๐๐ 2023 December Recap: Happy New Year! Latest Tech in American Football? VR Flight Simulator. NIL Youth Sports Market To Grow to $90B By 2026. $107M Raised From Sports Tech Startups in Dec "23
Dear Colleague,
December was another great month in the sports of sports and tech. During the Christmas holidays, we hope that you had a chance to spend some quality time with your family. We are excited about 2024 and we wish you all a wonderful 2024 as well as the Upside team, all our partners, customers, sponsors and all the sports organizations we worked with in 2023. We wish you all lots of success, happiness and good health in 2024. We canโt wait to catch up with all of you at our next Upside Tech Summits in Paris and Miami.
At Upside, our goals for 2024 are as follow:
Double down on our Upside Sports Tech Summits: We had a successful 2023 Upside Tech Summit at Citi Field last November, which gathered 300 attendees, 45 teams, 60 vendors and top VCs and family offices. This NY Summit was Upsideโs 7th Tech Summit since 2014. Upside Summits have now gathered 2300 attendees and 230 speakers globally. Moving forward we plan to have 2 major Summits per year. One in the US, and one in Europe. Our next Upside Sports Tech Summit will be in Paris on September 5, 2024, hosted by a worldโs class European team, and later on in 2024 in the US in Miami FL hosted by a top US team. We canโt wait to catch up in person with all of you. Expect to meet some worldโs class teams, investors and vendors there. We will soon provide additional details (speakers, panels, keynotes, tech expo..) on those new Upside Sports Tech Summits.
Keep enhancing our Upside Tech scouting platform with new features and capabilities: One of our biggest priorities in 2024 will also be to keep innovating and launching new features in 2024. It is important for us to keep getting feedback from our customers (teams, vendors, VCs..) on how we can improve our Upside platform. We have an amazing product roadmap and will be launching new features starting in 1Q24.
Double down on our focus on female athletes and teams: With 9% of the global research focusing on women athletes we strongly believe that there is still a long way to go when it comes to women teams and athletes. Women teams and leagues need more research and more funding. This is why in 2023 we started a group monthly podcast on female athletes and teams with top execs (teams, vendors, researchers) and that we had a panel discussion on tech for women teams and leagues at our NY Summit. In 2024 we plan to double down on our efforts there with more research, panel discussions and podcast interviews in 2024.
Keep bringing the sports tech community closer together: When we started Upside many years ago, our goal was simple: Bring the vibrant sports tech community closer together. Everything we do at Upside is to help teams find the latest cutting edge technologies that meet their needs, help vendors land new customers and help investors find new investment opportunities.
Keep growing our Upside community at a global scale: Over the years our Upside community has grown to nearly 7000 sports tech execs. Currently all the major US teams (NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, NCAA..) received our Upside newsletter several times per week. Our goal in 2024 is to keep growing our vibrant community.
Work with all the major US teams (NBA, NFL, MLS, MLB) by Year end 2024: At Upside, we currently have close relationships with a third of all the NBA, MLB, MLS teams. Our goal is to work with all the major US teams by year end of 2024. We know that this is an aggressive goal but we believe it is achievable based on our reach and the power of our network.
Keep discussing the latest trends in sports and tech: In 2024, we will continue to cover through podcast interviews, detailed analysis, all the major trends in sports and tech, whether it is about performance tech, load management, rehab, biofeedback/mental health, injury reduction, nutritional strategies, sports marketing, sports investment, women teams and research, and so on.
We hope to see you at our next Summits in Paris and Miami! If you are interested in attending, speaking, exhibiting, or sponsoring our 2024 Upside Summits in Paris and Miami,ย feel free to email us at julien@sportscouncilsv.comย or click on the button below:
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me.
Best,
โญUpside 2023 December Monthly Sports Tech Recap
Here is the recap of our monthly interview with Dr. Ron Dick, associate professor of sports marketing at Duquesne University in the school of business. Ron also worked for 20 years in sports, including 15 years in the NBA with the Sixers and the Nets, and then five years in the NCAA. He touched on the sports tech and business trends (In-season NBA tournament, Ohtani, Rafael Nadalโs return, Columbus Crew..) in December 2023.
