As Black History Month begins, Strat-O-Matic (www.strat-o-matic.com), the leader in sports simulation games now celebrating its Diamond Anniversary, is proud to announce the renewal and expansion of its partnership with the Negro League Baseball Museum (NLBM) and President Bob Kendrick. Strat-O-Matic continues to augment its selection of popular Negro League baseball roster sets, with 10% of all sales donated to the Kansas City, Mo., based museum.
Strat-O-Matic has the most robust and highly researched Negro League simulation products, now boasting more than 25 individual seasons rosters dating back to 1908, plus Stars and legendary Diamond Gems rosters. Three new rosters, 1918, 1928 and 1943, will be released on February 19 along with the rest of SOM’s current baseball card and digital sets.
“In our 60th Anniversary year, we couldn’t be more excited about extending our partnership with the Negro League Baseball Museum and we’re especially grateful to Bob Kendrick for his support and friendship,” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic President. “We look forward to celebrating the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues throughout 2021,”
“Strat-O-Matic has been a great partner in helping further the Museum’s mission of preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America,” said Kendrick. “Members and fans often talk about what it would be like to see these players in action, and Strat-O-Matic continues to be a great way to realistically relive their performances.”
Strat-O-Matic released its first comprehensive Negro League products in 2001 with more than 100 players in the Negro League Stars set.
MLB team owners had hoped the start of the new season could be pushed back as the world still grapples with COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic forced last season to be delayed just as Opening Day was about to be held, and there have been concerns that, with the virus still running wild, a similar situation could arise this year. However, MLB players, through the MLB Players Association (MLBPA), have told the owners to dig in and figure out what they need to do to protect everyone, refusing to approve any delay to the new season.
The MLBPA has formally rejected the owners’ request for a longer break in the baseball action that had asked to push the start of spring training out to March 22 and Opening Day to April 29. With the response now given, the MLB season is only a couple of weeks away, with spring training to begin as planned on February 17 and Opening Day to be held on its expected date, April 1. Perhaps if the owners had been more willing to offer monetary incentives to players, they would have been willing to accept a deal.
The players union explained in a statement about the upcoming schedule that everyone felt as though the owners were trying to back them into a corner. The teams were trying to shorten the season while requiring players to take the field for more doubleheaders, and were also trying to force players to accept certain collective bargaining agreement conditions the MLBPA had already refused. A statement by the union added, “Although Player salaries would not be initially prorated to a 154-game regular season, MLB’s proposal offers no salary or service time protections in the event of further delays, interruptions, or cancellation of the season. The MLBPA Executive Board and Player leadership reviewed and discussed the owners’ proposal throughout the weekend and today. The clear-cut result of these deliberations is that Players will not accept MLB’s proposal, will instead continue preparations for an on-time start to the 2021 season, and will accept MLB’s commitment to again direct its Clubs to prepare for an on-time start.”
MLB team owners were reluctant to agree to the layout and tried to present a counterproposal, which was also rejected. As a result, the league has resigned itself to the fact that the players won this round (another victory for players), and said in an announcement, “In light of the MLBPA’s rejection of our proposal, and their refusal to counter our revised offer this afternoon, we are moving forward and instructing our Clubs to report for an on-time start to Spring Training and the Championship Season, subject to reaching an agreement on health and safety protocols.”
No question that the marquee matchup around the NBA on Tuesday (February 2) is at 7:30 p.m. ET and nationally televised by TNT when the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Brooklyn Nets in a potential NBA Finals preview. The Clippers are the second favorites to come out of the Western Conference and have the best record in the NBA as of this writing, and the Nets are the Eastern Conference favorites.
Assuming they all play, and that’s never a sure thing in these COVID days, five of the best 15 or so players in the league will share the same court in the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and Nets’ Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.
Leonard and George missed two games last week in the COVID protocols but returned Friday. They are two of the most ferocious defenders in the NBA and it will be terrific basketball watching them try and slow down Durant and Harden (not so much Irving as he’s a point guard and won’t be guarded much by the bigger but slower Leonard and George).
