Mike Francesa, the polarizing American sports radio talk show host and television commentator, had a nice catnap today. Unfortunately for him, it was while he was on air. During an interview with WFAN Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti, Francesa nodded off for about 50 seconds. At the :53 second mark, magic happens — he wakes up. Donning a look of complete and utter bewilderment, Francesa snaps in alarm after Murti says his name. We’ve provided a GIF of the wondrous moment for you below. Imagine what would have happened if he didn’t wake up until after Murti finished speaking. Then laugh. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/12/mike-francesa-falls-asleep-on-air/
Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (rear) with forward Dirk Nowitzki of Germany during an NBA game against the Washington Wizards in January 2013. Image: Nick Wass/Associated Press When the 2014-2015 NBA season tips off this fall, the league’s official game ball will still be that familiar orange-brown hue. It will still be made by Spalding and will still have the same feel as last year. But the ball will come with one change — a minor one, but one that speaks volumes to how heavily the NBA has adopted and benefitted from social media in recent years. The NBA announced that it will imprint its social media handle — @NBA on all major networks — on official game balls, proclaiming the move a pro sports first. The NBA’s official game ball will feature its social media handle for the first time. Image: NBA It may not seem like a huge deal, but the NBA’s new marketing twist does signify the increasingly intertwined digital and physical segments of the pro sports world. It’s also appropriate for a league that has found success on social media like few, if any, of its peers. “First and foremost, it’s really about acknowledging our social media-savvy fans,” Melissa Rosenthal Brenner, the NBA’s senior vice president of digital media, told Mashable via email. “The ball is the instantly-recognizable symbol of our game, and now our fans have a place there too, where they belong.” The NBA claims 660 million social media followers, rolling together league, team and player accounts across networks and countries. The league says its official @NBA accounts have 25 million Facebook fans, nearly 11 million Twitter followers, over 3 million Instagram followers and 72 million total followers on Chinese social networks. LeBron James, not surprisingly, is the league’s most popular player online. With more than 20 million Facebook fans, 13 million Twitter followers and 6 million Instagram followers, he outpaces the league on the latter two social networks. So how did the league and its players amass such a massive social following? “It’s probably a combination of things,” Brenner told Mashable. “First, it is our tech-savvy and prolific players; second, we work very hard to provide our young and passionate fans with all the information, stats and highlights they tell us they want; and third, it is our leadership — starting with our commissioner Adam Silver — that encourages us to use new tools in order to continually enhance the fan experience.” Those millions upon millions of fans will be represented in NBA games starting this fall. Social media handles have become ubiquitous in arenas and stadiums in every sport, but don’t be surprised to see more leagues follow the NBA’s lead and stamp them on actual game balls in the future. 15 YouTube Videos of NBA Stars Dominating in High School 1. Derrick Rose The Chicago Bulls point guard starred at the Windy City’s Simeon Career Academy in high school before playing one season of college ball then getting picked first overall […]
Home plate umpire Gerry Davis ejects New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda after a foreign substance was discovered on his neck in the second inning of the Yankees’ baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday, April 23, 2014.Image: Elise Amendola/Associated Press New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda was ejected from a Wednesday night game against the Boston Red Sox for having a swath of pine tar on his neck, then suspended for 10 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday. After Pineda’s ejection, many casual followers of the sport had similar reactions: Pine tar? What’s up with that? What is this, 1919? The first step to understanding Pineda’s pine-tar-gate is accepting that baseball, more than any other sport, relies on a set of codified standards that don’t always jive with what you’ll find in the rule book. To wit: Pine tar is illegal for use by pitchers seeking to improve their grip on the ball, but it’s widely acknowledged that pitchers use it on an extremely regular basis. Which is what makes Pineda’s case so interesting — it’s a window into the mysterious and often inexplicable world of baseball decorum. Like stolen bases, hit batters and more, pine tar comes with a whole set of decorum-related associations and assumptions that many outside the baseball world struggle to understand. “A stolen base late in a blowout game doesn’t have to be a message, but it can be — and if that’s the intent, then that intent will be received,” says Jason Turbow, author of The Baseball Codes: Beanballs, Sign Stealing, and Bench-Clearing Brawls: The Unwritten Rules of America’s Pastime Why is baseball so uniquely locked up in these notions and codified procedures? Turbow points to two reasons. For one, as the oldest and most nostalgic of American sports, baseball tradition is a big deal. Secondly, Turbow says, baseball’s relatively slow pace means more time to “imbue meaning,” real or perceived, on things that happen on the field. Now back to Pineda’s pine tar. Pine tar remains illegal for pitchers, under a rule banning them from using “any substance” for enhanced grip on the mound. Batters, however, are allowed to cover the handles of their bats in the stuff to gain a better hold. Pineda’s problem wasn’t so much that he used pine tar, but how he used it — and how that violated baseball’s unstated rules of behavior. Here is why. He was spotted with a glob of pine tar on his hand in a game, also against the Boston Red Sox, on April 10. That sparked some controversy after the fact, but he was not ejected and the Red Sox did not formally complain. Red Sox manager John Farrell, himself a former pitcher, even said before Wednesday’s game that, “I would expect that if it’s used it’s more discreet than the last time.” Not exactly a searing indictment. He used pine tar against the very same opponent in two consecutive starts against them […]