In the MLS, The Columbus Crew beat holders LAFC 2-1 and won their third MLS Cup title last month. The Crew have now won seven major trophies: the MLS Cup in 2008, 2020 and 2023; the Supporters' Shield in 2004, 2008, and 2009; and the 2002 U.S. Open Cup.
In the world of pro basketball, the NBA season is now well underway. In the Eastern conference the Celtics are in first place (26 / 6), ahead of the Bucks (24 / 8) and the Sixers (22 / 10). In the Western conference, the Timberwolves are leading (24 wins / 8 losses), ahead of OKC (22 / 9), and Nuggets (23 / 11).
The Memphis Grizzlies are also gaining momentum ahead of the new year. They topped the New Orleans Pelicans 116-115 last week and are a perfect 4-0 since Ja Morant returned to the hardwood after serving a 25-game suspension.
In the world of American Football, Week 17 in the NFL is here, and the postseason is right around the corner.ย With only two Sundays left in the regular season, the playoff seeding is shaping up. Six teams (San Francisco 49ers (12-4), Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), Detroit Lions (11-5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8), Dallas Cowboys (11-5)) have already punched their tickets and eight teams have been eliminated, meaning there are still quite a few teams left in contention. ย
Picture: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
In the world of pro rugby, Following their victory at the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, South Africa, after beating New Zealand 11-12 in an enthalling match at the Stade de France, is now back on top and ranked world #1, ahead of Ireland (2) and New Zealand (3).
In the world of pro baseball, the LA Dodgers made a big splash in the market after signing both Ohtani (10-year, $700 million contract) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-year, $325 million contract). You can check out 2023 MLB Meetings and tech expo recap here.
In the world of pro golf, world #1 Jon Rahm has accepted the monstrous offer from LIV Golf and has joined the League that was born in 2022 driven from Saudi Arabia causing a seismic shift in world golf. The golfer from Barrika will receive in a mixed contract, money and a percentage of a team, worth more than 500 million euros.
In the world of pro tennis, 2024 will see the return of 2 tennis stars: Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka. Rafael Nadal will play at the 2024 Australian Open. Naomi Osaka is also nearing her return to professional tennis. She has been on maternity leave since September 2022 and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl earlier this year.
In the world of pro hockey, the National Hockey League (NHL) season is now well underway. In the Eastern conference the Bruins are in first place (22 / 7), ahead of the Panthers (22 / 12) and the Maple Leafs (17 / 10). In the Western conference, the Avalanche are leading (23 wins / 11 losses), ahead of Jets (22 / 9), and Stars (22 / 9).
In the AI/AR/VR/NFT/OTT/Metaverse/Crypto/Blockchain space, some reports indicate that Google Glass 3 camera could read your Pixel Watch screen. According to an article, a German VR โflight simulator is behind LSU QB Jayden Danielsโ Heisman-caliber 2023 season.
Reebok is also partnering with Futureverse in an AI-metaverse deal. MeetKai and Meta-Stadiums launch FIFA Sports Metaverse.
Senior Executives at 'Sports Illustrated' publishing house are out of a job following AI article controversy. The NHLPA, NHL, NHLAA, and Sweet, a leading platform for gamified digital collectible experiences, recently announced the official launch of NHL Breakaway. Breakaway is the official digital collectible platform for the athletes of the NHL, NHLPA, and NHLAA as well as the NHLโs community of fans. Disney does NFTs again in partnership with Dapper Labs.
WNBA Star Jewell Loyd relies on crypto and why Bitcoin and Ethereum are her 'Anchors'. McLaren Racing (F1) also doubled down on crypto when competitors abandoned it.
Trail Blazers have also become the first NBA team to broadcast AR graphics from a handheld camera.
In the world of sports performance and wearables, Apple rolled out Siri health features with watchOS 10.2ย โ in US and China. Withings also launched a luxury Withings ScanWatch Nova hybrid watch. Orreco also launched FitrWoman, a coaching platform to drive female performance. Lastly, Stats Perform is holding onto the WTA Tour betting rights contract.
