Category Archives: Press Releases

If You Want To Make A Film About Sport and Its Values, Maybe Call George Clooney

The storytelling George Clooney has done in front of the camera and behind the camera is legendary and too much to list. However one thing should be noted for these readers, the guy loves the storytelling of sports, and that’s why the Christmas Day release of The Boys In The Boat should give a sport that has always been viewed as a bit elitist…rowing…quite a lift.

For those who don’t know, the film follows the story of Daniel James Brown’s bestseller about the road to the 1936 Olympics and how a group of college athletes from the University of Washington shocked the world…and host Nazi Germany…by winning gold in the eight man boat that summer in Berlin. That is the Olympics of Louis Zamperini and Jesse Owens and Mack Robinson and how the USOC kept many Jewish athletes out of the games in deference to the games racist hosts…but it is also one of great triumph at a time when the world was heading down a very dangerous path toward World War II, and the UW rowers were a key part of that mix. There have been many books written about the 1936 Olympics and its heroes, and this film is the latest in a series…”Unbroken” being another…that brings the world today back to that time so well.

But back to Clooney and the value of sports storytelling. The native Ohioan has always seen sports as such a key theme in his work, and as a release from the day to day. In addition to starring in the vintage football film “Leatherheads,” Clooney talked this week about his allegiance to Kentucky basketball (his son is a soph in Lexington), his love of pickup basketball as a release, and the unrequited joy he has for the Olympics in three different stories. Then there are the ties to the Huskies through the film (the film has a big fan in the undefeated UW football team, whose coach loves Daniel James Brown’s book and will have his squad see the movie on December 22nd as part of their prep for their BCS semi-final matchup with the University of Texas, talk about inspiration) as well, all of which lent itself so well to the authenticity of “The Boys In The Boat.”  

So what does “Boys In The Boat,” do for anyone looking for a dose of inspiration this holiday season? Lots. It goes into the mix with those films that aspire, through sport, to teach us life lessons. Think the aforementioned “Unbreakable,” or “Hoosiers,” or “Rudy.” It brings us historic storytelling way beyond a race on a river…think “Chariots of Fire.” It gives us periodic storytelling…think “Seabiscuit.” It ties us to the Olympic ideals in a year when we are heading into Paris 2024 as well, all done because of Clooney’s understanding of the values of sport, both as a fan and as a baller, and in the way the actors (Callum Murray, Joel Edgerton, Jack Mulhern, Luke Slattery and the rest) brought us into attention to detail in their prep and execution of the sport.

“Eight as one,” is the mantra and it applies to success on the screen, on the river, in life, today as much as ever.

“The Boys In The Boat” succeeds on every level for the genre it takes on and for the audience it is trying to reach. There will be clips that will make it into locker rooms and stadia and arenas around the world that will inspire and enthrall athletes far and wide.

It is a well done team effort, led by a director who gets sports.

28th WISE Women Of The Year Awards Luncheon To Honor Four Women At Annual Event

Women in Sports and Events (WISE), the foremost career and leadership development organization for women in the business of sports, will host its 28th WISE Women of the Year Awards Luncheon at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City on March 19, 2024 honoring four recipients of the WISE Women of the Year award. 

The 2024 recipients are: Ayala Deutsch, Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, National Basketball Association; Kate Johnson, Director and Head of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Google; Michele Kajiwara, Senior Vice President, Premium and Events Business, Crypto.com Arena & Peacock Theater; and Renee Chube Washington, Chief Operating Officer, USA Track & Field.   WISE members across North America had the opportunity to nominate women for their accomplishments and significant contributions to the business of sports, and the honorees were selected by the organization’s National Board.

“WISE is thrilled to honor four women who personify what it means to be a leader in our industry,”

said Kathleen Francis, National Board chair and president of WISE. “Ayala Deutsch, Kate Johnson, Michele Kajiwara, and Renee Chube Washington are not only paving the way, but they are also making a way for other women. We look forward to celebrating each of the honorees at our annual luncheon and the great work they do.”

The 2024 WISE Women of the Year honorees:

Ayala Deutsch, EVP and Deputy General Counsel, NBA

Ayala Deutsch is responsible for managing commercial legal affairs and intellectual property matters for the NBA and its affiliated leagues, including the global acquisition, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. She joined the NBA in 1998 and was named to her current position in January 2016, after serving as senior vice president and deputy general counsel and senior vice president and chief intellectual property counsel.  A former associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton in New York, Deutsch previously served on the Trademark Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, was an adjunct professor of sports law at Cardozo School of Law and president of the International Trademark Association. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy at New York University School of Law where she received her J.D. in 1989.

Kate Johnson, Director and Head of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Google 

Kate Johnson is responsible for developing and executing Google’s strategic approach to sports and entertainment marketing partnerships across its many business verticals. Prior to joining Google, she served as vice president of global partnership marketing at Visa, where she oversaw the company’s global partnership portfolio, including its partnerships with the IOC, FIFA, the NFL, and other verticals. Johnson began her career in sports marketing at IMG’s Global Consulting Group, where she worked in New York, Vancouver and London, building and executing sponsorship marketing platforms for a variety of clients. Recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Sport by Adweek in both 2022 and 2017, Johnson is also a recipient of the 2017 Sports Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award and the 2017 Leaders Under 40 Award. She serves as an IOC Commission Member for Marketing and Digital Media and is a former professional rower and Olympic medalist. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Johnson is an advisor to the Women’s Sports Foundation, Gatorade Women’s Board, the University of Michigan Sports Management Program, and the Youth Sports Alliance.

Michele Kajiwara, SVP, Premium and Events Business, Crypto.com Arena & Peacock Theater

Michele Kajiwara oversees over 2,400 premier seats and more than 150 private and event suites at Peacock Theater and Crypto.com Arena — home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. Both venues are owned and operated by AEG, the largest sports and entertainment company in the world.  She leads a team of premium executives in all areas of sales, service, analytics, database marketing, hospitality and event management, and serves as an executive leader of several AEG employee network groups including AEG’s Women’s Leadership Council, AEG Global Partnerships Inclusion Council, and AEG’s Asian and Pacific Islander employee network group. Kajiwara joined AEG in 2003 and began her career in entertainment with New Regency Productions and then moved to New York to join Chelsea Piers. She holds a BA from the University of Southern California and has served on the board for the Association of Luxury Suite Directors for more than 10 years, including four as president. She is the recipient of numerous industry awards including being named to Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers and Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report. 