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) and Flexion Therapeutics Inc. today announced a new partnership to raise awareness of osteoarthritis-related knee pain and present ZILRETTA (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension) as an effective treatment option. The educational program tipped off with a virtual event featuring Sheryl Swoopes, basketball Hall of Famer and ZILRETTA patient, discussing how osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee has impacted her life and how ZILRETTA has helped with pain management. Swoopes is the first athlete from the WNBA to participate in the awareness program. The partnership with Swoopes complements Flexion’s relationship with ZILRETTA Athlete Ambassadors, NFL Hall of Famer Rod Woodson and 1980 USA hockey team captain and gold medal winner Mike Eruzione.
“We are excited to partner with the NBRPA to raise awareness of knee OA and ZILRETTA, and we are truly honored to be working with Sheryl, a world-class athlete who continues to exemplify greatness well after the height of her career,” said Michael Clayman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Flexion. “As one of the most exceptional women athletes of all time, a hall of famer, and three-time Olympic gold medalist, Sheryl knows about pushing the limits physically, and we are very pleased that she has finally found the much-needed relief from her OA knee pain with ZILRETTA.”
Swoopes, the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP and was named one of the league’s Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game. She won three Olympic gold medals and is one of 10 women’s basketball players to have won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship and a WNBA title. She was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and is an active leader in the NBRPA.
“The best partnerships are all about authenticity, and we found out through a survey of our membership that knee pain ranked among retired players’ top ailments following their careers,” said Scott Rochelle, NBRPA’s Executive Director. “There is no better, more engaged advocate for those suffering OA knee pain and no stronger advocate to speak to the benefits of ZILRETTA than Sheryl. We look forward to growing this relationship in the coming months to be one of our most inclusive and informative to date.”
Swoopes added, “I fully understand the way OA knee pain can impact your life in every aspect, not just physically but mentally. To be able to tell my story and share the results of what can be done with treatment with my colleagues, friends, former players and family is very important. This partnership will not only help many of the athletes who have played in the NBA and WNBA, but it will serve to raise awareness for thousands who may be suffering in silence.”
Swoopes was treated by Rabah Qadir, M.D., a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at the Woodlands Sports Medicine Center and Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at Memorial Hermann Woodlands Medical Center in the Houston area. Dr. Qadir said, “While Sheryl has enjoyed the career of an elite athlete, unfortunately, her experience with OA knee pain is far from unique. Knee injuries, especially cartilage and meniscus injuries, are common for basketball players and can lead to OA over time. After evaluating Sheryl and understanding her desire to stay active with a non-surgical treatment plan, ZILRETTA was an obvious choice to offer Sheryl the extended pain relief she needed.”
More information on how to find a treating physician can be found at https://www.getthez.com or by calling 888-600-GETZ (4389).
The NBRPA represents over 1,000 former NBA and WNBA players, making it the largest agency of its kind in basketball. This has allowed for direct access to players for opportunities to educate other members and their treating physicians.
With the 2020-21 NBA regular season shortened to 72 games – and some teams may not get all 72 in with around two dozen postponed so far – we are at the quarter-pole for the vast majority of clubs.
Fans may have been treated to an NBA Finals preview Wednesday when the Los Angeles Lakers took their 10-0 road record to the Philadelphia 76ers, who entered with a 9-0 record when having their preferred starting lineup of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Danny Green all available. Those guys all were Wednesday and the Sixers upset the Lakers 107-106 on buzzer-beater by Harris.
Philadelphia has the best record in the Eastern Conference but is only +1600 to win its first NBA title since 1983. The Sixers when healthy are excellent, but they have been below-average on the road and terrible overall when Embiid, a top MVP candidate, is out of the lineup. It will be important for the Sixers to get home-court advantage in the East, even if there will be no fans allowed in the playoffs (by then, they might be allowed).
A potential NBA Finals preview featuring four All-Stars (if they all play) highlights an extremely busy Wednesday schedule around the NBA this week as the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Philadelphia 76ers with a 7:30 p.m. ET tip and nationally televised by ESPN.