In the world of sports tech investments, total sports tech investment in December 2023 reached $107M. This was slightly down -14% from $123.7M in November 2023. However, with $230.7M raised in the past 2 months this is a clear indication that the sports tech industry is seeing a rebound in terms of sports tech investments.
As a reminder, Upside Globalย is a sports, tech & health community of 7,000 executives under a single web platform.ย Members include executives from the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB, NCAA, Laliga, English Premiere League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Series A, Brazilian soccer league, Olympic teams, Pro rugby, Pro tennis, as well as representatives of startups, brands, VCs, and athletes.
As a reminder, Upside launched the Upside Tech Scouting platform,ย the worldโs first platform providing granular anonymized team data on specific teams (NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, Premier League, Laliga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, national teams, Olympic teams, pro rugby, pro tennis..).ย For each team profile, users can see critical information provided by teams such as their annual sports performance budget, the vendor(s) that they are currently using, their rating per vendor and the price range that they are paying for each vendor.ย Now keep in mind that each team profile has been anonymized as we take data privacy of teams very seriously.
Here isย a video providing anย overview of the Upside scouting platform.ย
The Upside Tech Scouting Platform is currently trusted & used by leading sportsย organizations, and VCs to help them discover new cutting technologies and do their due diligence on emergence technology vendors. Leading vendors are also using it to better understand the needs of leading pro teams and generate new leads.
Here is a post explaining the benefitsย for teams to join the Upside tech scouting platform, how we gathered the survey data from teams. If you want to sign up for Upside Premium which gives you access to the Upside Tech scouting platform please click on the bottom below:
You can click on the link below and sign up for our Upside Pro Combo today and get the 30% discount:
If you have any questions regarding Upside Global, or the Upside Tech scouting platform, please contact us at julien@sportscouncilsv.com
๐ฐย Top Stories Weโre Reading This Month
โญ2023 Upside Trip Recap: 2023 MLS Symposium and Tech expo recap (Dec 15-16, 2023).
โญ2023 Upside Trip Recap: 2023 MLB Meetings and Tech expos recap (Dec 5-7, 2023).
๐๐ Upside Study: The Athletic Intelligence Quotient & Performance in the NBA
โญUpside VC Profile: Drive By DraftKings & Chat with Meredith McPherron, CEO & Managing Partner.
๐ Google Glass 3 camera could read your Pixel Watch screen
๐ The German VR โflight simulatorโ behind LSU QB Jayden Danielsโ Heisman-caliber 2023 season
โ Apple rolls out Siri health features with watchOS 10.2ย โ in US and China
โ Luxury Withings ScanWatch Nova hybrid lands
โ๏ธ Orrecoโs FitrWoman launches coaching platform to drive female performance
๐ธ Startup investment recap (December 2023)
๐ Tech Stats of the month
๐ธ Snapshots & videos of the Month
Letโs jump right into the insights and upside for all of these top stories
โญUpside Tech Summits of the Month
โญUpside Trips of the Month
โญUpside Studies of the Month
โญUpside Analysis of the Month
โญ Upside VC Profiles of the Month
โญ Upside Podcast Interviews of the Month
Guest posts:
๐ฎย NFTs/Metaverse/AR/VR/Blockchain/OTT News
๐ Google Glass 3 camera could read your Pixel Watch screen | Via : Wareable
It's easy to forget Google Glass pioneered the idea of a consumer augmented reality headset, more than a decade ago โ before privacy fears over the camera forced the company to retreat from the idea like Homer Simpson into the hedgerow. Now, with behemoths like Apple, Meta, and thousands of developers preparing to reap the benefits of wider AR acceptance, Google Glass looks way ahead of its time.
Indeed, a new patent filing reveals Google is still pondering the return of a Google Glass-like headset โ including a significant role for the camera that caused moral outcry and defined the first go-around.
In the filing with the USPTO spotted by Wareable, Google outlines how a camera stationed within a head-worn device could launch AR/VR applications and control related functionality.