Renee Chube Washington, Chief Operating Officer, USA Track & Field

Renee Chube Washington joined USATF in June 2012 and as COO manages the organization’s record $40 million budget and 68-person national staff, as well as working with the CEO to develop and implement corporate strategy and direction. Washington has broad cross-enterprise oversight of all departments. Since being appointed COO, USATF has awarded six U.S. Olympic Team Trials, secured the World Athletics Indoor and Outdoor Championships on U.S. soil for the first time, participated in three Olympic Games and ten World Championships. Prior to USATF, Washington’s career spanned various corporate and government roles including time with Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, CICOA (a private, nonprofit agency advocate for the aged), as a staff attorney in the State of Indiana office of the Attorney General, and in several roles in the U.S. Department of Labor. She was named a 2017 Sports Business Journal Game Changer and a Cynopsis Top Women in Sports in 2019. A graduate of Georgetown University Law and Spelman College, Washington and has dedicated time to various causes including the Junior League of Indianapolis, Wishard Memorial Hospital, the Girl Scouts, American Cancer Society Guild, and numerous educational, cultural and political causes. 

In conjunction with the 28th Annual WISE Awards Luncheon, the WISE/R Symposium will take place on March 18th, the day prior to the luncheon, in New York City.  The WISE/R Symposium is the sports industry’s leading personal and professional development event for women. Built by women, for women, it is the first event of its kind to focus exclusively on the unique hurdles that women encounter in the business of sports.  Additional information about the 28, 2024 Annual WISE Awards Luncheon and the WISE/R Symposium can be found at www.wiseworks.org. 

RealResponse Partners with a Global Leader providing comprehensive Anti-Doping Programs to Help Protect Athletes and Fair Sport

The International Testing Agency (ITA), based in Lausanne, Switzerland, selected RealResponse’s versatile technology platform to augment and expand the channels it uses to collect suspicious doping information securely and anonymously through REVEAL, its anti-doping reporting tool. With ITA’s focus on delivering comprehensive anti-doping programs and its obligations to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) International Standard for Testing and Investigations, implementing RealResponse’s secure, two-way anonymous platform to obtain anti-doping intelligence helps it achieve its stated mission.

The ITA’s new Proactive Reporting Policy – outlining how potential anti-doping rule violations are reported to and processed by the ITA – reinforces for athletes and athlete support personnel that they have the ability and confidence to come forward because of anonymous and confidential anti-doping reporting methods enabled by RealResponse.

ITA’s Nicholas Raudenski, Head of Intelligence & Investigations, comments, “The ITA’s core mission is to protect athletes and encourage a safe space for proactive reporting. Providing them with the best options to report any suspicions they could have in a confidential or anonymous manner supports this mission. RealResponse’s platform has the ability to reduce reporting barriers by providing multiple communications channels, including text and WhatsApp. And, the fact that we are able to engage in two-way, anonymous dialogue with a person reporting a doping concern supports efficient investigations and our clean sport mission in general.”

Through its secure and confidential reporting channels, RealResponse technology will play a crucial role in protecting athletes who disclose doping information and will help ITA achieve the objectives laid out in its new reporting policy.

“With the Paris Summer Olympics on the horizon, and as our first global client, the International Testing Agency recognizes the value of ensuring that all voices are heard when it comes to preventing doping in sport,” said David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of Real Response. “Nothing is more important than protecting the safety of all athletes and the integrity of competition around the world. By rolling out RealResponse to its stakeholders, the ITA is taking a major step to opening up communications channels that did not exist before and at a critical juncture.”

National Lacrosse League and Marvel Team up to Promote Lacrosse’s Legendary Origin Story

To close out this year’s Native American Heritage Month, the National Lacrosse League unveiled a new, multi-year program with storytelling giant Marvel, focused on honoring and popularizing lacrosse’s Indigenous origin story with game-specific promotions starting in the upcoming 2023-24 NLL season.

The central theme of the collaboration, the history of lacrosse, will be at the core of a custom comic book written by Paul Allor, in close collaboration with the NLL’s Indigenous consultants, drawn by Indigenous creator Shaun Beyale, and a cover by JL Giles.


“With NLL-style sixes lacrosse enjoying heightened global momentum with the IOC’s recent vote to add the sport to the upcoming LA28 Summer Olympic games, the NLL wanted to celebrate lacrosse’s fabled beginnings with our rapidly expanding worldwide fan base,” said Kurt Hunzeker, the NLL’s Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations. “Great stories are the heartbeat of the Marvel Universe, and the NLL is honored to work with Marvel to bring the legend of North America’s original pastime to life.”

The custom comic book will only be available at designated Marvel Super Hero™ themed games every NLL team will host each year of the program. The same core story will be offered in each market, and Marvel will produce variant covers featuring star players from every NLL team that will be given out at their respective games.

The collaboration was facilitated by AthLife, Inc., Marvel’s longtime sports-centric agency of record.

In addition to the comic book premium distribution, each NLL team will wear special edition Marvel Super Hero-inspired jerseys on floor during its designated game. NLL fans can expect more Marvel-themed activations throughout the year.

Each NLL team has designated its Marvel Super Hero theme night for the upcoming 2023-24 season:

  • Albany FireWolves: Saturday, March 2, 2024, 7pm ET, vs. New York
  • Buffalo Bandits: Friday, March 8, 2024, 7:30pm ET, vs. Saskatchewan
  • Calgary Roughnecks: Friday, March 22, 2024, 7pm MT, vs. Albany
  • Colorado Mammoth: Saturday, March 2, 2024, 7pm MT, vs. Saskatchewan
  • Georgia Swarm: Friday, April 19, 2024, 7:30pm ET, vs. Rochester
  • Halifax Thunderbirds: Friday, February 16, 2024, 7:30pm AT, vs. Buffalo
  • Las Vegas Desert Dogs: Saturday, April 13, 2024, 7pm PT, vs. Colorado
  • New York Riptide: Saturday, February 10, 2024, 7:30pm ET, vs. San Diego
  • Panther City Lacrosse Club: Sunday, March 3, 2024, 3pm CT, vs. Rochester
  • Philadelphia Wings: Saturday, March 2, 2024, 1pm ET, vs. Calgary
  • Rochester Knighthawks: Sunday, April 21, 2024, 3pm ET, vs. Philadelphia
  • San Diego Seals: Friday, February 23, 2024, 7pm ET, vs. Georgia
  • Saskatchewan Rush: Saturday, February 24, 2024, 7pm CT, vs. Halifax
  • Toronto Rock: Saturday, March 23, 2024, 7pm ET, vs. Halifax
  • Vancouver Warriors: Saturday, February 10, 2024, 7pm PT, vs. Saskatchewan

The 2023-24 NLL season will commence with NLL Faceoff Weekend tomorrow with a “NLL Game of the Week” doubleheader on TSN in Canada as Saskatchewan travels to Halifax at 7pm ET and Panther City opens up in Vancouver at 10pm ET. ESPN2 will carry the first “NLL Saturday Night Showcase” this weekend with Philadelphia battling New York starting at 7:30pm ET.

National Lacrosse League Opens Friday with NLL Faceoff Weekend: Ten Things to Know

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, opens its 37th season with five contests on “NLL Faceoff Weekend” with three games on Friday and two on Saturday.