This might be a particularly emotional game for the Lakers because the last time they visited Philadelphia was on January 25, 2020. Los Angeles lost the game 108-91, but LeBron James passed Philly-born and former Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in the game. The next morning in Los Angeles, Bryant, his daughter and a handful of others were killed in a helicopter accident.
Basketball-wise, it’s a terrific matchup between LeBron, Anthony Davis and the Sixers’ Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. While the Lakers are +110 favorites to come out of the West again on the NBA betting futures, the 76ers are +550 third favorites in the East behind the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. Expect the Lakers to be set as short favorites on the road for the game on the NBA odds. Philly is 6-4 ATS in its past 10 as a home regular-season dog.
Today, Super Squares®, the live mobile game show that launches Advertising as a Sport™, announces the World’s Biggest Super Bowl Squares Party, happening concurrently with Super Bowl LV on Sunday on February 7th where the Kansas City Chiefs will go head-to-head with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thousands will play the football squares game using the free-to-play app while watching the NFL Championship game on television. Fans seeking a multi-screen experience will be able to join a live Twitch watch party hosted by notable NFL analyst Mike Golic, and NFL Super Bowl XLVII Champion and Commissioner of Sports at React, Matt Birk.
The football squares tournament happening on Super Squares® has been designated as a World Record attempt by Guinness World Records, allowing every participant the opportunity to help set a World Record simply by competing in the app. In addition to the Guinness World Record attempt and fun happenings on Twitch.tv, Super Squares® offers a $2.4 million prize pool, including a $1 million Perfect Game Jackpot that will be doubled to $2 million when shared with a ‘Buddy’ who may have referred the Winner to Super Squares®. The highest score during the tournament-culminating Bigger Game® event will be awarded a $80,000 Rivian Electric Adventure Vehicle, expected to roll into production later this year.
“Playing the football squares game is a tradition that brings everyone together and I’m happy we can still do so virtually this year,” said Mike Golic, notable NFL analyst and former ESPN commentator. “I’ve always been a fan of the squares game and I’m proud to lead the charge for fans to move from paper squares to Super Squares®. Mobile technology has eliminated paper in mail, maps and even Fantasy Football, and Super Squares® takes a game that millions have played on paper to the next level – just in time for a season where social distancing is keeping us apart.”
While in-person paper-based squares games usually found in offices, pubs and parties are less practical, the Super Squares® app still allows friends to play against each other using a proprietary “SkyBox” feature. To demonstrate, Golic has created his own SkyBox and is inviting “…everyone to crash my SkyBox and compare your final score to mine. I’ll award $250 from the Pro Football Hall of Game store to the highest score in my SkyBox, IF you can beat me!” Super Squares® players can enter the SkyBox by using the password “Golic” when joining gameplay on February 7th.
The free-to-play app combines the score matching elements of squares, with prediction and ad gamification, to provide a unique game show element that attracts casual and avid sports fans alike. Since the start of the 2020 season Super Squares® has already awarded over $300,000 to more than 3,000 players, and the Guiness World Record attempt will be the first time the entire nation will converge in a national tournament around the Super Bowl.
“This has been a different NFL season for all fans and I’m thrilled to be part of something that is bringing everyone together to bond over the game, but also be part of the real-time feedback for Super Bowl advertising,” said Matt Birk, Commissioner of Sports at React, the company behind Super Squares® and NFL Super Bowl Champion. “The Super Bowl is, of course, about crowning the NFL Champion, but it has also developed into a showcase for ads and people all over the country talk about advertising. Super Squares® understands this unique relationship and puts brands at the center of the action.”
Super Squares®, which piloted in May 2020, is the first reactive product showcasing the natural relationship between sports and branding. Players compete while watching live sports and are prompted to rate each in-app mobile TV commercial and then answer questions about them and are rewarded for being correct. This provides instant ad sentiment while verifying attention and ad recall, removing all the guesswork brands have about the delivery and effectiveness of their ads. These reactions provide participating brands and agencies with census-level validation of fan engagement and sentiment, measurable over time. This depth of understanding is simply not available to brands delivering traditional TV ads, even when they spend $5.5 million for a single TV spot. The live game show app provides consumers an opportunity to “get in the game” and will ultimately allow sports fans around the world to engage with all sports, no matter the league.
