September 12, 2024

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Good morning. Amazon is ramping up Thursday Night Football with AI features, giving tonight’s Bills-Dolphins game a twist that it hopes will get fans get even more into the games. We look at how the tech giant is trying to change sports broadcasting.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Amazon’s NFL Differentiation Plan in Year 3: It’s All About AI [[link removed]]

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon is again ramping up its capabilities for its Thursday Night Football coverage, once more leaning heavily in to its status as a non-traditional broadcaster.

A year after introducing a series of new on-air features for its NFL broadcasts [[link removed]], Year 3 of its NFL coverage will see Amazon particularly flexing its muscle around artificial intelligence, relying in part on sister company Amazon Web Services.

New features for TNF using AI include:

An expansion of its previously introduced defensive alerts feature, highlighting likely blitzing players, from its “Prime Vision” alternate broadcast to the main feed. This will be supplemented on the alternate feed with another similar feature showcasing defensive players likely to disrupt plays. A defensive vulnerability feature identifies areas of the field where teams are susceptible to offensive attack. A coverage ID element shows viewers in real time what type of defensive scheme, such as zone or man-to-man, teams are using on a play.

The enhancements, quite unlike what is seen on a traditional linear NFL broadcast, will debut with the 2024 start of TNF on Thursday with the Bills-Dolphins game to open Week 2. These features add to Amazon’s existing components, such as highlighting open receivers, and have helped garner Amazon a reputation as a destination for fans looking to understand the sport at a deeper level.

“We’re uniquely positioned to accelerate the integration of AI into our live events, given the in-house expertise we’re able to collaborate with and the next-generation compute power that AWS provides,” said Jared Stacy, Amazon Prime Video director of live sports production.

Maturation of the Portfolio

The enlargement of the NFL production arrives as Amazon continues to amass one of the most prominent sets of sports rights anywhere. The company now operates in each of the four main men’s sports leagues in the U.S. [[link removed]] after completing a deal to acquire NBA rights [[link removed]].

As Amazon expands its national-level sports presence, it’s growing on the regional front, too, nearing a deal with Diamond Sports Group to distribute Bally Sports content [[link removed]] through Amazon Prime Video.

SPONSORED BY GATORADE

The Gatorade x Kristin Juszczyk Collab

The Gatorade x Kristin Juszczyk collab collection drops at 10 a.m. ET on the Gatorade site [[link removed]]. This limited-edition drop merges Gatorade’s iconic heritage of fueling athletes since 1965 with Kristin’s innovative approach to game-day fashion, featuring her signature patchwork and a nod to flag football in the design.

Available exclusively to Gatorade iD members, this collection includes two capsules: a Bag Capsule [[link removed]] with a custom duffel, Gatorade sideline towel and Gx bottle, and a Bottle Capsule [[link removed]] with a custom Gx towel and Gx bottle. The collaboration aims to fuel the future of football by celebrating the contributions of women on and off the field.

Join Gatorade iD [[link removed]] today to shop this exclusive capsule.

Team USA Solheim Cup Captain Urges Better Men’s-Women’s Collaboration [[link removed]]

LPGA

GAINESVILLE, Va. — Solheim Cup U.S. captain Stacy Lewis wishes there was more collaboration between the top men’s and women’s team golf events.

On Friday, the Solheim Cup tees off at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club just outside Washington, D.C. The U.S. vs Europe women’s clash is returning to its traditional spot on the calendar opposite Ryder Cup years, after being played in the same month as the men’s event last fall and in 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Ryder Cup to 2021, and pushed its biennial cycle to odd years, alongside the most recent two Solheim Cups. “The biggest con is that we didn’t do more together last year, to be honest,” Lewis said Wednesday. “I don’t think we took advantage of two weeks in Europe.”

A year ago, Europe retained the Solheim Cup after tying the U.S. at 14 in Spain on Sept. 22–24, and won the Ryder Cup with a 16.5–11.5 rout in Italy on Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. But the two team events didn’t do much promotion together, despite their proximity in time and place. “Looking back, that was probably the biggest miss on both sides,” Lewis said. “I felt like it could have helped both of us; it could have helped golf in general.”