Coming off a season of record-breaking attendance across the league and interest in the NLL and the sport of lacrosse at an all-time high, the off-season was an exciting one for the NLL, with storylines heightening the anticipation for 2023-24.

Here are 10 things to know about the NLL entering Week 1:

  • Fans can watch three of the five NLL Faceoff Weekend contests on linear broadcasts, beginning with the “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” doubleheader on Friday featuring the Saskatchewan Rush at Halifax Thunderbirds (7 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. AT), with broadcasters Pete Dalliday, Pat Gregoire, and Ashley Docking) followed by Panther City Lacrosse Club at Vancouver Warriors (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT), with Teddy Jenner, Brad Challoner, and Shantelle Chand).
  • In the “NLL Saturday Night Showcase on ESPN,” the Philadelphia Wings visit the New York Riptide (7:30 p.m. ET). The Albany FireWolves vs. Las Vegas Desert Dogs contest (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT) will also be seen locally in both markets (My4 in Albany, Fox 5 in Vegas).
  • The Buffalo Bandits, who open play on Dec. 9 at Albany, will be looking to repeat as NLL Champions, a feat that is rare in League history. The Rochester Knighthawks (now the Halifax Thunderbirds) were the last, pulling a threepeat with titles from 2012-14. The only other title defenses in League history were by the Toronto Rock (1999-2000) and (2002-03).
  • The Bandits’ championship last season was their 12th trip to the NLL Finals, the most in League history. The current Halifax Thunderbirds made ten appearances during their time as the original Rochester Knighthawks, and the Rock have made nine NLL Finals appearances.
  • All 135 regular season games and every playoff contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ and TSN+. The full schedule is available at https://www.nll.com/schedule/full-schedule/.
  • TSN will broadcast 20 Game of the Week contests, including at least one at each of the League’s five Canadian-based franchises. The schedule, subject to change, is available here: https://www.nll.com/news/2023-24-nll-game-of-the-week-on-tsn-schedule-announced/
  • In October, the NLL unveiled NLL UnBOXed™, the League’s new continent-wide grassroots campaign designed to bring the League’s fast-paced game to boys and girls in more communities across North America. The League also revealed the cities and branding for the nine non-NLL markets, available at https://www.nll.com/UnBOXed/.
  • The new NLL UnBOXed series will debut with the Toronto Rock and New York Riptide playing at Place Bell in Laval, Québec on Friday, February 16, 2024 in the first regular season game to be held in the province since 2002.
  • In September, the League unveiled new branding, including a refined primary logo, stylized wordmark, and for the first time, a French language “Ligue Nationale de Lacrosse” family of marks.
  • The 2023-24 NLL season will be the first under a new unified standings format and playoff structure which will feature a more balanced schedule across its 15 teams and a single-table, eight-team playoff qualification system that eliminates the geographical conferences.
  • Monday marked the debut of “War on the Floor: A Season with the San Diego Seals” on Prime Video, an all-access series that follows the expansion franchise throughout the 2021-2022 season. Search “War on the Floor” to watch the five episode series.
  • NLL.com’s news bureau has been busy with numerous features every week. The latest series is the “NLL Top 50,” counting down the league’s best at each position. Next up, the forwards. See links to the other positions at the bottom of that article.

Schedule – Week 1 (All Times Eastern)

Friday

  • Saskatchewan Rush at Halifax Thunderbirds, 7 p.m., TSN, TSN+, ESPN+
  • Panther City Lacrosse Club at Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m., TSN, TSN+, ESPN+
  • Albany FireWolves at Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 10 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+, My4, Fox 5

Saturday

  • Calgary Roughnecks at Rochester Knighthawks, 7 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+
  • Philadelphia Wings at New York Riptide, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2, ESPN+, TSN+

Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission Partners With Realresponse To Launch Anonymous Integrity Hotline

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission is partnering with RealResponse to launch a statewide program for the public to anonymously report concerning or questionable activities regarding horseracing, casino gaming at racetrack enclosures and sports gaming in Nebraska.

RealResponse is committed to elevating all voices in sports. The RealResponse community includes more than two million athletes, coaches, administrators, and staff, across college and professional sports, governing bodies, and integrity units. Founded in 2015 with its signature customer-centric approach, RealResponse offers real-time, two-way anonymous communications, surveys, compliance support, competitive benchmarks, and metrics. These insights enhance communications between athletes, participants, and their respective organizations. For more information, visit realresponse.com.

“With legalized sports wagering and gambling expanding rapidly from state to state, there is a heightened need to guard against impropriety and to protect those vulnerable to increased criticism and threats,” says David Chadwick, Founder and CEO of RealResponse. “We commend the Nebraska Racing & Gaming Commission for ensuring the public and others can share betting-related concerns anonymously and safely through the RealResponse platform.”

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission encourages the public to use this anonymous program to report any concerning or questionable activities related to horseracing, casino gaming at racetrack enclosures and sports gaming activities throughout the state. The implementation of this program is another step towards enhancing best practices to prevent questionable or concerning activity across the industries we regulate.

“The NRGC is excited to be partnering with RealResponse. We are the first state Commission to partner with RealResponse. We hope the public will embrace and utilize this anonymous service to report concerning or questionable practices,” says Tom Sage, Director of the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission.

Brandon Steiner’s CollectibleXchange.com Acquires StarStock.com Trading Card Marketplace

CollectibleXchange.com by Brandon Steiner has acquired StarStock.com – a marketplace for sports card collectors to buy, sell, and invest in their favorite sports cards –it was announced today by Steiner and StarStock.com founder Scott Greenberg.

StarStock houses more than 1.3 million sports trading cards including superstars from every sport and league – from Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani to LeBron James and Nikola Jokic to Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers.

There’s a card for every budget, with prices ranging from as little as $1 to 10’s of thousands of dollars.

Through today’s technology, StarStock provides a one-of-a-kind user experience, low fees, and rapid speed for every transaction. StarStock stores each individual collection in a centralized vault and issues a digital version of the card inside each person’s StarStock portfolio, allowing users to trade players instantaneously, at scale, and at a substantially lower transaction cost than other markets.

The cards are put into a digital collection stored in a vault, where owners can go into the collection and list for a specific price. Once a card sells, ownership immediately changes hands and the buyer can have the card shipped, or keep it in the vault

“Our goal is to help service collectors with a white glove device. We will help them organize, store (vault), grade and evaluate for collectors to buy and sell cards,” said Steiner.

“Too many card collectors are confused with the market. added Steiner. “StarStock will help them to understand what to do with their cards.”

Steiner, who revolutionized the sports memorabilia and collectibles industry during 32 years as founder of Steiner Sports Marketing and Memorabilia, transitioned from that company to transform the industry again with the 2019 launch of CollectibleXchange.com, giving the advantage to the buyers and sellers of collectibles, and for athletes to sell product directly to fans.

