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junker-town · 3 years

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13 dumb arena names inspired by the Staples Center becoming ‘Crypto.com Arena’

Photo illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

The future is now!

At this point you’ve probably heard that the venerable Staples Center is no more. Oh, the building still exists, sorry — I didn’t want you to think there was some disaster. No, I mean that starting in 2022 the Lakers, Clippers, and NHL’s Kings will be playing in “Crytpo.com Arena,” in the largest arena naming deal in history.

There’s been a lot of consternation about this. We all hate change, but there’s been a visceral reaction to naming the arena after a Cryptocurrency brokerage site. I’m here to say that we need to embrace this new future.

Seriously, what’s the point of venerating dinosaur businesses? When was the last time you went to a Staples? When did you last buy something from Amway? Yet, the Magic play in Amway Arena every single week. It’s even worse in the NFL. Gillette, Levi’s ... dozens of banks and lending companies. Really, is any of that fundamentally better than Crypto.com?

It’s high time we embrace the future. Appreciate where things are going. The boring insurance companies are a thing of the past — and instead here are some free ideas for teams to find their next corporate sponsors. I’ll leave the business side of this for them to work out, because I am a gentle idiot incapable of brokering naming rights deals.

TikTok Arena

Jake and Logan Paul Present: Paul Bros. Stadium

Instagram Influencer Dome

Twitch.com Kappa Arena

Doge Coin Stadium

The Milkshake Duck “Unfortunate Surprise” Dome

Q Stadium

The Mark Zuckerberg Sports Adjacent Metaverse Athletic Complex

Turmeric Bone Broth Dome

Soylent Green Stadium

Elon Muskdome

Fortnite Superdome

Joe Rogan Self-Fellacio Stadium

There are just a few ideas. My real piece de resistance is realizing that we’ve been looking at the future name of the Washington Football Team all wrong. There’s been so much discussion about the new nickname, and what could fit the ethos of Washington. Instead of the back end, let’s just remove the “Washington” part. Seriously, who likes Washington? Even people who live in D.C. hate D.C. It’s a remarkable trait of those who live there.

So, let’s go all in and I present you with: National Football Team.

Let Dallas keep calling itself “America’s Team,” like everyone on Twitter asking you to buy a shitty drawing of a monkey wearing a mechanic’s hat, I’m here to tell you NFT is the future. Embrace it sports world, because we’re not going back in time.

The future is now.

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perfectirishgifts · 4 years

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Building A Leading ESports Organization. An Exclusive Interview With Adrian Montgomery, CEO Of Enthusiast Gaming

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/building-a-leading-esports-organization-an-exclusive-interview-with-adrian-montgomery-ceo-of-enthusiast-gaming/

Building A Leading ESports Organization. An Exclusive Interview With Adrian Montgomery, CEO Of Enthusiast Gaming

I recently had the privilege to sit down (well share a Zoom call!) with Adrian Montgomery, Chief Executive Officer of Enthusiast Gaming. It is not often as a writer you get direct, unfiltered access to the CEO of one – if not the – leading company in its space, let alone for it to be in my favorite sector – eSports!

For those still unfamiliar with Enthusiast Gaming (as I realize not all of you are quite there on eSports yet! Time to get on-board now though, huh?), the company’s aim is to “build the world’s largest platform of communities for gamers and eSports fans”.

It is already the largest gaming network in North America and the UK with 100 gaming related websites, 1,000 YouTube channels, 7 professional eSports teams and over 30 virtual and in-person gaming events globally such as EGLX, (eglx.com) and the largest mobile gaming event in Europe, Pocket Gamer Connects. The platform reaches over 300 million gamers each month, generating an average of 4 billion views of content each month.

Enthusiast Gaming EGLX

Enthusiast Gaming also has approximately 500 gaming influencers, reaching over 500 million subscribers on Twitch and YouTube. Enthusiast Gaming’s eSports division, Luminosity Gaming, has over 70 million loyal fans and followers, and is a leading global eSports franchise that consists of 7 professional eSports team, including the Vancouver Titans Overwatch team and the Seattle-based Call of Duty team. Yes, wow.