Today, FanDuel Group announced they will begin providing real-time highlights of PGA TOUR golf events to FanDuel Sportsbook app users.
“We’re taking the FanDuel Sportsbook app experience beyond just placing a bet — now our customers will get the best TOUR highlights delivered to them each week to consume and act on,” said Adam Kaplan, GM/VP of Sports Content, FanDuel Group. “Part of our ongoing focus is providing a fully integrated experience that gives our customers the ability to follow and interact in real-time with the sports they care about.”
In August, FanDuel became an Official Betting Operator of the TOUR, which gives them rights in the United States to use TOUR marks, rights to advertise within TOUR media and TOUR partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing FanDuel to create pre-game and post-game betting programming, as well as distribution of highlights to FanDuel Sportsbook users who have placed bets.
“We’re excited to further activate our Official Betting Operator marketing relationship with FanDuel by sharing TOUR highlights with their customers,” said Norb Gambuzza, SVP, Media and Gaming at the PGA TOUR. “Engaging new fans with PGA TOUR content is a top priority of our sports betting strategy and this innovation with FanDuel is a key step in that direction.”
Beginning this week with the TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open, FanDuel will utilize WSC Sports’ AI technology to deliver highlights to betting customers through FanDuel Sportsbook app notifications for each TOUR event in 2021. FanDuel customers will be able to view automated highlights through rich media push notifications, capitalizing on FanDuel’s vision to use in-game, real-time content to enhance the customer experience.
FanDuel Group will begin by delivering TOUR golf content, with the opportunity to expand into other sports. Video asset for download here.
With the Super Bowl teams now set and the big game less than two weeks away, there’s not as much going on in football to attract gamblers’ attention. There are still plenty of prop bets and futures that look at who could be the strongest team to make a run for the Super Bowl next year, but most gamblers like to see current action. Bodog has seen NBA and college basketball wagers creep up on NFL wagers, and that trend continued this past weekend. Although the NFL was still out in front, despite only two games being played, the lead the league has enjoyed since last September is coming to an end.
This past weekend, 33.98% of the best placed on Bodog went to NFL games, but NCAA Men’s basketball grabbed 23.22% of the action. The NBA picked up 19.44%, and the combined 41% for hoops wagers took first-place at the sportsbook. Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) was up there, as well, as Conor McGregor came back into the ring. That led to UFC wagers accounting for 10.88% of the bets on Bodog.
The NHL is starting to gain momentum among sports gamblers. The hockey league took 5.83% of Bodog’s action this past weekend, beating out Germany’s Bundesliga, the FA Cup and Spain’s La Liga. These three split almost evenly the number of wagers from gamblers, combining for about 3.43% of the bets. eSports soccer was among the top ten, as well, with the GT Nations League grabbing 1.12% of the bets. It barely beat out cricket and the Big Bash League, which took 1.11% of the action.
With the Super Bowl looming and record wagers expected for the showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, gamblers gave a prelude of what to expect when the two Conference Championship Games garnered 69.46% of the attention on Bodog. The AFC game was a slight favorite, with 35.93% of the bets, while the NFC pulled down 33.53%. McGregor and the UFC ended up receiving a lot of attention, as well, with McGregor’s match against Dustin Poirier taking 11.37% of the Bodog wagers. McGregor, favored going in, fell to Poirier in Round 2, making a few underdog gamblers very happy.
For the first time in NFL history, a team will play a Super Bowl in its own stadium as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on February 7 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The NFL will allow around 22,000 fans and ticket prices are absolutely skyrocketing with the hometown Bucs in the game.