CollectibleXchange now has over 150,000 pieces of memorabilia in stock, not to mention collectibles in regularly scheduled auctions. “The ‘BidCx’ platform has really taken off, and now we’ll be adding trading cards to our auction platform,” said Steiner.

In this unique marketplace community, an individual – from the avid collector to athletes to a one-time owner of a piece – to buy and sell at the best price.

The website allows both collectors and athletes to set their own price on one-of-a-kind memorabilia or an entire collection – to sell individually to buyers or at auction. Steiner and his team will authenticate and determine the value of each collectible.

In April 2021, as part of CollectibleXchange.com, Steiner launched Athletedirect.com, with a plethora of champion players and coaches – from New York Rangers Stanley Cup icons Mark Messier and Mike Richter to Football Giants Super Bowl legends Tom Coughlin and Mark Bavaro to women’s basketball greats Sue Bird and Nancy Lieberman to Yankees World Series champs Aaron Boone and Willie Randolph to college coaches Lou Holtz and Jim Boeheim – lining up to team with Steiner.

Fanatics Sportsbook Launches in West Virginia 

Fanatics Betting and Gaming, a subsidiary of Fanatics Holdings Inc, a global digital sports platform, launched the most rewarding online sportsbook in the state of West Virginia.  Sports fans living in and visiting West Virginia will be able to download the Fanatics Sportsbook on iOS and Android and begin their Fanatics experience.  

As part of the launch in West Virginia, Fanatics Betting and Gaming will pilot its new online casino, embedded in the Fanatics Sportsbook app. The newly designed casino product will feature a range of classic and popular casino favorites like roulette, slots and blackjack, along with the new Fanatics Blackjack game, exclusive to Fanatics Sportsbook players.  More online casino games and features will follow in the near future. 

In August 2023, Fanatics Betting and Gaming began acquiring the U.S. Businesses of PointsBet and planning the migration of PointsBet customers to the Fanatics Sportsbook app. In West Virginia only, each customer’s username, password, account balance, rewards points and responsible gaming settings will be automatically migrated to the Fanatics Sportsbook.  If you are a PointsBet customer in West Virginia, the first step is to download the Fanatics Sportsbook on iOS and Android. Then login using the same email address and password used on PointsBet and any open bets and the balance from your PointsBet account will be available in your new Fanatics Sportsbook account.  

The Fanatics Sportsbook offers customers up to 5% back in FanCash on bets and is poised to disrupt the sports betting industry by offering the following exciting new features:  

  • Building a better sportsbook: The Fanatics Sportsbook app was built natively on iOS and Android. The design, speed and quality of the navigation experience rival the sports betting apps in the market today that were not built specifically for iOS and Android.  
  • The most rewarding sportsbook: It’s all thanks to FanCash – The Currency of Sport™.  FanCash, the backbone of the Fanatics loyalty program, can be converted dollar-for-dollar into Bonus Bets and can also be used to purchase your favorite team merchandise at Fanatics.com.
  • Earn 5% FanCash on Same Game Parlay (SGP) bets.
  • Earn 3% FanCash on parlay bets.
  • Earn 1% FanCash on straight bets and odds boosts.
  • From curated to a more personalized experience: Customers know what they want to bet on, and a sportsbook should know it too. Introducing the Fanatics Sportsbook Discover page with marquee games, trending bets, promos and the rewards you want most. In the near future, the Discover page will be personalized to the customer’s favorite teams, sports and markets. 
  • Search: Search easily for the bet you want and bet directly from the results. The Fanatics Sportsbook offers industry-leading search functionality, including a search bar, recent searches, autocomplete, synonym/alias and deep linking to leagues, events and markets.  
  • Live streaming: The Fanatics Sportsbook, in partnership with Genius Sports Limited, was one of the first legal sportsbooks to launch BetVision, a first-of-its-kind live sports betting product that enables customers to place bets while live streaming select professional football games in the sportsbook app. 

The Fanatics Sportsbook is making a profound commitment to the customer with a world-class Help Center, chat experience and knowledgeable agents with 24/7 coverage. Customers will also have access to Responsible Gaming tools to manage their time and money. 

National Lacrosse League Returns to Montréal for its First Regular Season Game in Québec Since 2002

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), North America’s premier professional lacrosse league, today announced the first-ever NLL UnBOXed™ Series marquee event game scheduled for Friday, February 16, 2024, at 7 p.m. ET in Laval, Québec, outside of Montréal. The League’s newest tentpole showcase features the NLL’s two largest markets as the Toronto Rock and New York Riptide will clash in a pivotal midseason showdown.

Place Bell, home of the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the NHL Montréal Canadiens, will host the 2024 NLL UnBOXed Series, marking the first regular season game in Québec since 2002 when the NLL Montréal Express played its final game at the then-Molson Centre.

Tickets for the 2024 NLL UnBOXed Series will officially go on sale on November 16th at noon ET at evenko.ca.

Today’s announcement follows last week’s unveiling of the NLL’s new multi-national grassroots initiative, NLL UnBOXed, including the launch of its Montréal area-specific programming under the “Castors de Montréal” brand.

“Interest in box lacrosse, from the grassroots to the professional level, continues to skyrocket in Québec, and we are proud to be able to take this next step in bringing the NLL and our elite athletes to Laval and the greater Montréal area,” said NLL Commissioner Brett Frood. “We are thankful to the leadership of the Canadiens, especially France Margaret Bélanger, in working with us to host the game at Place Bell, and to both the Riptide and the Rock for their enthusiasm to move to a neutral site so that we can expand our regular season audience in Montréal for the first time in more than 20 years.”

The NLL UnBOXed Series event platform will also include additional local activations throughout Montréal leading up to the game in Laval, including instructional clinics for young boys and girls, parents, and coaches, and gameday interactive fan experiences at Place Bell. Specific details will be announced at a later date.

“We are delighted to be working with the National Lacrosse League to bring the best in professional box lacrosse to Laval in February,” said Groupe CH president, sports and entertainment, France Margaret Bélanger. “The sport has a deep history in our province, and hosting this game is a great way to honor the past while looking to the future, as we give our fans a chance to see the Rock and Riptide play in an important regular season game at Place Bell.”

The inaugural NLL UnBOXed Series also will feature the first in-game use of the NLL’s new French-language brand identity unveiled this past July, further symbolizing the League’s long-term commitment to growing box lacrosse in Montréal, throughout Québec, and with all Canadians.

For fans outside of the greater Montréal area, the NLL UnBOXed Series game will be the nationally broadcast “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” throughout Canada, with French-language coverage available on RDS. ESPN+ will stream the game in the U.S.

Professional box lacrosse has had two franchises play in Québec in its history: the Montréal Quebecois played in 1974 and 1975 in the original NLL, followed by the Express in 2002. In recent years, Toronto hosted successful preseason games at Centre Bell in Montreal against the Rochester Knighthawks in 2012 and 2014.

