Paul Allen saved the Seattle Seahawks when he acquired the team in 1996 and kept the NFL franchise from relocating to Southern California. With the passing of the Microsoft co-founder, a new report from NFL.com speculates on what might happen if the team is sold. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that sources inside the league said that Allen planned to have the proceeds of the eventual sale of the team go to charity via the Paul G. Allen Foundation. While no sale of the team is imminent, the expectation, according to Rapoport, is that Allen’s sister Jody Allen… Read More
What’s it like helping build and “future-proof” the most technologically-advanced sports and entertainment arena in the world? At the 2018 GeekWire Summit, attendees got a behind-the-scenes look at the working being done inside Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Eric King, vice president of technology for the Kings and Golden 1 Center, and Ian Wheat, director of esports and innovation, joined us on stage for a discussion about the 17,608-seat arena that features a 2,500 square foot Tier-4 datacenter with more than 1,000 WiFi Access Points, 900 miles of fiber and CAT6a copper cabling, and redundant 100… Read More
Shorter lines at the stadium and buying beer without a wallet — it’s now possible for Seattle sports fans who are willing to hand over a few fingerprints. CLEAR, the New York City-based company best known for its identity verification technology at 26 airports across the U.S., is making its way into sports venues across the country. Those who sign up for a free account can enter the gates via a special “fast pass” lane and in some cities, purchase food or alcohol by simply scanning a fingerprint. There are 14 stadiums using CLEAR. In Seattle, both CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field… Read More
In the first Seahawks home game since Paul Allen passed away, the NFL franchise honored its late owner with a tribute video and special 12th Man flag raising before Sunday’s game against Los Angeles. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who died on Oct. 15 at the age of 65, purchased the Seahawks in 1996, effectively saving the team from leaving town. He owned the franchise for more than 20 years, guiding the Seahawks during their most successful stretch in team history, winning three NFC championship trophies and bringing home the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champs in 2013. On Sunday at CenturyLink… 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
