In a commercial spot for Nike in the late ‘80s, Spike Lee, in character as Mars Blackmon, wanted to know what made Michael Jordan so great. Mars wanted to know if it was Mike’s shorts, his socks, his shoes, or his haircut. Each time, Mike calmly replied, “No, Mars.” At the end of the commercial, Mars was not buying it, yelling, “It’s gotta be the shoes!” I was reminded of that commercial as I watched the video of Antonio Brown’s Facebook Live broadcast. Brown, the star wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, decided it would be a good idea to live stream the Steelers’ locker-room celebration following their playoff victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. During the live recording, Brown captured some unflattering comments by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin that were directed at the New England Patriots, the Steelers’ next playoff opponent. A lot has been made of Tomlin’s comments, but that’s not the real issue. The bigger issues center on Brown’s judgment and motivation. Let’s take the easy one first: Brown didn’t exercise poor judgment, he exercised no judgment. No way (I hope) was his live broadcast the result of any kind of deliberate consideration. The second issue […]
There are several issues in sports that are worth watching in 2016. Three that I’m keeping my eyes on are the continuing emergence of virtual reality technology, the growing use of wearable technology in professional sports, and the potential explosion of e-Sports into the mainstream. For years there has been growing excitement about virtual reality (VR), which is immersive simulation that allows users to feel as if they are at an event from anywhere in the world. Imagine, through VR, feeling as if you’re sitting courtside at the NBA Finals while reclining in your living room or hanging out in your backyard. Of course, outside of sports VR also has application in the video gaming and entertainment worlds. While significant progress has been made in the gaming arena, movie studios are still actively exploring how best to integrate the technology into their storytelling and we will soon have enhanced movie-watching experiences in the cinemas and at home. Improved technology and declining prices for VR are also on the horizon for 2016, which means when it comes to sporting events, concerts, movies and gaming, more and more consumers will be able to enjoy the feel of being in the center […]