Nike has developed a special set of glasses that enhance an athlete’s physical reaction time and visual performance. Backed by Duke University research, the SPARQ Sensory Performance system assesses users’ needs and develops a training program to “fine tune” their sensory skills. The method uses a “Sensory Station” to evaluate 10 sport-relevant visual and sensory performance skills. Using data from this assessment and a comparison of their performance against others in the same sport, athletes are given a series of recommended training programs using Nike’s SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear. These glasses use a strobe-like effect to block the wearer’s vision for short periods of time. While training using these classes, the user’s brain learns to anticipate what’s coming when vision is blocked, resulting in improved reaction time, visual acuity and sense of timing. The glasses are fully integrated into customized training programs and have variable strobe speeds. The system is already in use at professional and collegiate athletic programs, with a global rollout of the system is expected soon. In addition to physical performance improvements, a Duke University study found that athletes who had used the SPARQ system had “heightened” visual short-term memory retention. Those who had used it were able to better remember letters quickly flashed on a screen. While it may not help you cram for a final, it seems that this system could have applications beyond sports. It’s another example of the future of performance training being increasingly defined by the use of innovative technology over increased strength and endurance training. This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/30/nike-strobe-light-glasses/
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Dutch gymnast Epke Zonderland’s knockout horizontal bar routine. The gold medal-winning performance has us questioning whether Zonderland is part-man, part-Peter Pan, as he acrobatically twirls through the air. Onlookers and judges — not surprisingly — dropped their jaws as Zonderland performed three back-to-back release maneuvers. What do you think: Best gymnastics routine you’ve seen this summer? BONUS: Must-Follow Athletes on Twitter 2012 Olympics: The Must-Follow Athletes on Twitter 1. Lolo Jones Jones, whose social media success we profiled in May, is the standard bearer for Olympians on Twitter. She’s honest, hilarious, tweets often, and is a world class hurdler for the United States. 2. Kevin Love A member of the American men’s basketball team, Love is one of the NBA’s cleverest players on Twitter. He should be an entertaining follow in London. 3. Usain Bolt Bolt will be one of the Olympics’ biggest stars. The Jamaican sprinter recently told us about his interest in tech and social media. He shares photos often on Twitter. 4. Juan Mata Mata helped Spain to the Euro 2012 title earlier this summer and will look to follow that up with an Olympic championship in August. He tweets in English and Spanish. 5. Caroline Wozniacki The Danish tennis star is engaging on Twitter, frequently posting her training and status updates. Even better, she dates pro golfer Rory Mcilroy — both are terrific follows when the other is competing. 6. Candace Parker The top women’s basketball player in the world suits up for the United States. Parker is active, humorous and down-to-earth on social media. 7. Ricky Berens The American swimmer told us in May that he uses social media to boost his visibility and marketing potential. His lighthearted tweets and frequent interactions with fans on Twitter helped him pick up sponsors like BMW and Got Chocolate Milk. 8. Jordan Burroughs A wrestler for the United States, Burroughs’ frequent updates, enthusiasm and humor have helped him rack up more than 20,000 followers. His handle, @alliseeisgold, is pretty cool too. 9. Dominik Meichtry Meichtry swims for Switzerland and is betrothed to American swimmer Jessica Hardy. He’s enthusiastic about sharing the Olympic experience with followers. 10. Nick Symmonds The American middle-distance runner spoke to us in June. He is super active on Twitter and is an outspoken advocate for Olympians’ rights to market themselves, despite IOC restrictions. 11. LeBron James Perhaps the 2012 Olympics’ biggest celebrity, James won his first NBA title with the Miami Heat in June and will look to follow up in London with his second gold medal. He took time off Twitter during the NBA Playoffs, but will likely be much more active during the summer games. 12. Neymar The soccer prodigy tweets mostly in Portuguese, but should be a fun follow as he tries to lead Brazil to its first Olympic title. 13. Natalie Coughlin An American swimmer, Coughlin is super friendly, funny and accessible on Twitter. 14. Rebecca Adlington In May, it was reported […]
ESPN‘s long-running line of “This Is Sportscenter” ads take a whimsical and bizarre angle on the legendary show’s behind-the-scenes productions, imagining scenarios and backstories that, for all we know, could actually be true. They’ve produced some really funny spots over the years. But the latest offering — which purports to reveal that straight-laced NFL analyst John Clayton actually rocks a gnarly ponytail, head-bangs to Slayer and still lives with his mother — may be SportsCenter’s best ad yet. That was the chatter on the social web after the spot instantly started spreading in sports circles upon hitting YouTube Thursday morning — high praise considering the campaign’s hilarious history. So kudos to ESPN on another successful spot. But it may not match this ad from April, which showed why it actually sucks to be Michael Jordan. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/06/sportscenter-john-clayton/
Many people consider pogo sticks a children’s toy — think again. With a few upgrades, pogoing can bounce from a mildly dangerous childhood activity into an a treacherously awesome extreme sport. These Xpogo athletes redefine the old-fashioned bouncy stick with tricks and flips that would terrify your mother. Some of the jumpers can reach heights of 10 feet, measuring from stick tip to ground. Video: YouTube, GoPro Do you have your helmet on? BONUS: 15 Terrifying GoPro Videos to Make Your Heart Skip GoPro Sweats 1. Video: YouTube, GoPro 2. Video: YouTube, James Kingston 3. Video: YouTube, dk4one7 4. Video: YouTube, GoPro 5. Video: YouTube, GoPro 6. Video: YouTube, GoPro 7. Video: YouTube, GoPro 8. Video: YouTube, GoPro 9. Video: YouTube, GoPro 10. Video: YouTube, GoPro 11. Video: YouTube, GoPro 12. Video: YouTube, A Donnelly 13. Video: YouTube, GoPro 14. Video: YouTube, Ethan Swanson 15. Video: YouTube, John Collis Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/06/02/extreme-pogo-video-xpogo/