โฌ๏ธ The Upside: Letโs face it! Google created the connected glasses market back in 2012 with Google Glass Gen 1. Now at the time Google Glass did not have the success they expected but it created a whole new market. We should give Google credit for that. With Apple set to soon introduce its AR/VR headset (Apple Vision Pro) Google needs to play a key role in this market. This is why it makes sense for them to work on Google Glass Gen 3. Now keep in mind that Google hired some key execs from companies like Microsoft Hololens, Magic Leap, Meta..so they clearly have a plan to make a big splash in the market in 2024. You can check out our previous analysis on the AR sports market and VR sports market here.
๐ The German VR โflight simulatorโ behind LSU QB Jayden Danielsโ Heisman-caliber 2023 season | Via : The Athletic
Joe Sloan, LSUโs quarterbacks coach, listened to the play call from his seat in the press box, then leaned forward in his chair and focused on Daniels. Few descriptors are more apt for what Daniels would ultimately accomplish in 2023. Among 131 FBS quarterbacks who have attempted 150 passes this season, Daniels leads in passing efficiency, yards per attempt, expected points added per dropback and completions of 20 yards or more, per TruMedia. Heโs poised to set the single-season FBS record for passing efficiency, and, by the way, he leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards. Treating play in the Southeastern Conference like heโs on rookie mode in a video game is why Daniels is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday night.
โHeโs always been a fine thrower,โ Sloan said this week, โbut he went from being an above-average high-level college thrower to the best passer in the country. It was really cool to watch.โ
Danielsโ development is not random nor difficult to spot for evaluators. Jack Marucci, LSUโs director of performance innovation, said an NFL staffer told him recently: โIt looks like heโs throwing to a spot more.โ Improved pass protection played a role in Danielsโ willingness to trust his progressions. So, too, did having potential first-rounders like Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. at wide receiver. But there is another layer to his growth, one that involves an iPad, a virtual reality headset, and a platform built by two folks in Germany who had a vision for a better way to help athletes make split-second decisions.
โฌ๏ธ The Upside: This should not come as a surprise to see yet another QB use VR training to improve their game and prepare for the next games. This is not new. A company like STRIVR Labs has done with before for the NFL and NCAA football teams. Win Reality built a VR training system for MLB teams. Cognilize, which powers the VR solution for the LSU QB, is another player in the space. That being said, where Cognitize is a little bit difference is in its positioning as they are also focusing on cognitive training. Another company called Rezzil falls into the same category. You can check out the interview we did with Rezzil here. Moving forward we expect more teams to adopt VR training solutions in order to improve athletesโ training (e.g. cognitive training), skills, reaction time, and even improve the rehab process.
๐ Wearables, Health, Nutrition News
โ Apple rolls out Siri health features with watchOS 10.2ย โ in US and China | Via : Wareable
Apple has rolled out its Siri health features for Apple Watch, which enables users to ask the voice assistant for health-related queries. The feature was announced with Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 back at the September launch, and lands as part of the watchOS 10.2 update. It enables you to query Siri about health-related data, such as your fitness goals or sleep data โ as well as logging medications, vitamins, period symptoms, blood sugar readings, and more.
Until now, Siri hasnโt been able to answer health queries due to privacy restrictions. Voice assistants usually hand off queries to the cloud, and sending what could be private health information off to the cloud was deemed a privacy risk.ย
โฌ๏ธ The Upside: We believe this is a nice move by Apple for a couple of reasons: (1) Siri has become the most used voice assistant in the world with 500M devices using Siri today. (2) The Apple Watch is the most popular smart watch in the world with 115+ million people using an Apple Watch today. The Apple Watch is also the world's best-selling smartwatch, capturing 22% of global market share as of Q3 2023, according to Counterpoint Research. (3) This is part of Appleโs long term strategy to focus on healthcare. Siri and the Apple Watch are just another vehicle for Apple to get deeper into the space. For example, Apple Watch is already able to check for unusually high or low heart rates in the background. Siri can also track usersโ meds. So having the ability for Apple watch and Siri users to request blood sugar levels, vitamin intakes or period symptoms is a natural evolution. We expect Apple to introduce new capabilities to enhance Siri, The Apple Watch and improve the stickiness of its offering.
