Tuesday, May 21, 2019 – A roundup of some of the key sports technology stories you need to know, including SportTechie’s own content and stories from around the web
- Inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League Season Starts at Coca Cola 600: NASCAR and video game publisher 704Games will debut the eNASCAR Heat Pro League this Sunday during the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The first virtual race will start at 3:30 p.m. ET, and will livestream on Facebook and Twitch. Fourteen NASCAR teams have squads competing in the esports league, where 28 drivers will compete on Xbox One and Playstation 4 consoles across a variety of virtual NASCAR tracks.
- NeuroSport Clinicians Will Use SyncThink’s Eye-Tracking Platform: Concussion management firm NeuroSport has partnered with neurotechnology company SyncThink. NeuroSport, which was founded by former NFL running back Fred Willis, will equip its clinicians with the Eye-Sync platform to evaluate visual impairments and monitor brain performance. “NeuroSport intends to achieve its objectives by building and disseminating knowledge about concussion and partnering with youth sports and high school athletic programs. We are excited to onboard groundbreaking technologies,” Willis said in a press release.
- The Associated Press Extends Sports Data Deal With Sportradar: Sports data firm Sportradar announced a long-term extension to continue its partnership with the Associated Press. The AP began integrating Sportradar into its sports coverage three years ago, and now uses that data to generate automated game previews for every MLB, NBA, and NHL game. “Combining our competencies has proven to be very successful, and we anticipate this continuing in the future as AP begins utilising tools and services like radar360 and our Research Desk to help them further enhance their leading sports coverage”, said Brian Josephs, VP of digital sport at Sportradar, in a press release.
- The PGA European Tour Launches the European eTour Championship: The PGA European Tour is launching its first esports competition through a partnership with Swedish esports production company DreamHack. The European eTour Championship will take place May 23-24 at the Made in Denmark golf tournament and will feature a $5,000 prize pool. “[Esports] is undoubtedly an area which has huge potential where we will be able to engage with audiences beyond our traditional following,” said Richard Bunn, Head of Media Rights & Programming at The European Tour.