The NBA’s Newest AI

Welcome back to The Sports Road, ladies and gentlemen! Want to hear about the newest innovations in sport, while being kept up-to-date with some of the wackiest stories across your favourite games? Perfect – that’s exactly why we are here… Enjoy!

Here's what we got for ya today:

• The NBA’s Newest AI

• College Football is Changing FOREVER

• The Next Big Thing?

• 😲

Most Valuable Sports Teams:

Let's get into it!

NB-AI

Well, the title probably gives what this next story is going to be about… 

So – the NBA. Undoubtedly one of the world’s biggest sporting organisations, and more recently, absolute innovators in the sports-tech industry.

Don’t believe us? Just listen to this… In the last couple of weeks alone, the NBA has experimented with new LED technology, Digital Experiences, Virtual Reality (VR), Machine Learning (ML), and more!

Today? Yeah, you guessed it. AI 🎉🎉🎉

Appropriately named NB-AI, the technology will be used – not only to ensure fans can find out more and engage further with the league – but also fulfil some of their weirdest NBA wishes… 

While not much information has been released about the system, this is what we know about the technology so far:

• Acting as an NBA-trained voice assistant, the system – in a way – works similarly to devices such as Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home.

• Working in real-time, the system utilises advanced AI to analyse fan footage, transform digital media, and create things that – up until now – most NBA fans would think crazy… 

• Representing a new phase of fan engagement in sport, this innovation could see the spark of Generative-AI making its way across the sports world.

Yeah, that was literally an NBA x Spiderman AI combo… Again. SOMEONE MAKE THIS ALL MAKE SENSE!!!!!

TODAY'S EDITION IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SPORTSICON.AI

College Football: Levelling up!

Let’s not beat around the bush… College Football is a STAPLE of American Sports culture. Alright. We know. That’s pretty obvious…

But really. Helping not only to shape the next generation of athletes, College Football perfectly encapsulates a lot of the reasons why we all love sport. 

And for that very reason – in our opinion – you would be pretty hard pressed to find ANYONE that would reject changes that’ll only make the game better. 

And guess what? With technology, we might just be getting those changes. 

Let us explain:

This week, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) – a Division 1, Collegiate Athletic Association – announced that it had approved two key technological applications. 

The first being centred around coach-to-player communication, and the second being improved video access. 

Having the ability to significantly impact performances, technological innovation in player-to-coach communication would see teams stray away from the use of hand signals and cardboard signs. 

With the current system giving way for the opposition to see what is being said, devices such as radio helmets (for example) could give teams a new edge in their play. 

Furthermore, in using tablets to access real-time video footage of the game, coaches would be able to apply more nuanced tactics and views. 

Noting the streamlined nature of both systems, games would run more efficiently and fans could become more engaged as well.

Still needing approval from the NCAA, however, it is yet to be seen whether these technological advancements will be implemented.  

Let’s hope so!

Football’s Best Kept Secret?

If we asked you all which Football league has been most in the news recently, we’d expect to get some pretty generic answers. You know, the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, etc. 

BUT, there has been a league – and more broadly, country – that has quietly been making its way across news and mainstream media recently…

Which is it, you ask? South Korea and the K League!

Being in international news more than usual over the last few weeks, the Footballing scene in South Korea has had everything from drama, to big signings, and disappointments.

Jesse Lingard, anyone? 😂

Honestly, though. Seeming to want to drum up more interest in the game, the signing of an ex-England international and Premier League star (kind of 😅) is a statement of intent.

Potentially helping the league become a global force, the K League could be looking to become Asia’s premier competition. 

As such, what better to do than get involved in some of the scene’s most exciting technology!

That’s right. Partnering up with Chiliz, the K League will be getting involved in Web3 Fantasy Sport.

With Chiliz having already worked with clubs like Arsenal and organisations such as EuroLeague Basketball, the K League are undoubtedly in good hands!

We Need to Talk About: Michael Beale

This can’t be true, can it?

Social media is one of the most important tools in sports today.

Providing a direct reference to see what fans from all over the world are thinking, the power which it holds in determining player, team, and managerial performance is HUGE…

As such, maintaining a positive image online is – in most athlete’s cases – really important. I mean, just ask Michael Beale…

Being released from his managerial role at Sunderland earlier this week, the internet has come up with an absolutely bizarre discovery about Beale. 

But before we get into it, we need some context…

So, Beale’s time at Sunderland was NOT great… Falling out with fans and players on multiple occasions, the Englishman was heavily criticised online and only lasted around nine weeks at the Black Cats. 

Since his departure though, things seem to have only gotten worse…

With fans somehow finding an account which agreed with Beale in nearly every single controversial call he had made up to that point, multiple theorists have come to the conclusion that it was actually the manager’s own burner account!

Quick Bites

• United: A New Era

• Golf: The Next Generation

• F1: Lewis Hamilton

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