller… This is how AI can help you make money 

Powered by advanced AI and different learning algorithms, Dimers – a Cipher Sports Technology group – have announced the launch of the Bettorverse. What a name 🤣

Being one of the first in its industry, the platform was created to help bettors out. Charged by a far more analytical approach, you may just hear a bit less of:

Only covering the MLB at this point, this AI is bound to cover many different Sports in the future. This is reaffirmed in the company's willingness to evolve. Not wanting to stagnate, it’s being said that the platform's learning capabilities are made to adapt to new data FAST…

“Our team has worked hard to create a platform that gives the best betting predictions possible. With this new AI model, we’re confident our users will enjoy a more entertaining betting experience.”

Darryl Woodford, CTO of Dimers

Prepare yourselves…

This weekend, the German Ski Federation (DSV) pleaded to the Government for increased funding.

For what, you ask? AI

Yep, an interaction which perfectly sums up the current trajectory upon which the world of Sport is going.

With everyone seemingly beginning to use AI, the added urge for its implementation can be the difference between winning or losing…

“If we want to work more intensively with AI we also need state funding, which has not been granted so far. We need the commitment that German sport can and wants to afford this technology. The added value is great,”

Karlheinz Waibel, DSV Coach for Science and Technology

While here at The Sports Road we spend a lot of time touching upon the latest Sport AI news, we rarely take a moment to take a step back and think about its impacts on a larger scale.

But Waibel is right… The added value really is great.

From coaching, to performance, to behind-the-scenes things we don’t even know about, AI is completely changing Sport as we know it.

Whether that’s for better or worse is yet to be seen, but until then - if you want to be caught up with everything new…

An All Time Great

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life”

Muhammad Ali

Three Losses, Two Sports, One Man.

That’s what Israel Adesanya faced this weekend against Alex Pereira this weekend.

With many donning the giant ‘the biggest hater in all of Sport’, Pereira would provide Adesanya with two losses of his only five as a Kickboxer.

When Stylebender eventually moved to MMA and cleared out all competition at 185 pounds, Pereira followed. How’d it end? Another Pereira TKO…

So coming into this weekend, the prospects were looking pretty dire for Adesanya. With most people counting him out, he never doubted his own abilities.

While his methods of wearing a dog's leash were unconventional, he shocked the world. He backed up everything he said he would do.

Not backing down despite looking somewhat wobbly in moments during the first two rounds, all it took was two punches while he lulled Pereira into a state of over-confidence. Knocked. Out. Cold…

Already having cleared out the entirety of the UFC’s top 5 Middleweight contenders, the question stands – What’s next?

More importantly, is Israel Adesanya the greatest UFC Middleweight ever?

Congrats to the champ!

Quick bites

Meme of the day

😂 😂

Quote of the day

"Let's go eat a God damn snack." 

Rex Ryan

Photo of the day

Ah, MMA

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Chat to ya on Wednesday! ☮️