Enthusiast Gaming Vancouver Titans

Before joining Enthusiast Gaming, Adrian was a senior officer and director of several companies in media, sports and entertainment, finance and industrial services — most recently serving as president and CEO of Aquilini Sports and Entertainment, one of Canada’s premier sports and entertainment organizations. Adrian’s personal passion for eSports clearly jumped off the screen as we got talking about how he became involved in eSports one fateful day when he had a very different type of rental inquiry for their 20,000 seat arena.

“I had just read an article about eSports, and one of my guys phoned me and said “You know how you were interested in eSports? Well, these guys are coming in – do you want to come on the site tour?”. Well, it turned out we had this opportunity to host the biggest eSports event in the world – the DOTA 2 International run by Valve – that was coming out of Seattle for the first time. I came down and met these three guys, who were acting as if they were in charge of FIFA or the SuperBowl or something! “Take that down, move that, block that off, our crew needs this…”. I was getting a little frustrated and keen to try to put them in their place, saying ‘Hey, so what exactly is the prize purse for this little rinky-dink tournament right? “$33 million dollars (USD)”. Oh my god! So, I went back at the end of the site tour and said, alright, there is clearly something here!”

Despite several doubters among traditional hirers of the venue and concerns on the complexity of the set-up and all its incredible visual effects, the event went ahead. The entire building sold out in one hour for six straight days, the city of Vancouver became overrun with cosplay wearing, DOTA 2 fans and Adrian’s team could not get into their offices as fans lined up were around the block to get in. So how did the DOTA 2 team achieve this? A complex, multi-layered, omni channel marketing campaign?

“It is almost impossible to sell out a 20,000 seat arena for six days. So I asked the organizers, “I’ve got to know – what is the marketing plan here? They said, “look dude, we’ve got it covered,” to which I replied with, “look, I might be fired tomorrow so you’ve got to give me something.” To my surprise, they said “Ok, you want to know the plan, ok, here is the plan. First we are going to send out a Tweet…” and I said “Ok.. and?” and they responded with – “That’s it, that’s our marketing plan.”

This moment saw the company’s 87-year-old multi-billionaire owner task Adrian with getting into this brave new world of eSports.

“What did you do? And whatever you did, we need to get all of the way into this industry.” A month later they bought an Overwatch team, then Luminosity Gaming and the rest is history”

Enthusiast Gaming Event

Fast forward to today, in asking what now sets Enthusiast Gaming apart, without hesitation Adrian cites the company’s singular focus on its fans.

“We feel no-one is as obsessively focused on the fan experience as we are. The thing that makes us so different to anyone else in the space is that we are not trying to dominate a vertical; we are not trying to just be an eSports organization, a collection of websites, or a tournament organizer – we want to build value right across the fan experience. If you are a super-keen EPIC Games’ Fortnite player who has logged-off, the beauty of this gaming phenomenon is that you are not then ‘done’ – you go to Twitch where – obviously! – we want you watching our Fortnite streamers Muselk and Fresh, when you go to YouTube, we want you to go to the biggest Fortnite YouTube channel in the world – our channel, BCC Gaming, if you want to see what EPIC Gaming is up to next, we want you to then come to one of our events and see their booth up-close. It is all highly integrated – and hopefully a lot of fun also!”

While it is clear Enthusiast Gaming connects with its fans in a very genuine way and has built meaningful relationships, you would be forgiven for thinking there is a significant marketing machine behind this growth – and a bit like how Adrian was surprised about the DOTA 2 event, you may also be surprised to learn they’ve done it in a purely organic, authentic way.