Kansas City is a 3.5-point favorite and has won its past seven games against NFC foes. That includes last year’s Super Bowl, a 31-20 comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Miami. The Chiefs are trying to become the NFL’s first repeat champions since the 2004 New England Patriots, who were quarterbacked by Brady.
The Chiefs visited Tampa in Week 12 and won 27-24 as 3.5-point favorites. That score is a bit misleading as Kansas City was up 27-10 entering the fourth quarter. Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three scores. Wideout Tyreek Hill had one of the great quarters in league history with an incredible seven catches for 203 yards and two scores in the first. He finished with 13 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns. Kansas City failed to cover the spread and has covered just once in its past 10 games.
It’s now down to just two teams in the NFL, both ready to fight in Super Bowl LV to determine who will be crowned champions of an odd, but successful, season. The Green Bay Packers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday while the Buffalo Bills traveled to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs for the Conference Championship Games and, although the inclement weather that had been forecast never appeared, all four teams created some storms of their own. In two weeks, football fans will gather around the TV to watch two of the greatest quarterbacks in the league battle it out.
The Buccaneers were underdogs heading into the NFC Championship Game yesterday, with the Packers getting only a slight advantage. However, quarterback Tom Brady continues to show why he could be the greatest NFL passer of all time, leading a methodic offense that chipped away at Green Bay’s defense from the start of the game. Brady, at 43 years old, is headed to a Super Bowl for his tenth time after giving the Packers a 31-26 loss yesterday and will add yet another record to his long list of accomplishments. Tampa Bay is going to be the first NFL team ever to play in a Super Bowl in its own stadium.
For all his talent and skills, Brady can’t take all of the credit for yesterday’s win. He may have thrown for 280 yards and three touchdowns, but if it weren’t for the abilities of players like running back Leonard Fournette, with his Harry Houdini-style escapes, Brady wouldn’t have gotten very far. As it was, the Packers started to mount a comeback in the second half, forcing Brady to throw three interceptions as Green Bay and quarterback Aaron Rodgers added three touchdowns to their score. It wasn’t enough, though, and the Bucs’ defense did its job and held off the rally.
There was a time that NFL fans doubted whether or not the Chiefs would have another Super Bowl appearance. But then, the 2020 season started and all doubts were removed. Kansas City dominated almost every game since Week 1 and, with some impressive offensive moves guided by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, secured a return to the big game yesterday after defeating the Bills.
Just two days from now, the NFL will settle the argument of who are the best teams in the AFC and NFC this year. The Conference Championship Games are coming this Sunday and the last four teams standing in the league this season now have everything they worked for all season on the line. There were some definite upsets along the way, which had sports gamblers more than a little upset, but it’s time to focus on what is going to happen this weekend.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers get the show rolling on Sunday when they take to the gridiron to determine the NFC winner. This is going to be a rematch of Week 6, when the two teams last met. However, no one should expect the Bucs to have things too easy. In that game, the Packers came out strong, scoring ten unanswered points in the first quarter before being shut down by the Bucs the rest of the game. Tampa Bay went on to win 38-10, but this is going to be a different ballgame.
The Bucs are looking at possibly taking the field without wide receivers Antonio Brown and Mike Evans, as well as running back Ronald Jones. These three, and a few others, are being closely watched to see if they’ll be ready for the big game. On the other side, the Packers have a healthy squad with no one sitting out, although several key players are taking it easy this week. Bodog and other sportsbooks give the Packers the advantage, with Bodog listing them as -180 against the Bucs’ +160. The spread is only 3.5 (-105) in favor of the Pack, while the Over/Under of 51.5 would seem to indicate that this is going to be a battle. With potentially bad weather in Green Bay coming this weekend, this could end up being a real snowball game.
The Kansas City Chiefs have already proven themselves under head coach Andy Reid. The team has now gone to three consecutive AFC championship games, using last year’s contest as a springboard to a Super Bowl win. This time, they’re facing the Buffalo Bills and the big question on most people’s minds is whether or not Patrick Mahomes will be able to lead the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance. The answer is, maybe.