After the pandemic, Solheim Cup organizers—the LPGA and Ladies European Tour—decided to play back-to-back events in 2023 and 2024 to avoid playing in the same year as the storied men’s tournament. The Solheim Cup, which dates back to 1990, did the same thing in 2002 and 2003 after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 pushed that year’s Ryder Cup to 2002.

Presidential Treatment

While Lewis, 39, said she’s now “indifferent” about whether the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup are played in the same or opposite years, the 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour does have a revolutionary idea for one of golf’s other premier team events.

“I’d love to see the Presidents Cup become mixed,” she said of the PGA Tour–operated men’s competition that pits Team USA against international players from countries outside of Europe. At the end of this month, the Presidents Cup will be played in Montreal.

“It’s the perfect way to blend the two tours. The international team would get better very quickly,” Lewis said, referencing golf’s varying talent distribution—the men’s international team is always a big underdog to the U.S., but six of the top-ranked women’s golfers in the world are from countries outside the U.S. and Europe.

Creating a high-level competition featuring men and women is not unheard of. The International Olympic Committee is considering a proposal to add a 36-hole mixed-team tournament [[link removed]] to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard Strikes NIL Deal With Dick’s Sporting Goods [[link removed]]

South Bend Tribune

Front Office Sports keeps you updated on the latest NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals shaping college sports. Here’s who is cashing in now:

Athlete: Riley Leonard Sport: Football School: Notre Dame Brand: Dick’s Sporting Goods

The deal: Before Notre Dame’s shocking loss to Northern Illinois last week, the Fighting Irish quarterback signed an NIL deal with Dick’s Sports Goods, and he chose to share the opportunity with his linemen. Leonard, who is in the top 25 of On3’s NIL 100 [[link removed]] with a valuation of $1.1 million, brought his linemen to an appearance at Mishawaka, Ind. That allowed him to spread the NIL fees and gift cards to the men who protect him every week.

“It means a lot to be able to share an opportunity like this with my teammates, in fact it’s essential to me,” Leonard told On3.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Stephen A. Wants the Biggest Deal in Sports Media

FOS illustration

Stephen A. Smith joined the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit and was very candid about his negotiations with ESPN. The First Take host wants the biggest contract in sports media. We also hear from ESPN reporter Marty Smith on the uncertain future of college football as schools scramble for more funds and donors feel maxed out.

Plus, Steph Curry wants to own an NBA team, Chelsea could leave its home of 120 years, and ManningCast was a low point in an otherwise stellar first NFL week.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

Prime-Time Colorado Clash Sets Records

Last year’s Colorado–Colorado State game was one for the ages, with coaches Deion Sanders and Jay Norvell exchanging words before the game and the Buffaloes pulling out a comeback win in double overtime.

Anticipation has built for the rematch. According to TickPick, this is the most expensive Colorado State home game on record, with an average purchase price of $306.

The current get-in price is $200. That’s 614% more expensive than the get-in price for its following home game against UTEP. The total cost to attend every remaining CSU home game is $197.

Download the TickPick app [[link removed]] and use code FOS15 for $15 off your first purchase of $99+.

Conversation Starters The Players Era Festival, a new college basketball tournament, will debut during Thanksgiving week and feature eight different teams. Learn more [[link removed]]. Four former Michigan football players have filed a class-action lawsuit worth $50 million [[link removed]] against the NCAA and Big Ten Network alleging they were denied the opportunity to profit from NIL (name, image, and likeness). Golf season isn’t over yet, and it’s not too late to get yourself a new set of clubs. FOS is teaming up with U.S. Bank to give away a full set of TaylorMade Qi10 golf clubs. Enter to win here [[link removed]].* Editors’ Picks Deshaun Watson Says He’s ‘Surprised’ by Latest Sexual Assault Allegations [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Details of Watson’s contract became public after the lawsuit was filed. ESPN Will Have a ManningCast for the Super Bowl [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The popular alternate broadcast on ESPN2 will make its Super Bowl debut. WNBA Stars Rip Commish Over Clumsy Answer on Online Abuse [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Engelbert said her advice is to ignore online comments. Question of the Day

Do you regularly watch “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime Video?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: 87% of respondents think Charles Barkley will take a job with another NBA partner if TNT Sports loses its rights.

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