In 2014, Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto ran a marathon in Berlin in 2:02:57, setting the world record for the fastest time in the event. Now, he’s facing intense competition not from another runner, but from a company. For two years, Nike has been working to design a shoe that would allow runners to break the two-hour mark in marathons, something that’s been impossible in the past. On Tuesday, the company finally unveiled the shoe that it plans to use to help someone break Kimetto’s record this spring. The Nike Zoom Vapor Elite is the result of innovative design and new material… Read More
LAS VEGAS — “Why is a sports brand at CES?” That’s the question that Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank asked a packed session at the Consumer Electronics Show on Friday. It was an appropriate question. And while some in the crowd may have wondered why this former college football player turned apparel and footwear entrepreneur was hanging with the geeks, make no mistake that Under Armour very much views itself as a company fueled by innovation. In other words, it’s not just a T-shirt company. At least not anymore. That became apparently clear during Plank’s remarks, where he… Read More
LAS VEGAS — Former San Francisco 49ers star quarterback Joe Montana is just one of the many attendees at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show who is enamored with the idea of virtual reality. Montana, who runs a seed-stage venture capital firm by the name of Liquid 2 Capital, spoke on a panel today at the big tech expo, gushing about the prospects of how VR can transform sports, both for fans and players. “Especially, for a quarterback, the biggest part of that is mental preparation, and what you see and how you see it, and the views that you are… Read More
There’s only one “Beast Mode” in Seattle. But Marshawn Lynch, the well-known former running back for the Seattle Seahawks, might have a little competition around the “Beast Mode” brand. Filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicate that Samsung — the giant South Korean electronics maker known for its Galaxy smartphone line — submitted a trademark application on December 16th for Beast Mode. It’s not entirely clear how Beast Mode would be activated on Samsung devices, or what it might do. But the trademark application indicates that it could be applied to “Smartphones; Mobile phones; Mobile phone with pre-installed… Read More
Amazon’s next Prime membership benefit could be the ability to stream live sports. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Amazon is in talks with leagues like the NFL, NBA, MLB, and a handful of others about live game rights. The fact that Amazon wants to stream live sports isn’t a new development. But the Journal did have a noteworthy tidbit: Amazon could offer a “premium, exclusive sports package” to those who pay for a $99 per year, or $8.99 per month, Prime membership. Amazon is exploring streaming rights to multiple sports at a variety of levels. The Journal reported that Amazon wanted… Read More
