The cryptocurrency world is targeting football fans in a major way and, while it may enrich some, it comes with major risksDuring a recent doomscrolling Twitter session that veered between cricket’s institutional racism, MPs’ second jobs and people furious about Gareth Southgate’s starting XI, up popped a video of Paul Pogba.“I am happy to announce that I’m partnering with a phenomenon – a project called Cryptodragons. They set the world record by selling an NFT for 35 Ethereum for primary sale in less than 10 seconds. This is huge. You see I’m going to get some dragon eggs – so as you know what’s gonna happen I’m gonna be the father of the dragons and the next run of reservations...
Four-day sporting boycott has reinforced the need for Twitter, Facebook and others to kick trolls off their platforms – nowAs we enter the final hours of sport’s four-day online boycott, in protest at the social media giants’ pernicious failure to tackle hate, let’s try imagining an alternative reality. Just as now, it starts with trolls sending racist abuse at, say, Mohamed Salah or Marcus Rashford, or relentlessly attacking a female sports star or commentator. Only, in this parallel universe, a crack team of investigators spring into action.What might happen next? First the investigators would find out the culprits’ names, telephone numbers, and where they lived. Then the authorities would be alerted. Shortly afterwards, accounts would be closed down. And, in...
There is a growing feeling that technology is keeping fans at home, but even those present at live matches seem obsessed with recording their own minimal involvement in the actionAsked recently at a press conference why he thought attendances at National Collegiate Athletic Association football games were in decline, the Northwestern University coach Pat Fitzgerald posited an intriguing, if slightly odd, theory. Picking up his mobile and waving it in the air before reporters, he proceeded to lay the blame squarely at the door of technology. “I think phones,” he said. “I think technology has been the decline in attendance, No 1.”Fitzgerald went on to tell the story of being out with his wife for a meal and being irritated...
The messaging app proves the ultimate team-bonding tool with efficient sharing of logistics, ‘bantz’ and devastating newsGood news for sportsmen this week: they can now forget the pre‑tournament boot camps, and the on-tour karaoke. Travel agents, too, can cancel those large group tours to Gallipoli. Because the Ryder Cup gave us conclusive proof that the ultimate team-bonding tool is already here, and its name is WhatsApp.The European team’s app-inspired love-in has removed all doubt. Even we on the outside could practically see the heart-eyed emojis fluttering between Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood. If Theresa May really wants to rally her cabinet behind her at the Tory conference, she should surely be changing her profile pic to Justin Thomas in a...
Japanese IT giant Fujitsu is developing a 3D sensory system that will make scoring easier. But will computers ever fully replace human judges?A light blinks on the black box alerting the gymnast to begin her routine. She launches off the vault, lands and turns to salute the robotic judge. Her score is already flashing on the big screen to the Olympics crowd and to millions of viewers at home, who have followed the live scoring as the move is dissected in real time.This is not a scene from Blade Runner 2049, but a possible vision of gymnastics future as it races to include artificial intelligence in its judging system. Related: USA's Morgan Hurd wins surprise gold in all-around final at...