“The thing that blows people away – and is routed in our content and approach – is when I tell them we don’t spend a single cent in acquiring or keeping that traffic coming back. They won’t believe it. Building a world-class business routed in user-generated content is definitely a very hard thing to do – and when you succeed it is a very hard thing to explain! There is a lot of art as to how it’s curated, how its presented, but when you can do it well, the sky is the limit for you in terms of possibilities.”

For all of its growth, gamers can still be seen to be misunderstood as a community. Of the 300 million active base the company has, many falls into the cliched ‘hard to reach’ segments – of Millennials, GenZ & Gen-A, and that are so attractive to brands.

Enthusiast Gaming Event

“They are the world’s most lucrative demographic because they have a lot of purchasing power. They don’t have their money sucked away by these things called children and mortgages. If you are a company, you are no doubt trying to get them into your world at a very early point in their buying lifecycle. What people don’t really understand is that with any traditional sports would kill for the demographics of an eSports fan – they are a little bit older than you think – typically being in their 20’s; they have more disposable income than other traditional sports fan but then, they are elusive – they just don’t consume content the way I did in 20 years ago!”

Enthusiast Gaming is already partnering with the likes of Gillette, Proctor and Gamble, GoDaddy, and Pizza Hut. However, Adrian was clear that other brands need to realize that gaming is not a hobby for many millions – billions of people.

“eSports is more than a hobby for gamers – it’s a way of life. It’s their identity, it’s their social network, and it’s their method of expression. eSports and gaming is going to continue to skyrocket, and people are realizing how pervasive it is in people’s lives. What I’ve seen change this year – and I can tell you which is one of the most exciting things for our industry today – is that most marketing directors now know if you need to communicate with young people, you simply must have a video game strategy. eSports has made quantum leaps during the recent pandemic.”

With the likes of GenZ’s being highly influenced by the people they follow on social media, it just so happens that their heroes– and some the biggest stars on social media – are gamers. Enthusiast Gaming sponsors some the biggest athletes, recently signing one of the biggest content creators on Twitch – xQc – who has a community of 100,000 concurrent viewers every night. The company is also focused on developing the next generation of talent. Recently creating the “Rising Stars” competition, Enthusiast Gaming sought to leverage its incredible platform to create a “star-making factory” and find and develop the next gaming superstars of tomorrow.

“We are trying to create ‘The Voice’, we’re trying to create ‘American Idol’ for gamers. We recently had a five-week competition with all entries judged by stars on our roster like xQc, Muselk, Anomaly, and Fresh sit on as judges. We recently concluded the competition at the 2020 Enthusiast Gaming Live Experience (ELGX), where BabyCappah took the title and a $100,000 USD sponsorship with Luminosity Gaming. We are creating something of a Simon Cowell fuelled concept here…and I think we are going to be very successful with it!”

BabyCappah will actually become a fully-fledged member of the Luminosity Gaming roster. In true entrepreneurial style the company had originally beta-tested the concept with a smaller version called ‘So You Think You Can Stream’.

“The incredible gamer who won is actually quadriplegic – RockyNoHands – we made the decision instantly to sign him to Luminosity Gaming. We are so proud to be associated with him. He is an incredible example of how we can hopefully convince people with disabilities to engage more with eSports with him as a leading ambassador – it is very exciting to see the impact eSports can have.”

We all hear the eye-popping statistics about how big the gaming industry is. From Activision, to Tencent, to EA to biggest companies on the planet – Amazon, Facebook and Google – vying to be THE broadcast platform for the content is clear that there is still so much growth in eSports. This is true for Enthusiast Gaming which has also recently completed others acquisitions, and with the company planning to list on NASDAQ, and launching a free Ad-Supported Streaming TV Channel – BCC Gaming – with Samsung TV Plus. So – what’s next?

“What is next is for us to sell our content – using elements such as subscription. We believe we can take a userbase and turn it into a marketplace. Why can’t we have an App Store? Can we connect these communities and people together and make a social media network of our own even – that is all ahead of us. I always tell my team, while we are building a company called Enthusiast Gaming, we are also helping to build an industry – and the rules are being written as we speak. The plane is getting configured in flight and there are people like us, like FaZe Clan, and all of the other publishers collectively building something incredible. To have people like you helping get the word out and for taking us seriously really means a lot and it is very exciting times ahead.”

