In a stadium built for a nearly 100-year-old sports league, Brandon Beck and Rick Fox talked about eSports and what the future of competition looks like as they kicked off the 2nd GeekWire Sports Tech Summit Thursday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Riot Games co-founder Beck helped launch “League of Legends” 11 years ago and has turned it into one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time. It now attracts more than 100 million gamers each month. Rick Fox, who won three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and is now becoming a figure in the growing eSports industry. Fox… Read More
You probably know Rick Fox from his days as an NBA hoopster, or for his appearances on shows like Oz and Dancing with the Stars. But now the 47-year-old is becoming a figure in the growing eSports industry. After winning three NBA titles with the Lakers and retiring from the league in 2014, Fox bought a professional eSports franchise called Echo Fox in 2015. Now Fox devotes a majority of his time — judging by his Twitter feed — to the eSports world. We’re excited to welcome Fox to our second annual GeekWire Sports Tech Summit, where he’ll be moderating… Read More
At just 23 years of age, DeAndre Yedlin has built quite the resume. The Seattle native was the first “homegrown” player to sign with Sounders FC; he made his first U.S. national team appearance in 2014; and a year later he signed with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Now you can add another line to those achievements: startup investor. Yedlin recently invested in Seattle-based sports tech startup Volt Athletics, a maker of an “intelligent” strength and conditioning platform. Yedlin, who now plays for Newcastle United, told GeekWire that he has a passion for both sports and technology. Volt caught… Read More
Oak View Group is serious about keeping its arenas around the world safe and secure. That’s partly why the sports and entertainment facility company led by CEO Tim Leiweke — who will speak at the Sports Tech Summit on Thursday — recently launched its own security-focused subsidiary made up of former members of the LAPD, Green Berets, and Special Forces. Called Prevent Advisors, the company is responsible for ensuring that OVG’s 26 arenas across the world provide a safe place for sports fans and concert-goers to experience their favorite team or artist. That includes Key Arena in Seattle, where OVG will… Read More
FanDuel and DraftKings have run into a roadblock for their proposed merger. The FTC announced today that it will, along with attorney general offices from California and District of Columbia, seek legal action to block the merger of the two daily fantasy sports giants. The deal would “control more than 90 percent of the U.S. market for paid daily fantasy sports contests,” the FTC noted. The merger was first announced this past November. “This merger would deprive customers of the substantial benefits of direct competition between DraftKings and FanDuel,” Tad Lipsky, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said… Read More