The 2023-24 NLL season will commence with NLL Faceoff Weekend the first weekend of December.

ESPN To Broadcast 10 National Lacrosse League Games Across Linear Channels

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, and ESPN today announced the schedule of 10 games to be broadcast on its ESPN2 and ESPNU linear platforms during the 2023-24 season. The slate begins on NLL Faceoff Weekend when Philadelphia visits New York (7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN2).

The Defending Champion Buffalo Bandits will appear twice, including a rematch of the 2022-23 Finals against the Colorado Mammoth on April 5 at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT at Ball Arena.

“The continued success of our ESPN linear broadcasts demonstrates the appeal of our league across diverse demographics and fan bases nationwide,” said NLL Commissioner Brett Frood. “These carefully selected matchups highlight our world-class athletes and rivalries within our new Unified Standings format, and the exposure on ESPN2 and ESPNU helps us retain and grow new interest in our sport.”

The ESPN linear schedule is as follows and is available on the NLL website (schedule subject to change, all times ET):

• Saturday, December 2, 2023: Philadelphia Wings at New York Riptide, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 (broadcast team: Brendan Glasheen, play-by-play; Mitch Belisle, analyst; Ashley Miller, sideline)
• Saturday, December 30, 2023: New York Riptide at Toronto Rock, 4 p.m., ESPNU
• Friday, January 12, 2024: San Diego Seals at Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 10 p.m., ESPNU
• Sunday, February 4, 2024: Colorado Mammoth at San Diego Seals, 6 p.m., ESPNU
• Friday, February 9, 2024: Colorado Mammoth at Panther City Lacrosse Club, 9 p.m., ESPNU
• Friday, February 23, 2024: Georgia Swarm at San Diego Seals, 11 p.m., ESPNU
• Friday, March 1, 2024: Toronto Rock at Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 10 p.m., ESPNU
• Friday, April 5, 2024: Buffalo Bandits at Colorado Mammoth, 9 p.m., ESPNU
• Sunday, April 14, 2024: Albany FireWolves at Panther City Lacrosse Club,            5 p.m., ESPNU
• Saturday, April 20, 2024: Buffalo Bandits at Las Vegas Desert Dogs, 10 p.m., ESPNU

In addition to the ESPNU and ESPN2 schedule, every NLL game throughout the regular season and playoffs will be streamed on ESPN+ in the U.S. as well as TSN+ in Canada.

The 2023-24 NLL season will commence with NLL Faceoff Weekend on December 1-2. The full NLL regular season schedule is available at https://www.nll.com/schedule/full-schedule/.

National Lacrosse League and StringKing Expand Strategic Partnership with Multi-year Renewal

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced that StringKing (@StringKing), has extended its partnership as an official lacrosse equipment supplier for the next three years. The renewal designates StringKing as a non-exclusive “Continental Partner” and “Official Equipment Provider” for the NLL.

“As the NLL continues to innovate its energetic game play, challenge the status quo, and lead the lacrosse industry towards the sport’s inclusion in the upcoming LA28 Summer Olympics, we want to strengthen our bonds with like-minded partners, and StringKing checks every box,” said Kurt Hunzeker, NLL Executive Vice President of Commercial Operations.

“This renewal represents a deeper commitment from both organizations to collaborate and provide the NLL’s elite players with premium lacrosse heads, shafts, and mesh kits they need to perform at a world-class level, while also exploring new opportunities to grow the sport with young boys and girls in communities across North America,” Hunzeker said.

StringKing is excited to partner with the best players in the world and have them use the brand’s top equipment. Players will be using StringKing’s Mark 2 family of heads, Type 5 mesh, and Metal 3 Pro and Composite 2 Pro Shafts. This partnership allows StringKing to get direct feedback from NLL players which is used in their product development for future products.

“The National Lacrosse League is a vital partner for our business, and we are proud to continue our partnership well into the future,” said Jake McCampbell, StringKing CEO. “The work the NLL does to reach both new audiences and the core lacrosse fans not just in-season but year-round is essential to the growth of our game, and we look forward to working with the teams, coaches and most importantly the athletes, to keep growing and improving all we do together.”

StringKing is a manufacturer of high-performance sports equipment. StringKing’s lacrosse products are recognized as some of the best in the game. They have gained the trust of top players because of the power, control, and consistency their products provide. StringKing will be supplying NLL teams with heads, shafts, and mesh for their sticks.

The 2023-24 NLL season will commence with NLL Faceoff Weekend the first weekend of December.

National Lacrosse League unveils NLL UnBOXed youth-focused grassroots initiative across No. America

The National Lacrosse League (NLL) today announced the launch of NLL UnBOXed™, the League’s new continent-wide grassroots campaign designed to bring the NLL’s fast-paced lacrosse game to more young boys and girls in more communities across North America.

The NLL will expand its multi-national activation footprint to include approximately 60 North American communities by the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when sixes lacrosse, similar to the NLL’s 6-on-6 box lacrosse game play style, returns as a medal sport for the first time since 1908.

“NLL UnBOXed is an innovative approach to introducing and fostering the love of box lacrosse’s unique style of play among young boys and girls across North America,” said Kurt Hunzeker, NLL Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations. “With NLL-style sixes lacrosse coming to the LA28 Summer Olympics, it is imperative that the League leads by example and establishes NLL UnBOXed to create meaningful connections with more communities from coast to coast.”

Nine new “NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities” will join the 15 existing NLL teams for the 2024 launch of the multi-tiered campaign: Baltimore, Charlotte, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Montréal, Ottawa, Salt Lake City, Seattle, St. Louis, and the Tampa Bay area.

The NLL will practice innovation and unique activation when engaging these non-franchise markets and grassroots participants, by creating community-relevant “team names” and brand identities to illustrate the League’s commitment to growing box lacrosse across Canada and the United States.

The first of the new NLL UnBOXed Lacrosse Communities’ brand identities will be unveiled today at 1pm ET, beginning the week-long rollout of the NLL’s nine new activation markets across the NLL’s social channels.

The next phase of the initiative begins in 2024 with the start of “NLL UnBOXed At School™,” a physical education-centric lacrosse curriculum created by NLL Hall of Fame inductee Casey Powell and based on the successful SPEED Lacrosse® platform Powell developed after he retired from the NLL.

“I am thrilled to be a part of NLL UnBOXed At School,” Powell said. “The SPEED Lacrosse curriculum will not only introduce lacrosse to young students across North America but also provide them with a pathway towards a lifetime of enjoying the sport. I myself was introduced to lacrosse in my gym class, and SPEED Lacrosse offers the perfect format to sample the game, play it at its fundamental level, and accelerate the NLL grassroots initiative.”