It is clear from talking to Adrian that there is an incredible opportunity for brands to engage through eSports provided they are happy to mirror Enthusiast Gaming’s authentic approach. As a CEO, Adrian is a leader driving everyone forward in an open, honest and authentic way and clearly runs a very collegiate, interactive and respectful organization that every company can learn from. It is clear Enthusiast Gaming will be a major part of eSports’ continued growth and I’ll be watching with great interest.

From Media in Perfectirishgifts

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kevindurkiin · 5 years

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YouTube Reveals 2019 Top-Trending Videos, Most-Viewed Music Videos

Every streaming service has been putting out their end of year lists — with Spotify’s Wrapped yesterday and today, we’re nearly at the end. Now, YouTube joins the fray with its list of 2019 top-trending videos and most-viewed music videos.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Lil Nas X’s video for “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus was the most-viewed video of the year. Published in May 2019, it has nearly 400 million views. In fact, of the top 10 most-viewed videos, the top six are all hip hop. (That is, if you count “Old Town Road” as a country/hip hop crossover.)

youtube

The rest of the list that isn’t hip hop consists of Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, for “bad guy” and “7 Rings,” respectively.

Most-Viewed Music Videos (U.S.)

Lil Nas X – Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) [Remix]

Dababy – Suge (Yea Yea) Official Music Video

Yo Gotti ft. Lil Baby – Put a Date On It (Official Video)

Polo G Feat. Lil Tjay – Pop Out By. Ryan Lynch Prod. By JDONTHATRACK & Iceberg

Lil Nas X – Old Town Road (Official Movie) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus

Offset – Clout ft. Cardi B

Billie Eilish – bad guy

21 Savage – a lot ft. J. Cole

Ariana Grande – 7 Rings

Daddy Yankee & Snow – Con Calma (Video Oficial)

Also included in YouTube’s breakdown were top-trending videos, from influencers and brands like James Charles (#1) and Hot Ones (#2). Check out the rest of the breakdown for YouTube’s 2019 below!

Top-Trending Videos (U.S.)

James Charles – No More Lies

First We Feast – Gordon Ramsay Savagely Critiques Spicy Wings | Hot Ones

Shane Dawson – Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson

MrBeast – I Bought Everything In A Store – Challenge

Gillette – We Believe: The Best Men Can Be | Gillette (Short Film)

DAZN USA – HIGHLIGHTS | Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.

Jeffree Star – Kylie Skin Review with Shane Dawson

Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM – Soulja Boy Drags Tyga, Drake, Kanye West & Reclaims The Best Comeback Of 2018

Saturday Night Live – R. Kelly Interview Cold Open – SNL

TheOdd1sOut – The Spiders and the Bees

Most-Viewed Games (Worldwide)

Minecraft

Fortnite

Grand Theft Auto

Garena Free Fire

Roblox

PUBG Mobile

League of Legends

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Brawl Stars

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: YouTube Reveals 2019 Top-Trending Videos, Most-Viewed Music Videos

YouTube Reveals 2019 Top-Trending Videos, Most-Viewed Music Videos published first on https://soundwizreview.tumblr.com/

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bluebuzzmusic · 5 years

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YouTube Reveals 2019 Top-Trending Videos, Most-Viewed Music Videos

youtube

The rest of the list that isn’t hip hop consists of Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, for “bad guy” and “7 Rings,” respectively.

Most-Viewed Music Videos (U.S.)