โ Luxury Withings ScanWatch Nova hybrid lands | Via : Wareable
Withings has unveiled the new ScanWatch Nova โ a luxury version of its excellent ScanWatch 2 health hybrid smartwatch. Withings did the same last time out with the ScanWatch Horizon, which was a diving watch embodiment of the analog form factor of the ScanWatch.
This time itโs gone a little more luxury โ and thereโs more than a little nod to the likes of Rolex Submariner and Tag Formula 1 in the design. The rotating bezel is ceramic, and itโs etched with minute intervals โ and it comes in green, black, or blue options for the bezel and dials. Each comes with an oyster link bracelet in silver. Under the hood, itโs a classic ScanWatch 2 โ which got a solid 4/5 stars in our review.
โฌ๏ธ The Upside: It should not come as a surprise to see Withings launch another hybrid luxury smartwatch. They are not the first digital health company to do so and they wonโt be the last. Clearly Withings and other vendors are trying to tap into the global Swiss Watch market, which is valued at USD 3384.97 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of -1.78% during the forecast period, reaching USD 3038.53 million by 2028. Moving forward we expect other vendors to follow suit and launch their own hybrid luxury watches or team up with other Swiss watch/luxury watch companies to tap into this market.
โ๏ธ Orrecoโs FitrWoman launches coaching platform to drive female performance | Via : SP
FitrWoman hopes its new โFitrCoachโ coaching platform will help address gender inequalities in sport by providing female athletes with greater access to research-backed tools and resources designed to enhance performance. The new platform integrates with the existing FitrWoman app, which is already used by elite athletes, coaches, and teams, including Chelsea Women and the England womenโs national team during their winning Uefa European Womenโs Championship campaign last summer.
FitrCoach adds features such as cycle tracking for diverse menstrual cycles and hormonal contraceptives use, dynamic content experiences informed by cycle status and symptom logging, and improved data visualisation tools.
โฌ๏ธ The Upside: We believe this is a great move by Orreco for a number of reasons: (1) Orreco has become a key player in the tech world for women teams and athletes. They are already working with top teams (Chelsea fc), FIFA and national women teams. (2) This is part of their overall strategy to focus heavily on women teams and leagues, especially on the research side as well. (3) It enhances their portfolio of technologies and solutions for women teams and athletes and will help Orreco increase its market share in the space.
Now Orreco is not the only player in this space. For example, other vendors like OvulaRing have launched a wearable and app to track female athletesโ menstrual cycles. At Upside we are a big believer that there is need for more research and solutions for women teams and athletes. This is one of the reasons why we started a monthly group podcast with top female executives. You can check out our latest group podcast here.
๐ธ Sports Tech & Health Investment Recap - December 2023
Here is the recap of the major sports startupsโ investments in December 2023. Total sports tech investment in December 2023 reached $107M. This was slightly down -14% from $123.7M in November 2023. However, with $230.7M raised in the past 2 months this is a clear indication that the sports tech industry is seeing a rebound in terms of sports tech investments.
Source: Upside, Confidential, November/December 2023
Investments, new Tech fund & M&As and other financial sports tech news:
NBA Takes Equity Stake in Dallas Micro-Betting Odds Provider nVenue
FutConnect secures $12 million in Series A funding
Ladder raises $12 million Series A to demystify strength training and accelerate growth.
Authentication startup Dust Identity raises $40 million to get into sports.
FTN Network closes seed funding round, oversubscribing goal of $3 million.
GameOn Technology changes its name to On as it raises $25 million.
African-Born Sportable completes first close of $15 million Series A funding.
Sports streamer DAZN explores raising as much as $1 billion.
AllCity raises $9.4 million from Andre Iguodalaโs Mosaic fund.
BHOUT a Portuguese-connected boxing startup has raised $10.7 million in seed funding for its AI-powered gamified boxing bag,
PE firm Arctos invests in Aston Martin F1, Red Bull renews TAG sponsorship.
Warren Buffett buys $8 million stake in Atlanta Braves.
Cleveland Browns owners donate $20 million for a new sports health and innovation center.
German Football weighs fresh โฌ1 billion private equity deal.