Built specifically for elementary and middle schools, NLL UnBOXed At School also includes a lacrosse equipment endowment program as the NLL and its partners will provide an assortment of sticks, balls, and goals to participating schools’ physical education departments.

All elementary and middle school administrators, athletic directors, and/or physical education teachers can request to become an inaugural participating school by registering at NLL.com/UnBOXed.

“The NLL UnBOXed program offers greater opportunities for all players at any age and skill level to increase their competency at an accelerated rate in a fun and friendly environment,” said Brian Lemon, NLL Executive Vice President, Lacrosse Operations. “The SPEED Lacrosse curriculum incorporated into NLL UnBOXed provides an unrivaled foundation for players that transfers to all disciplines of our game. Players are going to love it.”

NLL UnBOXed further solidifies the League’s commitment to growing youth participation, as last week the NLL joined other U.S.-based lacrosse properties to form Elevate28 with a focused mission to double lacrosse participation in the U.S. to 4 million annual players by the end of the decade.

The 2023-24 NLL season will commence with NLL Faceoff Weekend the first weekend of December.

Angel City FC Launches Performance Optimization Solution From Kitman Labs

Kitman Labs, the global enterprise SaaS platform providing the only single, centralized operating system for performance intelligence in the elite performance industry, today announced a new relationship with LA-based, NWSL club, Angel City Football Club.  On the heels of the NWSL’s deployment of the Performance Medicine Solution from Kitman Labs as its league-wide advanced EMR, Angel City FC will expand the use of iP: Intelligence Platform across the club to include Performance Optimization.  

Angel City FC will now be able to combine performance data – including game, training, gym, physical testing and more – with player-level medical data for a complete, real-time assessment of each athlete.  All data is captured in a single, interactive system – eliminating data and information silos, enabling cross-Departmental communication and supporting informed, data-led decision-making.  Both players and practitioners will be able to access and input data through a dedicated Coach and Player App to allow for real-time data capture and on pitch application.

“Communication, collaboration and cohesion are critical for the success of any elite sports organization.  By combining both the medical data from our new advanced EMR with our performance data, our staff, coaches and players are now equipped with the analytics and actionable intelligence necessary to work together to unlock optimal performance outcomes across the squad,” said Sarah Smith, Head of Medical and Performance at Angel City FC. 

“The purpose of The Intelligence Platform is to unify data, people and processes,” said Stephen Smith, CEO and Founder of Kitman Labs.  “Elite sports organizations are inundated with data – typically incomplete, captured in various departments throughout an organization and largely under used and under leveraged.  Angel City FC now has the ability to centralize and mobilize their data and extract the full value of that data to support evidence-based decision-making at every level of the organization.”

Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top leagues, teams and athletes across a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, rugby, and American football.  The company’s technology is currently being used by leagues and teams within some of the world’s most elite sports organizations, including the National Football League (NFL), Premier League, Major League Soccer (MLS), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). 

This launch follows other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs has undertaken including two strategic acquisitions of The Sports Office and Presagia Sports. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (1000+), creating the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

2023 AKTIV Against Cancer Benefit To Honor The Philanthropic Work Of The New York Road Runners

AKTIV Against Cancer, the organization co-founded by legendary runner Grete Waitz, and Helle Aanesen, announced today that New York Road Runners and the Exercise Oncology Team at Memorial Sloan Kettering will be this years honorees with the latter receiving the Gabe Grunewald Inspiration Award. This year will be the ninth annual awards luncheon, which will take place at the New York Athletic Club on Tuesday, November 7, the Tuesday following this year’s 2023 TCS New York City Marathon. The event has generated over $400,000 in donations in the first eight years it has been held. This year’s event will be hosted by Michele Yu, author and host of New York 1 News.

“The work that the New York Road Runners has done for causes large and small is nothing short of amazing, as we are proud to recognize the organization, from its founder the late Fred Lebow to the current leadership for all they do to help raise awareness and funds for literally thousands of people who never run a race,” Aanesen said. “Second but not least we are proud to honor the work that Dr. lee Jones and his team in Exercise Oncology have done at Memorial Sloan Kettering as they wrap up this critical stage of research and implementation. Without their vision, leadership and education the value of exercise as a vital part of cancer recovery may never have been realized.”

“It is an honor to accept this award on behalf of everyone past and present in at New York Road Runners,” said Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO. “The spirit and soul of one of our greatest champions, Grete Waitz, lives on in the terrific work Helle and AKTIV Against Cancer continue to do, and we are proud to be recognized amongst such an outstanding list of honorees past and present. Our work supporting the hundreds of causes tied to our events each year continues on, with a very bright future ahead.”

“This event has always been one of the highlights of our year, since the work we do ties directly to the goal and mission of AKTIV Against Cancer,” Dr. Jones added. “It has been a privilege to work so closely with Helle and the organization since we launched this project, and to see the tangible results of the work has been amazingly fulfilling, not just for our staff and volunteers but for the patients and their families and friends who are better in every way because of the discoveries we have made. It is a truly life changing effort.”

Since its inception in 2006, the TCS New York City Marathon Official Charity Partner Program has raised more than $460 million for over 1,000 worthy non-profit organizations across the globe.

Previous honorees of this award include: adidas and Chaunté Lowe (2022), Cycle For Survival co-founder Dave Linn (2021), Shannon Miller (2020) Chip and Joanna Gaines, Jeff Rochford and Aubrey Barr (2019) Dr. Jordan Metzl & Kikkan Randall (2018), The Rudin Family & the late Gabriel Grunewald (2017), Meb Keflezighi (2016), and Mary Wittenberg (2015).

For more information about AKTIV Against Cancer please visit www.aktivagainstcancer.org

Boston Takes 18th NBA Title In Strat-O-Matic 2023-24 Simulation

After last year’s Conference Finals appearance, the retooled Boston Celtics are all-in on making a run at the NBA title. And Strat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulation games, has them earning their 18th crown in dominant fashion in its 2023-24 season simulation, winning 64 regular season games and nearly sweeping through the playoffs, taking 16 of 17 including the Championship in four games over upstart Minnesota.

Denver’s Nicola Jokic (27 points, league-best 13 rebounds, eight assists per game) was named MVP, with the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum (27/9/5) second and Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard (27/4/9) third. The trio plus Jimmy Butler (24/5/5) of Miami and Dallas’s Luka Doncic (31/8/8) comprised the All-NBA First Team.

Boston finished five games ahead of Milwaukee (59-23) in the Eastern Conference for the top seed, sweeping #8 Charlotte, topping #4 Cleveland (49-33), 4-1, and upending sixth seeded Miami (44-38) in four in the East playoff rounds. In the Western Conference, Minnesota (55-27), Memphis (51-31), the Los Angeles Lakers (51-31) and Golden State (51-31) comprised the top four playoff spots. The Timberwolves topped #7 Sacramento (47-35) in the Western Conference Finals to advance to its first Finals.