Lil Nas X – Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) [Remix]

Dababy – Suge (Yea Yea) Official Music Video

Yo Gotti ft. Lil Baby – Put a Date On It (Official Video)

Polo G Feat. Lil Tjay – Pop Out By. Ryan Lynch Prod. By JDONTHATRACK & Iceberg

Lil Nas X – Old Town Road (Official Movie) ft. Billy Ray Cyrus

Offset – Clout ft. Cardi B

Billie Eilish – bad guy

21 Savage – a lot ft. J. Cole

Ariana Grande – 7 Rings

Daddy Yankee & Snow – Con Calma (Video Oficial)

Also included in YouTube’s breakdown were top-trending videos, from influencers and brands like James Charles (#1) and Hot Ones (#2). Check out the rest of the breakdown for YouTube’s 2019 below!

Top-Trending Videos (U.S.)

James Charles – No More Lies

First We Feast – Gordon Ramsay Savagely Critiques Spicy Wings | Hot Ones

Shane Dawson – Investigating Conspiracies with Shane Dawson

MrBeast – I Bought Everything In A Store – Challenge

Gillette – We Believe: The Best Men Can Be | Gillette (Short Film)

DAZN USA – HIGHLIGHTS | Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr.

Jeffree Star – Kylie Skin Review with Shane Dawson

Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM – Soulja Boy Drags Tyga, Drake, Kanye West & Reclaims The Best Comeback Of 2018

Saturday Night Live – R. Kelly Interview Cold Open – SNL

TheOdd1sOut – The Spiders and the Bees

Most-Viewed Games (Worldwide)

Minecraft

Fortnite

Grand Theft Auto

Garena Free Fire

Roblox

PUBG Mobile

League of Legends

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Brawl Stars

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: YouTube Reveals 2019 Top-Trending Videos, Most-Viewed Music Videos

source https://www.youredm.com/2019/12/05/youtube-reveals-2019-top-trending-videos-most-viewed-music-videos/

#edm #music #music production #music news #edm news

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insidetgame · 5 years

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Al LUCCA COMICS&GAMES LE FINALI GILLETTE CUP FEATURING FORTNITE 2019

Dopo il successo della prima stagione della Gillette Bomber Cup featuring Fortnite a Milan Games Week 2019, Gillette, insieme a PG Esports, torna questa volta a Lucca Comics & Games: Edizione 2019 per le fasi finali.

Pro player e appassionati potranno divertirsi, sfidarsi e mettersi alla prova: 4 Open Qualifier online e una Last Chance Qualifier dal vivo per assicurarsi la presenza alla…

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#eSports #Gillette #Gillette Bomber Cup #LUCCA COMICS&GAMES #PG Esports

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gwallgaming · 5 years

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Milan Games Week powered by TIM, dove e quando trovare tutto il meglio degli esports

Continua ad arricchirsi il palinsesto della prossima Milan Games Week Powered by TIM, l’appuntamento che dal 27 al 29 settembre porterà a Fiera Milano Rho momenti imperdibili per gli appassionati di videogiochi competitivi. Arrivano oggi importanti novità per chi visiterà la manifestazione per seguire dal vivo tornei di esports e incontrare alcuni dei più importanti giocatori professionisti del panorama nazionale e internazionale. Ma cosa sarà possibile trovare all’interno del Radio 105 MGW ESPORTSHOW?

La nuova adidas esports arena, un vero e proprio anfiteatro dedicato agli esports, vivrà tre giorni ricchi di momenti speciali: da League of Legends e Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege alla finalissima dell’Intesa Sanpaolo Hearthstone Cup, fino ad arrivare ad una intera giornata pensata per la community del gaming. A questo programma si aggiungono anche una delle tappe di qualifica della Logitech G Challenge, il torneo basato sul videogioco Project Cars 2 con in palio un posto in McLaren Shadow (il programma esport di McLaren), la finalissima della Gillette Bomber Cup cui parteciperà anche CiccioGamer89, competizione dedicata a Fortnite con un montepremi da 8 mila euro e il PG Nationals Intel Showdown 2019, che vedrà sfidarsi i campioni in carica dei due campionati nazionali ufficiali di League of Legends e Rainbow Six Siege e alcuni dei più forti team europei della scena competitiva.

