Three Years of Premier League Soccer Assists, Visualized

Three Years of Premier League Soccer Assists, Visualized

Some players score, other set up—that’s just the way it is. This data visualization takes that idea and runs with it, churning through three seasons-worth of data to anaylze where Premier League soccer assists originate from.

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Watch NFL Players Awkwardly Use Google Glass

The "fun" tech question to ask famous people and/or grandmas in 2013 is what they think of Google Glass. Most usually this requires slapping Google Glass onto their face, making awkward conversation on how to control it, asking them to do what they do best and then talking about if they think it’s the future or not. They almost always say yes.

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Nike’s Got the Balls To Try and Revolutionize Soccer Again

Nike's Got the Balls To Try and Revolutionize Soccer Again

After the design of Adidas’ soccer ball at the 2006 World Cup was found to actually be unstable and unpredictable at higher speeds, Nike has capitalized on the company’s mistake to secure a stronger foothold in the world’s most-watched sport. And its latest creation, a ball called the Incyte, has already been adopted by leagues around the world, including the Barclays Premier League in England, and the Serie A in Italy.

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FIFA reconsiders 3D World Cup 2014 coverage after ESPN 3D shutdown

ESPN 3D launched in 2010 with coverage of 25 FIFA World Cup matches, but word that the channel will be mothballed has the international football association reviewing whether it will use the tech in 2014. An Associated Press report quotes FIFA director of television Niclas Ericson saying that there is interest from several broadcasters in a 3D presentation, but the cost is currently under review. While FIFA focuses on its standard HD broadcasts, it’s also thinking over offering 4K Ultra HD coverage, which is currently being tested during Confederations Cup matches. The Hollywood Reporter points out that while Sony has backed off some of the sponsorships that pushed early 3D productions, it’s providing some of the equipment for UHDTV tests like its F55 4K camera. Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is already in line for a 4K soccer broadcast in 2014, we’ll see if it’s put to use alongside new goal-line technology.

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Source: Associated Press

NFL, Verizon Wireless agreement will add Sunday afternoon streaming games in 2014

NFL, Verizon Wireless agrement will add Sunday afternoon streaming games in 2014

Verizon Wireless has had an agreement with the NFL providing streaming access to games since 2010, but a new extension will bring more of the sport than ever to its phones and tablets. Not only will its exclusive access continue, but an updated NFL Mobile app is coming this season with more news, video on-demand and behind the scenes info. In 2014, Verizon will expand streaming beyond the current Thursday, Sunday and Monday night games, adding Sunday afternoon CBS and Fox broadcasts, plus playoffs and the Super Bowl. The NFL held back streaming rights in its recent deals with the networks enabling this new agreement, which along with its partnerships with ESPN and Microsoft should keep the game going whether fans come to the stadium or not. According to the Wall Street Journal the new deal is worth as much as $1 billion, up from the last four year pact which was reported to cost Verizon $720 million.

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Source: NFL

Adidas labs unveils 99-gram adizero soccer boot and smart ball to help raise your game

Adidas labs details 99 gram adizero soccer boot and smart ball to help raise your game

Adidas isn’t shy about embracing technology. In fact, sometimes it takes that a little further than you might expect. Today, however, it’s very much about genuine performance enhancement as we were invited down to a not-so-secret location in central London to look at its latest innovations in (to use the local parlance) football. Think you’ve got Premier League potential? Even if you don’t, Adidas thinks its got a few tricks that might help you at least get a few steps nearer, so to speak. Jog past the break to find out what it’s been working on.

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Microsoft lands NFL partnerships for Xbox One and the football field (video)

Microsoft lands NFL partnership

Microsoft is clearly determined to sew up some of the best content for the Xbox One: it just revealed a special, multi-year partnership with the NFL. The two are working on an optimized experience that better integrates fantasy football, including score displays, onscreen updates and Skype. They also promise exclusive content, naturally, including a lock on translating many of these experiences to tablets. The partnership will extend to the real arenas, too — among other technologies, Microsoft will bring Surface tablets to coaches and players to improve their communication and play calling. There aren’t many more details so far, but it’s evident that Microsoft wants to cater to football fans with a lot more than just its existing ESPN app.

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Sky Sports for iPad adds more live camera options ahead of Champions League final

Sky Sports for iPad adds more live camera options ahead of Champions League final

It’s not uncommon for the Sky Sports iPad application to receive features tailored for fans of the world’s beautiful game, soccer (or football, if you want to get technical). To that end, Sky today released version 5.4 of the app ahead of next week’s UEFA Champions League final. Viewers will now be able to choose from up to 20 camera angles when watching game highlights, which should go hand-in-hand with the recent inclusion of that second screen experience. The update also brings the ability to view selected clips in slow-mo — and, hey, the way Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are currently playing, we’re definitely going to need to take things down a notch.

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Source: App Store

Madden 25 Anniversary Edition includes NFL Sunday Ticket, exclusive to Amazon

DNP  Madden 25 Anniversary Edition bundles NFL Sunday Ticket, up for preorder exclusively at Amazon

Virtual football enthusiasts excited for Madden 25 (it’s technically Madden 2014 marking 25 years of the franchise) may want to head over to Amazon if they’re serious about watching actual NFL games. The online retailer has an exclusive Anniversary Edition of the game up for pre-order, which comes bundled with a 17-week pass for both Madden Ultimate Team cards and NFL Sunday Ticket for computer and mobile. On top of getting all the 2013 regular season’s out-of-market matches, DirecTV subscribers can snag a $10-a-month discount on the TV version (normally $225) for one year with a pro bono MAX upgrade. Joystiq notes that only 100,000 copies are up for grabs, split evenly between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. All it takes to get in on the action starting August 27th is $100 — $40 more than the standard edition, which can net you up to $400 in total savings on the services. Hit up the source link if you’re ready to secure your copy.

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Via: Joystiq

Source: Amazon

ESPN and Twitter widen their deal for in-tweet video highlights

ESPN and Twitter widen their deal for inline video highlights

Twitter would really, really like to make ad-driven TV experiences central parts of its service, and it just confirmed that laser-like focus through an expanded deal with ESPN. The sports broadcaster will soon show in-tweet video highlights of football, soccer and the X Games; Twitter, in turn, gets a guaranteed volume of promoted tweets to parallel ads inside the videos themselves. While we’re not looking forward to the new marketing pitches when they surface in the year ahead, we’ll be happy if we can catch more replays without losing our place in the social stream.

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Source: Wall Street Journal