In his rookie season, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama averaged 19.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Strat-O-Matic also simulated the league’s first in-season tournament, with Dallas surprising Boston in the final.

National Lacrosse League, TSN Set ‘NLL Game of the Week on TSN’ Schedule For 2023-24 Season

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, and TSN, Canada’s Sports Leader, announced the schedule of “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” broadcasts on TSN for the upcoming 2023-24 NLL regular season.

The lineup of 20 Game of the Week broadcasts – including at least one at each of the NLL’s five Canada-based franchises – begins with NLL Faceoff Weekend on December 1, featuring the Saskatchewan Rush at Halifax Thunderbirds (7 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. AT) followed by Panther City Lacrosse Club at Vancouver Warriors (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT).

This season’s “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” slate also features a record four doubleheaders (Weeks 1, 14, 16, and 20), providing fans more fast-paced NLL action throughout the season.

Designated “flex” games during the last three weeks of the NLL regular season allow the League and TSN to adjust broadcast schedules to air the most compelling games during the “NLL March to May” race to the postseason.

In addition, the popular “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” broadcasts are complemented by TSN’s continued live streaming coverage of every NLL regular season and postseason game for fans across Canada on its TSN+ digital streaming service.

The “NLL Game of the Week on TSN” schedule is as follows and is available on the NLL and TSN official websites (schedule subject to change, all times ET):

  • Friday, December 1, 2023: Saskatchewan Rush @ Halifax Thunderbirds, 7 p.m.
  • Friday, December 1, 2023: Panther City Lacrosse Club @ Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 9, 2023: Philadelphia Wings @ Toronto Rock, 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 16, 2023: Georgia Swarm @ Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, December 30, 2023: New York Riptide @ Toronto Rock, 4 p.m.
  • Friday, January 12, 2024: Toronto Rock @ Halifax Thunderbirds, 6:30 p.m.
  • Friday, January 26, 2024: Colorado Mammoth @ Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 3, 2024: Toronto Rock @ Calgary Roughnecks, 9 p.m.
  • Friday, February 9, 2024: Las Vegas Desert Dogs @ Halifax Thunderbirds, 6:30 p.m.
  • Sunday February 18, 2024: Halifax Thunderbirds @ Calgary Roughnecks, 7 p.m.
  • Friday, March 1, 2024: Georgia Swarm @ Halifax Thunderbirds, 7 p.m.
  • Friday, March 1, 2024: Buffalo Bandits @ Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 9, 2024: Colorado Mammoth @ Toronto Rock, 5 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 16, 2024: Toronto Rock @ Buffalo Bandits, 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 16, 2024: New York Riptide @ Saskatchewan Rush, 9:30 p.m.
  • *Friday, April 5, 2024: Saskatchewan Rush @ Calgary Roughnecks, 9 p.m. OR Halifax Thunderbirds @ Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 13, 2024: Rochester Knighthawks @ Toronto Rock, 7:30 p.m.
  • *Saturday, April 13, 2024: New York Riptide @ Vancouver Warriors, 10 p.m. OR San Diego Seals @ Saskatchewan Rush, 9 p.m.
  • *Saturday, April 20, 2024: Colorado Mammoth @ Halifax Thunderbirds, 6 p.m. OR Toronto Rock @ Saskatchewan Rush, 9 p.m. OR Panther City Lacrosse Club @ Calgary Roughnecks, 9 p.m.

*denotes flex dates

**The 20th NLL Game of the Week on TSN matchup will be announced prior to the start of the season.

The 2023-24 NLL season will commence with NLL Faceoff Weekend on December 1-2. The full NLL regular season schedule is available at https://www.nll.com/schedule/full-schedule/.

Kitman Labs Launches ‘The Football Intelligence Platform’ For Premier League Academies

Kitman Labs, the sports technology and analytics company setting the industry standard for how elite sports organisations use data, today announced a new partnership with the Premier League.

The partnership will provide all Premier League club academies with a centralised, fully integrated ‘Football Intelligence Platform’ designed to aggregate and mobilise player and staff data across coaching, medical, sports science, operations, player care and education.

Data for academy players will be centralised in one platform – providing participants and coaching staff with a comprehensive, unified and real-time view of players’ medical, performance, training and development profiles.

The platform gives academies data accuracy and the ability to conduct advanced analytics at a league, club, or player level. Staff will manage player pathways through performance benchmarking and personalised development plans, in addition to providing tools, reporting, insights and actionable data to achieve specific operating and performance outcomes.

The goal of the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) is to not only enhance the pipeline of homegrown talent for the professional game but also to ensure academies provide life-enriching experiences for all players, empowering them to fulfill their potential on and off the pitch. The Football Intelligence Platform will also provide clubs with the ability to track and support players’ progress in their social, educational and cognitive development and will help serve as a holistic record for each player.

The platform will be supported by dedicated staff and a player app (iOS and Android), to support the need for frequent and instant access to player data on the pitch, in the training room and on the go.

Stephen Smith, Kitman Labs Founder & CEO, said: “Data’s value can only be realised when it’s consistent, accurate, pervasive and directly aligned with the fundamental operating and performance objectives of the league or club.

“The Football Intelligence Platform has been developed to aggregate and leverage all data sources in a single platform to ultimately drive collaboration across the organisation(s), eliminate information silos and provide actionable intelligence. That intelligence will be used specifically to systemise talent development and player pathways as well as support and validate data-led decision-making related to coaching methodology, best practices and policies.”

Tony Scholes, Chief Football Officer at the Premier League, said: “The EPPP aims to create unrivalled development environments where every young person is supported to maximise their potential on and off the pitch. Innovation and insights are key elements of this work, to ensure we are informed and evidence-led in our decision making.”

“This partnership represents a significant development in how clubs and the Premier League can use data to support elite player development and personal growth across all club academies. Through this first-of-its-kind strategic partnership, we and our clubs will have access to world-leading technology and support, equipping us with the tools and knowledge to help the development of players.”

Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top governing bodies, leagues, teams and athletes across a variety of sports, including soccer/global football, basketball, rugby, and American football. The company’s technology has been used by leagues and teams in some of the world’s most elite sports organisations and universities including the NFL, NBA, MLS, NWSL and NCAA.

This partnership with the Premier League follows other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs has undertaken including the successful acquisition of The Sports Office (TSO) and Presagia Sports, both made in the last two years. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organisations (1000+) and created the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

For more information on Kitman Labs, visit www.kitmanlabs.com.

NWSL Launches Performance Medicine Solution From Kitman Labs As Advanced EMR

The National Women’s Soccer League and Kitman Labs, the sports technology and analytics company setting the industry standard for how elite sports organizations use data, today announced a new deal that, beginning in 2024, will provide all current and incoming NWSL teams with a centralized and configurable operating system designed to aggregate and mobilize all player medical data.

