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Investing in The Future
THEY’VE DONE IT!!! THE WEEK IS OVER! It really do be like that… What better way to get you ready for the weekend than a new edition of The Sports Road - the best Sport has to offer.
Here's what we got for ya today:
Congratulations, Manchester City
Lionel Messi's New Job?
Sports' New Big NFT
PSG: What Next?
Most valuable public market sports teams
Now, onto the good stuff...
Manchester City Are Leading The Way
They may not be top of the Premier League, but Manchester City are setting the pace…
Recently, perhaps for good reason, the club has been under fire. Whether it be Guardiola’s treatment of star players like Joao Cancelo or their blockbuster legal issues – read more here – their name has been on peoples lips for all the wrong reasons.
But with that, it’s time to give Manchester City their flowers. This week, City were announced as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2023. Whether it be for their work with OKX, Sony or Roblox in the Metaverse, the club have been seriously investing in what many consider the future of Sport.
"There is an intersection of sport and technology that we continue to explore to provide new opportunities for us to engage with existing and emerging audiences in an authentic way… Our work to date within the Metaverse has been successful and we’re proud to be recognised as leaders in this space when it comes to its use within the world of sport.”
This announcement comes at the same time as the clubs most recent Tech partnership - a collaborative NFT drop with Power of Women.
The project – Manchester City’s sixth NFT drop – celebrates International Women’s Day and consists of five unique pieces: I Am Powerful, I Am Proud, I Am Fearless, I Am Courage, and I Am Resilient.
With the proceeds going into providing safe spaces for young women to engage in football, we think this is a great initiative.
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Lionel Messi: The World’s Best Investor?
Lionel Messi. The Greatest Footballer Ever. If you don’t think so, argue with the wall.
Kidding, tell us on Twitter, of course. @Sportsroadmedia - remember to like, retweet and drop a follow 😉
No, but really. With the Argentinian having some of the best vision on the pitch he must also when it comes to investing… Right? 😅
Announcing the creation of his own Silicon Valley holding company, Play Time, in mid October of last year, the legend has invested big recently… What, you ask? A Sport Gaming Startup.
Acting as a leading investor of $21 million into the app Matchday, it’s clear to see where Messi’s plans lie.
Planning to combine classic Mobile gaming with Web3, developers are appealing to both casual and experienced gamers. Smart. In fact, the game is already licensed by FIFA!
Messi might be onto something, you know…
“We believe true ownership is important to creating a new set of experiences for gamers. To us, it’s all about accessibility. We’re talking about bringing on board hundreds of millions of fans into our game without them even knowing what Web3 is. Our motto is ‘make complexity disappear.’”
The NBA Are Not Stopping
The NBA may be a Basketball league, but it feels like every day we’re talking about their implementation of more and more tech innovations.
This time, we’re talking about an expansion in their pre-existing deal with Genius, a Sports data firm.
Specialising in tracking multiple analytics and player movements, the company already works with a number of top Sports leagues and teams.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Under this new expansion deal, Second Spectrum – a subdivision of Genius – are to be named an official NBA analytics and augmentation provider.
Using this partnership, it’s been announced that the two will be looking to create a next generation technology platform - ‘Dragon’. Here’s what we know so far:
Will use mesh data capabilities to combine thousands of live analysis points
Create enhanced, automated graphics
Offer unique, player specific analysis
“As one of the most technologically advanced leagues in world sport, NBA teams, fans, broadcasters and media partners demand cutting-edge innovations. We’re thrilled to expand our long-term partnership with the NBA. We are proud that the NBA shares our vision that Dragon can solve the technology challenges of the future.”
We Need to Talk About: PSG
This week saw the six year anniversary of ‘La Remontada’ - one of the most unforgettable games in Champions League history.
4-0 up going into the second leg against European giant Barcelona, many had felt PSG had already won… Only for them to get demolished 6-1, of course.
A game that in many ways summed up the club in the last decade. A star studded team, a passionate fanbase, a rich history, and top managers yet simply unable to achieve their biggest goal - The UEFA Champions League Trophy.
Six years, a Neymar, an Mbappe, and a Messi later you’d bet the house that they had won it at least once. Well, nope. Disappointment after disappointment.
Last Wednesday, saw the Parisians face Bayern Munich in a crucial game. Lose or draw and crash out, win and go through. They lost.
Questions have to be asked - where does the team go from here?
A new manager hasn’t worked, new players haven’t worked, and Wednesday looked like they didn’t even care!
Quick bites
Meme of the day
Well, maybe next year...
Quote of the day
"Son of a b***h, not my full back for the love of God, Red card!"
Photo of the day
Big Fight Feel This Weekend
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Chat to ya on Monday!