Rugby's Newest AI!

September 06, 2023

Welcome back to The Sports Road, ladies and gentlemen! Today is all about how your favourite sports are leveraging the newest in technology to YOUR benefit. In an age where the life of a fan is constantly evolving, be the first to know what to expect… Enjoy!

Here's what we got for ya today:

  • Rugby’s Newest AI…

  • Streaming Will Never be the Same

  • The Future of Fantasy Football

  • UFC is Back!

Most Valuable Sports Teams:

Let's get into it!

Rugby’s Newest AI…

Get ready, ladies and gentlemen – it’s Rugby season!

That’s right. With the Rugby World Cup kicking off this weekend, how could we not bring it up…

Slated as the sport's most prestigious competition, the difference between winning, losing, or even just participating can define a player's career.

Pitting 20 countries against one another to battle it out across 10 different cities, as you can assume, the fanfare for the event is absolutely off the charts…

In fact, the sport is growing at a rapid pace. Having invested more than half a billion pounds in only a few years to grow the sport globally, the sport hosts hundreds of millions of fans and is set to only grow.

Being the case though, the task of relaying content from all 48 games on a global scale is actually pretty challenging.

When considering that fans – for obvious reasons – won’t be able to catch all the games live, there’s so much more that goes into keeping people as up to date as possible than we may think.

But, as tends to happen nowadays, that is EXACTLY where AI comes in 😎😎😎

Alright, alright. For this all to make sense, we need to talk about a pre-existing deal between French TV broadcasters TF1 and WSC Sports.

Known as one of the best in the field of AI-generated sports content, WSC Sports is a mainstay in the sports industry.

Working with some of the biggest organisations out there, the company specifically specialises in the distribution and creation of AI-powered real-time sports highlights.

And with the Rugby World Cup, that’s no different. Being found under TF1’s new streaming platform MyTF1, the AI will be leveraged to allow fans a brief summary of the games key events and offer a variety of highlight packages.

Set at 5, 10, or 15 minutes, there will be options for everyone!

Sport is changing forever and you do NOT want to miss out…

Everyone knows just how important AI can be, but we’re here to help you reach the next level!

Want to improve performances? Learn a new sport? Push yourself like never before? Well, look no further than SportGPT.

Acting as your very own AI sports coach, our platform allows anyone – from amateurs to athletes – access to world class coaching anytime, anywhere, and for whatever need!

With our system evolving right alongside you, by using your unique progress, results will be optimised to help you realise whatever athletic need you have!

Already backed by thousands, this is your chance to play a key role in the future of sports training. 

It’s time to unleash your athletic potential.

Join to begin your journey today! Visit https://sportgpt.ai/ for more

The Future of Sports Streaming

When talking about the future of sports broadcasting, one concept seems to come up over and over again…

I think you know where this one is heading 😅😅 That’s right, Streaming services!

So while you may have heard of Disney+, this one is all about NFL+... You’ve got to give it to them there… Unbelievably creative name!

Launching in late 2022, NFL+ has given fans the opportunity to have a centralised platform whereby they could engage with the leagues content.

With videos ranging from originals, highlights, games, previews, and more, the system currently works in coordination with the NFL’s other streaming partners.

In other words, when it comes to live games, the platform currently does NOT hold exclusive rights.

That could all be changing though…

With suggestions being made earlier this week that the league is considering making some games exclusive to the platform, change could be on its way.

“If it makes sense in terms of how we maximise reach and it’s complementary to the broader media model that we have, I think we’ll look at those things. We have been envisioning NFL+ for many years now and (have been) very intentional with what we launched with last year and then what we’re adding with NFL Network and RedZone this year.”

David Jurenka, NFL Media General Manager

But the discussion isn’t only limited to the NFL. In fact, the conversation blew up in (European) Football spheres just last week.

With the Liverpool versus Aston Villa game not being broadcasted in the UK, MANY fans voiced their displeasure.

Needing to pay around £100 to watch all the available games – and still not being able to watch every single one – the answer may just be a new streaming platform…

AR x Fantasy Football

Over the last couple months, Sorare has taken the Fantasy Football world by storm!

Bringing ‘high risk, high reward’ to a whole new level, the game expertly combines elements of the real world with the fun associated with Fantasy Football.

With the concept surrounding the implementation of Blockchain technology into sport, the goal – like any fantasy game – is to build the best squad possible.

With the twist being that players only come in the form of NFT’s, that could actually be enhanced VERY soon…

Gaining popularity through their innovative idea and top-level partnerships – which include deals with the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and MLS – the company has a new idea on how to gain players.

Wanting to add greater aesthetics into the game's current makeup, we could see some of the world's most exciting technology come to Sorare.

Announcing the creation of 3D digital cards, Sorare will bring the collectibles to life using Augmented Reality (AR).

“We are always working to provide the best gameplay experience and to make sure it improves year after year. We are delighted to be launching new cards, new designs, and new features to mark the new football season, so Sorare managers can own cards that feel special, and interact with and show them off to the world. This is the latest step in our long-term strategy to build a generational product that combines innovative technology and cutting edge design to transform the sports fan experience.”

Adrien Montfort, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Sorare

We Need to Talk About: UFC 293

It’s fight week, baby!

In only a few days, the UFC heads back down under to host UFC 293 in Sydney.

Headlined by one of the company’s biggest stars, Israel Adesanya, the main event faces him off against probably the most outspoken UFC fighter in history, Sean Strickland.

Dividing fans the world over, let’s just say that Strickland – to put it lightly – is a fairly polarising figure.

So polarising, in fact, that Adesanya – who is coming off an UNBELIEVABLE finish against Alex Pereira – stated that Strickland’s lucky to even be in there Saturday night…

“He should thank me for actually making the fight happen, because without me, he wouldn't have actually got the fight. I pushed for him to get the fight, because he was the next logical guy… He's an idiot. I can't say too much about that. He's an idiot, so he just has to behave himself and actually show up and just fight.”

Israel Adesanya, Current UFC Middleweight Champion

Saying that though, we can’t be sure whether Strickland has necessarily been ‘behaving’...

Claiming to have punched a fan in the middle of the straight, the contender stated that he uppercut a guy in the stomach!

With the UFC reportedly already having had concerns over what Sean may say/do, let’s hope the fight actually goes ahead!

Having an opportunity to further cement himself as one of the greatest to ever do it – to be honest – most fans would probably assume the fight to be pretty one sided.

However, seeming to always set an electrifying pace, Strickland’s pressure-based style could force Adesanya out of his – how should we put this – safer style shown recently.

Warning

That probably isn’t a good thing if you’re Sean Strickland 😅

Quick Bites

Meme of the day

Quote of the day

Picture of the day

Do you want to rep your favourite newsletter? Refer your friends and colleagues to the Sports Road and you could win big

It’s easy to spread the word. Copy and paste your unique link below and share it in an email or on your timeline

Ps - please respond to this email to help us beat the dreaded spam filters!

Chat to ya on Friday

! ☮️