Famer, the virtual sports coaching and mentorship platform, today announced a partnership with The Alliance Fastpitch, the fast-growing national organization unifying the sport of fastpitch softball with a player-first approach to adding value, purpose, recognition and top-level championship play. Founded in 2020, The Alliance Fastpitch has quickly grown to over 700 teams, and 10,000 members connecting top programs and teams nationwide through six regional Member Leagues including the Pacific Coast Fastpitch League, Heart of America Fastpitch League, Northeast Fastpitch League, Rocky Mountain Fastpitch League, Southeastern Fastpitch League and Texas Fastpitch League.
Under terms of the deal, Famer’s video production arm, Famer Productions, will work with The Alliance Fastpitch to produce a custom library of hundreds of holistic player and coach training videos covering everything from softball skills, drills and game situations, to sport specific training, to leadership and mental toughness. Typically priced at $60 annually per player or coach on the Famer app, this content will be included free to every member of the Alliance as part of their efforts to provide value to their members. Drills will be led by some of the top coaches in the game of fastpitch softball, such as Marty Tyson and Mike Stith, as well as current and former professional and National team players like Natasha Watley. Alliance Fastpitch members will download the Famer app and receive exclusive weekly content from The Alliance year-round.
“Famer shares The Alliance’s mission to deliver content and experiences that allow players and coaches to reach their full potential,” said Famer Chief Revenue Officer Bill Richardson. “We are proud to have been chosen to power The Alliance’s digital member development programming and we are excited to welcome the very best fastpitch coaches, players and organizations in the nation onto the Famer platform. In 2020, virtual coaching and training became a critical component of the way many organizations stay connected to their athletes. As we emerge from the pandemic, physical and digital training has merged forever. This partnership demonstrates the value of virtual coaching and mentorship extending and enhancing the core work coaches and athletes do on the field.”
“One of our goals as The Alliance Fastpitch is to drive athlete-centric programming and create development-based resources that elevate our game and participants,” says Jami Lobpries, Executive Director of The Alliance Fastpitch. “There is a need at the youth level to have a centralized location for continued learning, sharing of best practices, mentorship, and certified training. Famer enables us to bring together our best resources, including our cohesive network of the best minds in the game, and share those amongst our members in an innovative manner. With Famer, we will be at the forefront of education and innovation for our sport and will continue to add even more value to our Alliance membership”.
Famer and The Alliance will work closely to bring the best coaching and mentorship programming exclusively to The Alliance Fastpitch members. Along with the national membership curriculum, local organizations in The Alliance will also be able to use the Famer Team platform to provide interactive team training with group chat and workouts with their own custom content on top of the core Alliance video library. The Alliance Fastpitch empowers all players, coaches and member organizations to develop their skills and be their best both on and off the field.
The Kansas City Chiefs will host an AFC Championship Game for a third straight season Sunday as they look to keep their chances of repeating as Super Bowl champions alive against the Buffalo Bills, who are 3-point underdogs despite entering on an NFL-high eight-game winning streak and taking those by an average margin of 17 points per game.
Kansas City will join the Philadelphia Eagles from 2002-04 as the only teams to host three conference championship games in a row. The common link between the franchises? Andy Reid coached those Eagles and of course now coaches the Chiefs.
No question the biggest story that looms over this game is the status of Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He left last Sunday’s 22-17 win over Cleveland with a concussion in the third quarter and didn’t return. Mahomes had led Kansas City to a 19-3 halftime lead, but without him the Chiefs nearly blew it – although backup QB Chad Henne delivered on a late fourth-down conversion to clinch the victory.
It’s obviously a bit of an endeavor and probably fairly expensive for the UFC when it stages cards on its Fight Island in Abu Dhabi simply with all the travel expenses and housing fighters, their camps and organization staff and such. Thus, the UFC generally jams as many cards on Fight Island as possible when it visits there over the span of a few weeks.
That’s good news for MMA bettors this week as there’s a Fight Night Card on Wednesday morning Eastern time headlined by a welterweight bout between Americans Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny. The prelims get underway at 9 a.m. ET and the main card at noon ET, shown on ESPN and ESPN+.
A welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev was originally expected to headline this event but both guys ended up catching COVID-19.
The first game of the NFL’s conference championship Sunday is from the NFC as the Green Bay Packers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a trip to Super Bowl 55 – Tampa Bay is looking to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its own stadium. The top-seeded Packers, though, are 4-point betting favorites.
Rather amazingly, it’s the first time that Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get to host an NFC Championship Game in his Hall of Fame career. It’s the second year in a row in it for the Pack as they were blown out at the San Francisco 49ers last season.
Green Bay will be on an extra day of rest as it beat the visiting Los Angeles Rams 32-18 on Saturday in the Divisional Round. Rodgers completed 23 of 36 passes for 296 yards and two scores, and the Packers rushed for 188 yards and two scores on the NFL’s No. 1 defense. That allowed them to possess the ball for more than 36 minutes. The Green Bay defense was the better unit in that game, allowing just 244 total yards.
It’s East vs. West, North vs. South for the NFL Conference games. The Divisional Round games wrapped up this weekend, giving football fans plenty of excitement and sports gamblers plenty of action. Not everything worked out as planned, but there are now just four teams remaining. The Conference Championship games will be held this coming weekend, the last hurdle between an unusual NFL season and a Super Bowl title.
The NFC North’s leaders, the Green Bay Packers, have the opportunity to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers something he has yet to accomplish. For the 16 years he has been with the team (the only NFL team of which he’s been a part), he has never been able to play an NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field. That will change this coming weekend after the Packers beat the LA Rams in decisive fashion this past Saturday.
The Packers came out swinging and never relented until the final seconds dissolved on the clock. They won without much work, taking the 32-18 victory that saw Rodgers throw for a touchdown and also run one in on his own. Through three quarters, the Packers scored on five straight drives, and the fourth quarter became a lesson on clock management.
The Buffalo Bills were first in the AFC East and, for the first time in almost three decades, are going to the AFC Championship Game. They leaped over the Baltimore Ravens this past Saturday to get to where they are in a game that was about as lopsided as they come. The Ravens were 11-5 going in; the Bills were 11-3. However, nothing went right for the Ravens, who ended the day with just three points in a 17-3 loss.
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) announced today that veteran NBA communications specialist Julio Manteiga has joined the organization in the newly-revamped role of Head of Content and Communications. Manteiga joins the NBRPA from the NBA, where he served in a dual role as Director of NBA’s Latin America communications and Media Monitoring Departments. He will oversee all of the NBRPA’s growing digital and social efforts as well as handle the day-to-day proactive communications for the organization.
“We are proud to be able to bring Julio into this new and expanded role,” said NBRPA Executive Director Scott Rochelle. “His experience as a global strategic storyteller will be invaluable to us as we grow our scope, our partnerships and our strategy.”
“I am looking forward to be joining Scott and the team he is assembling,” Manteiga said. “The stories and the personalities of the men and women that make up the NBRPA are more valuable today than ever before, and we now have a great structure to tell them to a wide global audience.”
Manteiga started at the NBA in 2003 and rose within the ranks at the league, eventually serving as Director of Communications for Latin America for five years. He developed communications plan for daily and weekly dissemination of league announcements to key media stakeholders in the U.S. and Latin America, ensuring accurate league information was published by media partners and regional news outlets. He also integrated standardized operations for local PR/Marketing agencies in Brazil, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Puerto Rico to enhance the NBA’s efforts in region and vastly increasing relevancy with local fans and business partners. The New York native also developed, implemented, and executed NBA’s global influencer program for all influencer appearances and promotions at key events that expanded the NBA’s global social media presence among many other duties.
A graduate of Five Towns College in Dix Hills, NY, Julio is fluent in English and Spanish and conversational in Portuguese.
