Embed from Getty Images The golf grip is getting geeky. PGA Tour golfer Bryson DeChambeau worked with Microsoft and Seattle-area startup Sensoria over the past eight weeks to create a prototype “smart grip” that analyzes how much pressure he applies to the golf club throughout a swing. As detailed by Microsoft in this blog post, DeChambeau let Microsoft and Sensoria — a smart-garment maker based in Redmond, Wash. — build sensors into his grips that measure force and pressure exerted. In golf, how tight or loose a player grips the club can be a key determining factor for ball flight. There are different schools of… 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
Amazon continues to invest in eSports, and the company’s latest initiative expands the experience to the types of casual games that many people play on their smartphones. The tech giant on Monday announced the Champions of Fire Invitational, a new eSports tournament it will host via the Amazon Appstore. On Dec. 2 in Las Vegas, 16 top gaming celebrities will play five popular casual mobile games and compete for a cash prize pool of $100,000. The event will be live-streamed on Amazon-owned Twitch, as well as via Amazon Fire TV, Amazon.com, and other social media networks. CBS Sports Network will air a two-hour… Read More
The two leaders of daily fantasy sports, DraftKings and FanDuel, have agreed to merge. The companies announced the long-rumored deal Friday morning, with a pending transaction expected to close next year. Financial terms were not disclosed. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins will be CEO of the newly-combined company, which will be co-headquartered in New York and Boston; FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles will be chairman of the board, which includes three directors from DraftKings, three directors from FanDuel, and one independent director. “We have always been passionate about providing the best possible experience for our customers and this merger will help advance our goal of building a… Read More
When we watch a live football game on television, it’s easy to forget about the people and technology that help make it all happen. They are hidden from the viewer — the cameras; the miles of wiring; the storytellers that string live video together into one smooth package that fans enjoy on TV at home. That’s why it was fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes tour of ESPN’s Monday Night Football production infrastructure last week in Seattle. GeekWire visited CenturyLink Field a few hours before the Seattle Seahawks hosted the Buffalo Bills for a primetime, nationally-televised Monday Night Football game on Nov. 7. We spoke with… Read More