La ESL Vodafone Arena ospiterà numerosi appuntamenti nei tre giorni dell’evento, tra cui le finali del campionato italiano esportivo targato ESL e Vodafone, con team e player che si affronteranno per conquistare il titolo di campioni della stagione estiva di League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive e Clash Royale. Il 28 e 29 settembre sarà invece il momento conclusivo del Vodafone 5G ESL Mobile Open, il primo torneo di mobile gaming su rete 5G, che ha visto giocatori da 17 paesi confrontarsi sull’arcade racing game Asphalt 9: Legends o sfidarsi nel celebre multiplayer battle royale PUBG MOBILE.

La prossima edizione della principale manifestazione italiana per gli appassionati di videogiochi sarà inoltre, il 27 settembre, scenario della tappa di qualificazione conclusiva della GT Sport e-Cup by Mercedes-Benz, il torneo realizzato da Sony Interactive Entertainment Italia in collaborazione con Mercedes-Benz Italia e organizzato da ESL Italia. Il primo torneo italiano di esports dedicato a Gran Turismo Sport, si concluderà infatti alle 23:59 di sabato 28 settembre 2019 con una Finalissima con in palio un montepremi di oltre 10 mila euro[1].

I veri fan della saga di Call Of Duty, infine, non potranno mancare agli appuntamenti con Champions Virtual League e Call Of Duty Premier CUP. La prima è il torneo Competitivo di Call of Duty più storico del panorama italiano e approda per la prima volta alla Milan Games Week powered by TIM grazie alla collaborazione tra TCU e Gaming Consulting per consentire ai più prestigiosi Team dello Stivale di affrontarsi all’interno della We Arena Gaming Consulting per decidere chi sarà il campione 2019. Se invece volessimo riassumere la seconda, basterebbe dire “Call of Duty”, “Modalità Decerto” e “TOP Team Italiani” per racchiudere l’essenza spettacolare della competizione.

Per tutte le informazioni sulla prossima edizione di Milan Games Week powered by TIM è per scoprire tutte le iniziative che animeranno il Radio 105 MGW ESPORTSHOW è possibile visitare il sito ufficiale della manifestazione: www.milangamesweek.it

#Milan Games Week 2019 #TIM #gaming #videogames

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rickhorrow · 5 years

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10 To Watch : Mayor’s Edition 8519

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 5 : MAYOR’S EDITION

with Jacob Aere

Rick remembers Nick Buoniconti. When I was in junior high school and high school, I worshiped #85 middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti as the linchpin of the undefeated 1972 Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins. After graduating Harvard Law School, I came back to South Florida ready to embark on a sports career. Unfortunately, other than the Dolphins, no major league sports were to be had. I was working with a commercial law firm in Miami, but my dream was to help bring the next set of sports franchises to South Florida. Nick was an established practicing lawyer in Miami, having studied by night at Suffolk Law School while playing for the then Boston Patriots. After meeting him, it became obvious that I wanted to work with him. We agreed that I would work with him and Dolphins owner Joe Robbie to create the first Miami Sports Authority and work to bring other pro sports to South Florida. Nick was my original legal mentor in Miami. His vision, understanding, and mixture of outward toughness and inner compassion would never be forgotten. It was amazing when he announced that he would donate his brain to science two years ago for CTE study; even more amazing that he was known for so many other things beyond football. I treasured the time with him, and will always honor his legacy.

The cost to attend an NFL game has gone up astronomically over the last decade. As NFL fans prepare to enjoy a full schedule of preseason action this week, ticket prices alone jumped nearly 40% across all the NFL stadiums – the good ones and the bad – from 2008 to 2018, according to data from Team Marketing Report. Today, you'll spend close to $200 per person to see a game at the priciest pro football meccas, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. Their fan cost calculations factor in ticket prices, parking, and what you pay for one beer plus one hot dog. Here are the five most expensive NFL stadiums for fans, using numbers from the study. At No. 5 is Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, average fan cost: $181.98. No. 4 is Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers’ home, average fan cost: $191.50. No. 3 is the Washington Redskins’ FedEx Field, average fan cost: $192.02. At No. 2, Soldier Field in Chicago, average fan cost: $195.15. And coming in at No. 1: AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Despite Jerry World having pioneered the SRO concept in stadiums, the average fan cost there is $199.20.