The NBRPA represents over 1,000 former NBA and WNBA players, making it the largest agency of its kind in basketball. In three months LME in both audio and video has drawn almost 600,000 views and listens, more than three times the combined numbers of audio and video around the players in the previous nine months. Viewers and listeners have come from over 20 countries, and have enjoyed content from some of the most unique storytellers in the history of professional basketball. The key unified elements of LME include: Legends Magazine, Legends Studios, the All-Access Legends Podcastand the NBRPA’s social media strategy and content.
To follow along with LME content from the NBRPA, find them on social media at @NBAalumni on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch or on Facebook at NBA Alumni.
DDSports Inc. (ShotTracker), a revolutionary sports technology that captures rich performance data via sensors and provides statistics and analytics with sub-second latency, today announced an $11M USD funding round led by Evertz Technologies Limited (“Evertz”) and Verizon Ventures. ShotTracker will use the funds to accelerate its deployment across NCAA Division I Power 6 Basketball Conferences, expand hiring, further key partnerships and enhance sensor capabilities and data capture for players, coaches, fans and broadcasters.
ShotTracker brings elite-level real time analytics to the court. The company’s patented technology tracks data in three parts: a ShotTracker-enabled ball, sensors on players’ jerseys, and court sensors that map the court in 3D. Data is processed through the company’s proprietary algorithm displayed on the ShotTracker app and dashboard and will also be integrated with Evertz cloud based live production solutions. The real time data can be used to automate camera productions from remote locations and can be licensed by media and sports data companies.
With more than 63 Division I men’s and women’s basketball programs and a growing relationship with Learfield IMG College and their partner schools, ShotTracker’s cutting-edge technology is well-positioned to deliver deep data and analytics as well as video, scoreboard and broadcast integration. For its media company and broadcast customers, it currently delivers experiential activations and crossover content opportunities distributed via digital and social platforms.
The Evertz partnership brings to ShotTracker a global leader in providing professional video/audio infrastructure and cloud-based solutions to content creators. The partnership with ShotTracker’s advanced real time analytics, will enable content owners to create tailored content for their audience across multiple platforms. With automated camera operations, advanced statistics, and cloud services, producers can augment live production by telling unique stories that enhance the audience’s experience (in-venue and/or the broadcast) while realizing additional revenue opportunities.
“Combining ShotTracker sensor data and our DreamCatcherTM suite of products will enrich live productions — on-premise and cloud-based — for broadcasters, leagues, teams, and fans.” said Vince Silvestri, Evertz VP of Software Systems. “We are excited to be working with the ShotTracker team to bring enhanced and personalized game experiences to fans everywhere.”
“As real-time data tracking and analytics become critical components for coaches and players, instantaneous and interactive delivery powered by 5G is critical,” said Michelle McCarthy, Verizon Ventures Managing Director. “ShotTracker’s real-time sports data will transform fan experiences, athletic performance, sports broadcast and more. We’re proud to invest in a team of industry veterans as they pave the way for data capture in game play to improve all areas of the sport.”
“The entire ShotTracker team is excited to have the opportunity of working with two such farsighted technology leaders as Evertz and Verizon Ventures, each of whom brings special capabilities to enable us to fulfill our vision of what truly real time statistics and analytics can mean,” said Bill Moses, ShotTracker CEO. ShotTracker Founder and COO, Davyeon Ross, added: “The impact of tying the cameras to the ShotTracker sensors, in cost savings and in the quality of unique content which then can be delivered, will be dramatic and literally game changing for the sports world.”
The NBA on TNT doubleheader Thursday this week was to open with two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference facing off when the Miami Heat visit the Philadelphia 76ers in a rematch. The two played the first of their “baseball” series Tuesday in Philly and the Sixers won 137-134 in overtime.
The Heat and Sixers are both good enough as is to reach the NBA Finals, and what else do they have in common? Both are on the short list of teams where Houston Rockets star James Harden would like to be traded, and a deal could be imminent.
There was no early line for Thursday’s game – Philly will be favored – because the Heat were down eight players in COVID protocols Tuesday, including their two best in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and the 76ers were down a handful as well. Welcome to the NBA in a pandemic. The Heat have covered six of the past 10 in the series including Tuesday.