๐ Key Tech Sports Stats of The Month
$620B: Revenue from the Global Emerging Leagues/Teams market was estimated at $620 billion in 2022.
$321B: The global Gaming/Esports market is expected to grow to $321 billion by 2026.
$90B: The NIL & Youth Sports market is expected to grow to $90 billion by 2026.
$42B: The sports Data/Analytics/AI market is expected to grow to $42B by 2030.
$1.3B: After more than a year of uncertainty, Manchester United is finally bringing on new minority ownership that could drastically alter the Premier League clubโs future on and off the pitch.
In November 2022, United announced intentions to explore a sale. Now, the club has formally unveiled a deal for British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe to acquire up to a 25% minority stake. Ratcliffe, who made his fortune largely through his chemicals company, Ineos, originally sought to buy majority control of the club, and he had fierce competition from Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Here are the key details in Ratcliffeโs deal:
Ratcliffe will pay $1.3 billion ($33 per share).
Old Trafford will receive an additional $300 million investment from Ratcliffe.
The deal values Manchester United at $5.4 billion.
Ratcliffe will take over control of soccer operations.
The Glazer family will retain majority club ownership and control of commercial operations.
As of close of business Tuesday, Manchester Unitedโs stock price sat at $20.52, up 5.72% over the past five days, but down more than 11% over the past year.
$1.1B: Fernando Tatis Jr. Ohtani actively helped recruit his fellow countryman to join him in Los Angeles. Between those two deals alone, the Dodgers have committed to more than $1 billion in future spending this month, and will pay an additional $50.6 million posting fee to the Buffaloes, Yamamoto's team in Japan.
$100.78M: The price tag on the New York Metsโ historically expensive failure during the 2023 season keeps getting bigger. After beginning the year with an MLB-record $344 million payroll on Opening Day, the Mets ended up trading away many of their best and highest-paid players midseason en route to a 75-87 record, the eighth-worst in MLB. Despite the selloff, New York still finished with an unprecedented $374.7 million luxury tax payroll, according to league figures obtained by The Associated Press, resulting in owner Steve Cohen getting hit with a record $100.78 million bill under MLBโs competitive balance tax system. Tax payrolls are calculated using an intricate system that tallies things like average annual values and earned bonuses, and they factor in benefits and deferred salaries.
29M: After the NFL featured Super Bowl contenders in each of its three game windows on Monday, CBS Sports reported an average audience of 29.2 million viewers for the early afternoon matchup of the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders. That total marks the most-watched Christmas Day game in 34 years, and it beats the comparable game last year by 29%. In 2022, the NFL had an average of 22.9 million viewers across three games, while the NBA only reached 4.27 million average viewers.
1.2M: The Inter Miami-FC Cincinnati semifinal on the CBS Sports Golazo Network provided the streaming channel with its most successful day ever in terms of households reached. Although viewership isnโt available for the Miami-Houston final, which Messi sat out due to injury, on the CBS Sports Network cable channel, the matchโs Spanish-language broadcast generated 1.2 million viewers across Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.
300: Chet Holmgren is the first player in NBA history to average 300+ points, 50+ blocks, and 30+ 3-pointers in their first 25 NBA career games. Chet was also named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November. During this stretch, he averaged 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.11 blocks per game. The 21-year-old also shot 53.7% from the field, 41% from 3-point range and 87.1% from the free-throw line.
53: In 2023 Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo became the year's top goal-scorer. His 53 goals top Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe on that list.
2-28: With a 2-18 start, The Detroit Pistons are now on pace for the worst record in NBA history.
๐ธ Snapshots & Videos of the Month.
How the NFL created a Mixed Reality Experience. The Famous Group used a Mixed Reality "fluid specialist" to help get the correct slime consistency for the Nickelodeon Wild Card Game โSlime Monster.โ The original character was a part of a host of MR elements that ran throughout the game with the help of the Unreal Engine.
Ravensโ 2023-2024 season opening video: Here is the opening video of the Baltimore Ravensโs 2023-2024 season opening video: This video, using mixed reality, was created by The Famous Group.
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๐ฅ Upside Chat: Dave Hancock, CEO, Apollo (Leading Athlete Management Systems (AMS) vendor)