Ninja left Twitch for Mixer. Pro gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has "left Twitch and is taking his video game live streams to Microsoft’s Mixer platform, a stunning switch that could have wide-ranging consequences" for the esports industry, according to the Associated Press. The move ends a "hugely profitable partnership with Twitch." Blevins has "earned millions broadcasting himself playing Fortnite and other video games on Twitch and YouTube," and he has "over 14 million followers on Twitch." Blevins hosted his first Mixer live stream Friday from the Lollapalooza annual music festival in Chicago. While Blevins said that he "will not actively recruit other gamers," if more streamers "follow him to Mixer, it could become a legitimate competitor in a market dominated by Twitch." Mixer launched in 2016 but "hasn’t nearly matched Twitch’s popularity" -- Microsoft "reported 10 million monthly users last year, compared to well over 100 million for Twitch," which launched in 2011. According to Ninja's management company, "the decision was overwhelmingly not driven by the monetary value," but rather the “opportunity to attract new viewers.” It's almost impossible not to believe that Team Ninja didn't see huge dollar signs in the Mixer.

A bill being introduced to the U.S. Congress would allow lawmakers to fire the USOPC's "entire board" and would "quadruple the money the federation provides to the U.S. Center for SafeSport." According to the Associated Press, the bipartisan bill, known as the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019, "spurred by Larry Nassar's sex crimes and other mishandled abuse cases," is the "most far-reaching response to 18 months of outrage, investigations and recriminations." It would "increase athlete representation on the USOPC board" and other NGB boards from 20% to 33%, while making the USOPC and NGBs "legally responsible for not reporting sexual abuse or failing to take measures to prevent it." The measure is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). Blumenthal called the bill a "moment of reckoning" and believes it demonstrates Congress' willingness to create a "seismic cultural shift" in the protection of athletes from abuse, per the New York Times.

An 18-month Senate investigation has found that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics "knowingly concealed" the sexual abuse of gymnasts by a team doctor, the New York Times reports. "The investigation described “alarming and dysfunctional systems” that allowed emotional, physical and sexual abuse to persist in sports like gymnastics, swimming, figure skating and taekwondo." As a result of the investigation, the Empowering Olympic and Amateur Athletes Act of 2019 would not only create accountability, but establish procedures -- the USOPC would be required to provide more oversight of governing bodies, while also establishing clear procedures to report abuse; and increase congressional oversight. The bill gives Congress authority to dissolve the board of the USOPC and decertify national governing bodies should they fail to protect athletes. It will also fund nonprofit work: the USOPC currently pays $3.1 million per year to SafeSport, a nonprofit that investigates sexual misconduct in Olympic sports. This bill would require them to pay $20 million annually, instead.

After making a steady stream of strategic investments in the industry, Foot Locker is launching a sneaker-focused design incubator that it has been secretly building for the past few months. According to Hashtag Sports, Foot Locker’s plan for sneaker domination is “Greenhouse.” The plan is for it to be a separate unit designed to gather insight about the current state of the sneaker industry to better respond to sneakerheads. Greenhouse will also offer services to other sneaker brands in the industry. Foot Locker has been quickly expanding its reach over the last year through a series of investments. All of this allows Foot Locker to diversify its revenue stream while keeping its finger on the pulse of diverse and remote parts of the activewear and sneaker industries. Long a reliable mall tenant, Foot Locker has struggled mightily as America has abandoned the mall to do its shopping online. Putting a new shoe concept on an old sporting goods brand can only help.

