Plenty of professional athletes fancy themselves as tech geeks in some fashion or another, whether they’re into gadgets or video games or they like launching startups and Twitter tirades. Doug Baldwin is the type of thoughtful, nerdy and genuinely interesting guy that made him — just like he was as a receiver for the Seattle Seahawks — a go-to guy for GeekWire. With the news Thursday that Baldwin’s playing career with team had come to an end, it was hard not to remember how many times we tossed it to No. 89 ourselves. We sought his perspective on everything from… Read More
Renton, Wash. means a lot to Doug Baldwin. It’s a place that welcomed the wide receiver as his NFL journey began in Seattle seven years ago, and it’s the city where Baldwin is now helping build a new community center. We interviewed Baldwin at a special live recording of the GeekWire podcast in Renton — part of our GeekWire on the Road project — where the Seahawks star talked about his work in Renton, life after football, his tech investing, the role athletes have in engaging with the community to take on societal challenges and issues, and those amazing touchdown celebrations. Baldwin, a Stanford… Read More
A new Seattle startup backed by top venture capital investors and NFL stars is looking to change the way sports fans pay for jerseys with an e-commerce rental model that proved successful for tech companies like Netflix and Gamefly. Rep The Squad came out of stealth mode today, announcing $1.5 million in funding from Madrona Venture Group, Maveron, Aspect Ventures, and Curious Capital. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin; Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate; Los Angeles Chargers lineman Russell Okung; and Seattle Mariners legend Edgar Martinez are also investors. Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman is a brand ambassador. Led… Read More
Write down your goals, listen more, and dream big. These are good pieces of advice for anyone, really, but they held special importance for more than 15,000 students who gathered inside an energetic Key Arena on Friday in Seattle for WE Day, an annual event that celebrates youth empowerment. WE Day events, hosted by non-profit WE, are attended annually by more than 200,000 students from more than 10,000 schools in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Students earn tickets by participating in local WE Schools programs. There were several celebrities who spoke on stage Friday in Seattle, including space icon Buzz Aldrin. The Apollo… Read More
Seahawks defenders Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner were on hand at PAX West this weekend. In between their time spent crushing helmets with tanks, GeekWire caught up with the athletes to talk video games and geekiness. Are Richard Sherman & Bobby Wagner geeks? Sherman was quick to answer with a resounding “yes” and then proceeded to taunt Wagner about his knowledge of the fantasy role-playing game Elder Scrolls. Wagner refused to engage in debate, returning the taunts and questioning Sherman’s ability to beat him at Madden, NBA2K and Call of Duty. Who is the biggest gamer on the Seahawks? According to Sherman, Doug… Read More