The Performance Medicine Solution – one of four Solutions offered as part of Kitman Labs’ iP: Intelligence Platform – will provide the technology and infrastructure to automate and power accurate, league-wide medical data collection and analysis, drive collaboration among all relevant league and team stakeholders, yield actionable intelligence to support specific performance outcomes and enable data-led decision-making and research.

The Performance Medicine Solution powered by iP: Intelligence Platform will enable the NWSL to:

  • Standardize league-wide medical documentation and data collection – eliminating data gaps, inconsistencies and inaccuracy and facilitating club-level compliance
  • Collaborate and align relevant internal stakeholders across both the Medical and Performance Teams to support evidence-based decision-making around player health, care and wellness
  • Enable practitioners to spend less time dedicated to data collection, analytics and administrative oversight and more time with athletes
  • Establish a solid and complete data set to support ongoing and future league-wide research initiatives and innovation

“In making the decision around what technology to deploy, it was critical for us that the technology not only represent the gold standard in performance intelligence but be supported by a team of practitioners born from the Sport. We get both in Kitman Labs,” said NWSL Chief Medical Officer Cindy Chang. “We’re not looking for the quick fix or a short term solution. We’re looking for a partner that understands our vision and can provide a platform that can scale and adjust as the League continues to grow and evolve. We also needed a platform that would help automate and streamline workflows, freeing up bandwidth for medical and performance staffs to do what they do best – develop and train elite athletes.”

“We have extensive experience developing and deploying league-wide technology solutions related to medical, performance and talent development data. The insights and intelligence gleaned from a platform capable of aggregating and analyzing disparate data sets across multiple organizations is invaluable,” said Stephen Smith, Founder & CEO Kitman Labs. “The NWSL will now have a fully configurable operating system that can grow with them, drive league-wide efficiencies and support data-led decision-making at every level of the organization – league, team and athlete.”

Kitman Labs has an established track record of working with top governing bodies, leagues, teams and athletes across a variety of sports, including soccer/global football, basketball, rugby, and American football. The company’s technology has been used by teams in some of the world’s most elite sports organizations and universities including the NFL, NBA, Premier League, MLS and NCAA.

This partnership with the National Women’s Soccer League follows other recent business strategy moves Kitman Labs has undertaken including the successful acquisition of The Sports Office and Presagia Sports, both made in the last two years. The combined companies represent the industry’s largest network of elite and youth organizations (1000+) and created the industry’s largest dataset of talent, performance, and medical data for all stages of the athlete lifecycle.

For more information on Kitman Labs, visit www.kitmanlabs.com.

NLL Adopts Unified Standings Format and Updated Playoff Structure for the 2023-24 Season

The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced several new structural formats, most prominently a single-table, “Unified Standings,” in which teams are ranked regardless of geography, debuting with the 2023-24 season.

It is the most significant and impactful change to the NLL schedule format in League history.

“The revamped standings, schedule and playoff formats provide a streamlined, easy-to-follow, and fiercely competitive method of determining our playoff teams and, ultimately, our champion,” said Brett Frood, NLL Commissioner. “This also affords us flexibility in matching up teams to sustain lasting rivalries, create new ones, and maximize fan and partner engagement across the league.”

In addition to the Unified Standings model, notable features of the transition include:

  • Scheduling will be rooted in competitive equitability and schedule parity, with each team playing every other team once, plus four additional “flex” games that preserve established rivalries and fan interest, showcase games with impactful storylines, and highlight star player matchups.
  • The schedule and standings format allows the NLL to definitively showcase its continental reach as a truly North American league; for example, teams in San Diego and Vancouver competing against Toronto and New York for regular season superiority.
  • Every single game, every weekend, will have a playoff atmosphere and implications on the path to the Championship, while guaranteeing that the best eight teams at the end of the regular season have an opportunity to win the NLL Cup.
  • Each fan base in every city will have the opportunity to see every team and player visit their home arena at least once every other year.
  • The “NLL March to May” playoff format will feature the regular season #1 seed vs. #8; #2 vs. #7; #3 vs. #6; and #4 vs. #5 in the Quarterfinals, with a “bracket” style advance through to the NLL Finals. The Quarterfinal round will be single elimination. The Semi-finals and Finals will continue to be best-of-three series.
  • NLL Faceoff Weekend is set for December 1-2, 2023. Buffalo will begin its defense of its 2022-23 NLL title on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Albany, then will raise its Championship banner at home on Dec. 16.
  • For the third consecutive year, every NLL game will be distributed on ESPN+ and TSN+. The schedule of national broadcast games on TSN and ESPN linear networks will be announced soon.

The complete 2023-24 National Lacrosse League schedule can be found here.

New NFL and NCAA Schools Join The Lineup For Second Annual Coach Knapp Stair Climb Initiative

The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund, named in honor of veteran NFL assistant coach Greg Knapp, today announced its expanded lineup of NFL and NCAA teams participating in this fall’s “Knapp Stair Climb.” Launched last fall, the initial project had seven NFL teams and close to 200 coaches, players and staff participating in various forms on game days, easily surpassing the goal of raising $100,000. In honor of Coach Knapp, NFL and NCAA coaches, players, executives and alumni will participate in raising funds and awareness for the dangers of distracted driving at each NFL or NCAA stadium prior to team warm ups.

“It’s been very special to see so many people sign up for the Stair Climb to raise awareness for the dangers of distracted driving and to honor Greg’s legacy. We are so grateful for the groundswell of support from across the NFL and at the college level,” said Charlotte Knapp, co-founder of Knapp Memorial and Greg Knapp’s widow.

The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund designated their first grant to SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), which funded TextLess Live More events in high schools across the country. TextLess Live More utilizes evidence-informed strategies to reduce technology’s prevalence in young people’s lives – especially behind the wheel, reducing distracted driving rates and deaths. This year, teams will be able to choose which middle and high schools they want these events to take place to create a local impact in their communities.

This year’s initiative will start even earlier in the season, with Head Coach Matt LaFleur leading the Green Bay Packers in taking to the steps of storied Lambeau Field on Sunday, September 24th.

In addition to the Packers, the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans, plus a growing number of NCAA colleges and universities from Division I to Division III have signed on to participate this fall. The initial NCAA list includes the football programs at Sacramento State, Stanford University, Fordham University, The University of Michigan, Caldwell University and Ripon College, with more schools joining on each week.

“Coach Knapp was a mentor and friend. I can only hope that the impact he made on me as a player, I can pay it forward to my athletes, added Bobby Fresques, Sac State Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach and loyal friend. “Through his foundation, his legacy will continue to have a profound effect on Sac State Football.”

Fans, athletes, and coaches or anyone interested can also participate wherever is most convenient to them across the country, such as apartment building stairs or a high school sports stadium. Images will be shared on various social channels.

Details on how to get involved individually can be found at https://www.knappmemorial.org/stairclimb. All proceeds will benefit The Coach Knapp Memorial Fund.