The Clippers have unveiled renderings for their new sports and entertainment center in Inglewood. Projected to cost $1 billion, as well as serve as the new home for the NBA franchise, it will include the team’s business and basketball operations, training facility, community and retail spaces. The 18,000-seat Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center features a three-dimensional oval design with an exterior made up of diamond-shaped metal panels apparently inspired by the concept of a basketball swishing through a net. As well as aesthetics, the panels will have solar power capabilities, with the Clippers’ new campus aiming for net zero greenhouse gas emissions through carbon offset credits and sustainable design features. With plans for the Inglewood project now moving ahead, the Clippers have been quick to champion the benefits of the new build. According to their statement, the complex, when completed, will generate an estimated $268 million in economic activity for Inglewood annually, and more than $190 million in new tax revenue from 2020-2045. That revenue will help support city services such as schools, parks, libraries, and emergency services.

Kraft Heinz is "highly unlikely" to renew its stadium naming rights deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers when the existing contract expires in 2021, according to SportsBusiness Journal. The 68,000-seat venue has been known as Heinz Field since opening in 2001, but SBJ claims "no one across the naming rights industry" expects the company’s name to be attached to the stadium beyond the current deal. Kraft Heinz is now headquartered in Chicago following its 2015 merger with Kraft Foods Group. The original 20-year deal signed by the Steelers and Heinz was reported to be worth $57 million, working out at $2.85 million each year. Teams in similar markets to Pittsburgh bring in far more money than the Steelers per year. The Philadelphia Eagles, for example, signed a 14-year renewal in May with Lincoln Financial Group worth a reported $167 million, providing the franchise with approximately $12 million per year. Meanwhile, personal finance company SoFi’s rumored deal with the new Los Angeles stadium for the Chargers and Rams will apparently see the firm pay $20 million annually over 20 years. Amid skyrocketing naming rights fees, Kraft Heinz has apparently decided to throw in the Terrible Towel.

EA's Madden NFL esports championship gets ad backing from Snickers and Pizza Hut. The Madden NFL 20 Championship Series this year has open registration to draw the greatest number of esports competitors in its history. So far, Pizza Hut is the first brand to win naming rights to a virtual football stadium, while Snickers will return as an official sponsor of EA's Madden NFL (MCS) esports tournament. According to Marketing Dive, the esports dates will be synchronized with the NFL kickoff from August 30 to September 1. After that, MCS events will happen during key NFL moments, including the Madden NFL 20 Club Championship on December 18-21 before the playoffs and the Madden NFL 20 Challenge from January 30 to February 1 before the Super Bowl. The series concludes at the Madden NFL 20 Bowl, which coincides with the NFL Draft April 23-25, when 16 top players will vie for the Madden NFL championship title. The Madden NFL 20 Classic will air on the Madden NFL Twitch and YouTube channels. This is the first time a brand will have full naming rights to a virtual stadium, which shows the full dive brands are making into esports.

Fields & Futures upgrades school athletic fields, builds futsal courts. Behind F.D. Moon Middle School in Oklahoma City sits an empty excavated field and a slab of concrete. But according to the Oklahoman, Fields & Futures President Tim McLaughlin, co-owner of OKC Energy FC, sees a space rich with possibilities. This summer, the nonprofit organization is renovating fields at seven middle schools, all affected by consolidations across the Oklahoma City school district. Some of the facilities are former elementary schools reconfigured to serve fifth through eighth grade, an age group that needs on-site athletic facilities. The concrete slab behind F.D. Moon will become a futsal pad, where athletes can play a compressed version of soccer that emphasizes footwork and ball control. Soon, every middle school in the Oklahoma City district will have one, resulting from a Fields & Futures partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Musco Lighting, 7-Eleven, and the Energy Assist Foundation. The cost to install 10 of these “mini pitches” exceeds $500,000. “Soccer’s the world’s largest sport,” McLaughlin told The Oklahoman. “It’s also one of the biggest unifying sports there are.”

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