As we pivot to the second half of the year, we’ve opted for an easy-reading lookback as we head into the Fourth of July holiday. The SBJ Tech staff has combed through its coverage from the last six months, pinpointing stories that still resonate from their initial publish dates or have even continued to grow in impact.
Let us know what you think of our picks, and enjoy your holiday weekend.
Joe Lemire -- senior writer, SBJ Tech
“With apologies to torpedo bats, Whoop’s medical grade pivot and the $1 billion (!) sports tech fund launched by sports owner Ryan Smith and venture capitalist Ryan Sweeney, my choice is our exclusive news about the NBA’s league-wide biomechanics program.
“No pro sports league in the world has undertaken such an ambitious project as this: full deployment of motion capture labs to every team’s training facility, with player participation baked into the CBA.
“The Achilles tendon epidemic of this postseason drove home the need for action to be taken. This new program won’t solve for all the load management and injury issues in the league, but it’s a meaningful first step and remarkable ownership of the problem from the NBA.”
Rob Schaefer -- staff writer, SBJ Tech
“One of the first articles I wrote when I started at SBJ two years ago was about ASB GlassFloor, a German court manufacturer rolling out an LED-embedded glass playing surface that could display high-fidelity video and motion graphics, for the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup. It’s been fascinating to chart ASB’s growth since, including permanent installations in the arenas of two EuroLeague basketball clubs (and a nod as one of our 10 Most Innovative Sports Tech Companies this year).
“But ASB’s deepening relationship with the NBA has been of particular interest to me since the league used its LumiFlex court at All-Star weekend events in February 2024. The league is now not only an investor in the company, but also a collaborator on a testing lab ASB set up in Orlando earlier this year to demo with NBA athletes, coaches and executives, as well as reps from other sports organizations like the USTA.
“We got an inside look at how those trials are progressing from executives with ASB and the NBA, plus a glimpse into how players view the tech, which was published in an April edition of the Sports Business Journal magazine but remains worth a read (or even a re-read if you caught it the first time). ASB Head/Americas Chris Thornton has told me he views their glass courts as the iPhone to maple floors’ Blackberry. It’s going to take buy-in from a variety of stakeholders to make their vision for transforming in-arena fan experiences, team training regimens and advertising a reality. But ASB’s technology, and the NBA’s experimentation with it, is the type of outside-the-box thinking with real business utility that we’re always trying to unearth and spotlight at SBJ Tech.”
Jenn Azara -- managing editor, SBJ Tech
“I chose this story -- NFL using Hawk-Eye technology would not change controversial play in AFC Championship -- from conference title weekend. Joe Lemire wrote it the morning after a controversial call during a Bills-Chiefs playoff game (I mean, Go, Birds anyway, amirite?). Joe went on to explain that the way Hawk-Eye’s technology will first be deployed in the NFL would not include the review of this critical play call. Some of my favorite SBJ Tech stories have been where we take a current moment at a sporting event that everyone is talking about and weigh in on the role sports tech has played -- or in this case, would not have played.
“Hawk-Eye is also a sports tech company whose evolution we have been following for years and was named to our most recent class of SBJ’s 10 Most Innovative Sports Technology Companies, so it’s incredibly satisfying to see them sign major league-wide deals, such as the NFL one.”
Ethan Joyce -- staff writer, SBJ Tech:
“Dare I look into the glaring sun of recency bias and highlight our sports industry tech leaders package again? Nay. But I will shine a light on another example of teamwork that became a well-rounded look at a hot topic.
“Joe mentioned torpedo bats in his entry above, and he was our go-to source of knowledge for the social-media phenomenon. But the team as a whole turned flashpan interest in the bizarre-looking bat into a collection of stories about equipment innovation in sports. Joe hit the long ball of the package, talking to 16 people around baseball on the bat’s place in the sport and the other innovations it might spur. Rob highlighted the equipment enhancements that were so good they had to be banned. And my colleague Adam Stern and I looked at the constant push forward by two sports full of technology and data: auto-racing and golf, respectively. I say it often, but I love a team effort.
“Also, I feel a pull to highlight the quality of SBJ Tech Week earlier this year. Our lineup was stellar, headlined by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, whose career with the league served as a spectrum of dramatic tech growth. The two-day event also welcomed a growing population of former athletes who are becoming larger players in the sports tech space as investors and business leaders.”
