Sports imPULSE

New Online Golf Game From TOPGOLF

 

TopGolf, the unique sports entertainment complex that bills itself as more than just a driving range, has just introduced an online version of one of their most popular games.  Available at TopGolfTheGame.com, the online game allows players to select the power and accuracy of each shot while aiming for any of 10 targets.  Like the real game, points are scored based on accuracy.  In celebration of the new release, TopGolf will award prizes every week for the next six weeks to the top online scorers, redeemable at any of TopGolf’s six locations.

Founded in England in 1997, TopGolf opened its first U.S. location in Alexandria, Virginia in 2005, adding Chicago and Dallas in 2007. TopGolf is an entertainment facility that uses computer microchips embedded in regulation golf balls to create an interactive game for both the hard-core golfers and first-time golfers. The state of the art software, invented in Britain, includes a handful of computer assisted golf games where players get points by hitting targets.  

Mini Cooper Launching New Urban Bicycle

The Cooper Car Company began life  in the 1940's with cars that would go on to be a major force within the highest levels of motor racing.  The Cooper name lives on in the Mini Cooper, a modern day classic of automotive engineering.

Today, the Cooper Car Company is branching out and launching an urban bicycle line which marks the 50th anniversary of the company's first Formula One victory. The bicycles will mark the racing heritage with models such as the Monza and Sebring.

According to the official blurb, both bikes will “exhibit the modern aggressive styling of a track bike, and combine confident, sharp handling with comfort and smoothness.” The T100 Monza is supplied in dark blue with flat bars and the T100 Sebring is finished in silver, and has bullhorn bars.

In addition to the T100 Monza and T100 Sebring, the Cooper range will include the T200 Championship 50, a special edition single speed, finished in classic Cooper racing green to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Cooper Car Company Formula 1 World Championship victory in 1959, and the T200 Reims 5 Speed.

SPLICE(R) Oakley's New Snow Goggle - Optical Performance At It's Best

If you love to ski or snowboard you're probably familiar with the uncomfortable feeling of your goggle's frame adding pressure onto your nose. Oakley's new Splice Goggle takes a new approach by adding an internal frame that reduces pressure on your nose and in turn, makes it a lot less harder to breathe.

Oakley's new SPLICE performance snow goggle was developed with structural engineering that maximizes comfort. The O Matter(R) frame remains flexible even in extreme cold, and a new skeletal support system spans the nasal area to reduce pressure on the nose while increasing airflow. Combined with moisture wicking triple-layer fleece foam and strap outriggers that evenly balance pressure, the new support system makes this one of the most comfortable goggles ever created for winter sports.

SPLICE has an interchangeable lens design that features semi-flush lens mounting, a means of optimizing downward visibility. Side-to-side vision is also maximized. Oakley designers matched the company's optical innovations in lens contouring with structural refinements including special engineering of the strap outriggers, eliminating any obstruction to peripheral view. With interchangeable lens designs, keyhole lens mounting is a standard for the goggle industry, but Oakley devised a way to eliminate the keyhole structures and make the process of lens changing fast and efficient. All SPLICE lenses are dual vented and feature the company's F3 anti-fog technology. Pure Plutonite(R) lens material filters out 100% of all UVA, UVB and UVC while offering unrivaled impact protection.

In short, these new goggles really rock.  I wonder how many we will see at the upcoming Winter Olympics.....

Sports Technologies We Hate - Text Your Vote In

Unfortunately, technology has given TV sportscasters and stadium management new ways to annoy fans and distract them from the game. You can hardly watch a game or sports show anymore without being asked to text your vote in for some meaningless, sponsored award. Cast your vote for "Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year"! (offer available only for Sprint customers). And if you're at a stadium, and text a comment for the privilege of seeing it appear on the JumboTron – congratulations! You're just given the team permission to send text spam to your phone.

Sports Technologies We Hate - Ineffective Doping Tests

Fans want to believe sports are free of doping, or at least that professional leagues are making an honest attempt to catch cheaters. But while some athletes get caught, the evidence in front of our eyes suggests anti-doping technology is at least two steps behind the offenders. Without steroids, you probably wouldn't find many NFL linebackers who are 6'2", weigh 270 pounds, hit as hard as Hulk Hogan and run nearly as fast as Carl Lewis. Even worse, pro football and baseball don't even bother testing for the commonly used human growth hormone, because no urine test exists and players have lobbied against blood testing.

Sports Technologies We Hate - Online Ticketing

OK, we've looked at some great sports-related technologies. Now we'll examine a few that change the fan experience for the worse.

Online Ticketing Systems

Yes, it's nice that the Internet lets sports fans buy tickets from the convenience of their living rooms, and without having to deal with annoying telephone systems. But too often, fans end up getting shut out or feeling ripped off.

If you're lucky enough to buy tickets, Ticketmaster rewards you with the privilege of paying "convenience fees" and building charges that can make a $30 ticket cost $40 to $45. And if the event sold out on Ticketmaster, your next option is going to a ticket broker that can sell tickets for more than face value.

It's no surprise that fans are suspicious of Ticketmaster's relationship with ticket resale sites – since Ticketmaster happens to own one of the most prominent, that being TicketsNow. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the companies and a recent settlement forced them to "curb deceptive tactics and pay $50,000 for consumer fraud enforcement and education," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Miami Dolphins and Cisco Announce Partnership At Land Shark Stadium

The Miami Dolphins and Cisco Systems yesterday announced an extensive technology partnership for Land Shark Stadium, continuing Cisco's advance into the sports industry. The Miami effort includes the implementation of Cisco’s StadiumVision IPTV video technology in more than 1,500 HD monitors at the stadium and Cisco’s first permanent installation of its TelePresence video conferencing system in a sports facility.  Now, I would really like to know why that would be required, but far be it for me to question Cisco, my former employer.

Also part of the partnership is a deep link between StadiumVision and Cisco’s Flip Video subsidiary in which fans will be routinely invited to send video taken with the digital video cameras for use on the team’s Web site and on the monitors. Now this truly is a way to enhance the fan experience.  The Miami Dolphins organization is showing that it does understand understand the entertainment value of sports and creating a full day of entertainment that goes far beyond simply the game.

Sports Technologies We Love - Advanced Prosthetics For Disabled Athletes

"Performance enhancers" usually take on a bad connotation – but not when the goal is to help the disabled perform feats that would otherwise be impossible. One great example is South African Oscar Pistorius, who runs on blade-like artificial limbs and has been dubbed "the fastest man on no legs." After a court battle in which it was alleged that his prosthetic limbs gave him an unfair advantage over athletes without disabilities, Pistorius was allowed to compete in events against able-bodied runners. He did not end up qualifying for the Olympics, but holds several world records for double amputees and won three gold medals in the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Sports Technologies We Love - Personal Replay

Ever look up at the JumboTron and see a replay from a bad angle or, worse yet, no replay at all? Someday that won't be a problem. At Pittsburgh Penguins hockey games last year, a new service called YinzCam let fans call up live video and replays from any angle they wanted with mobile phones and Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Expect this technology to spread throughout U.S. stadiums over the next few years.

I bet this would have been pretty popular at the US Open.

Moji - Now This Is Smart Icing!

Athletes know that icing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce inflammation and pain.  The Moji Knee enhances this process by attaching a proprietary, reusable cooling pack to a contoured compression wrap enabling the delivery of 20 minutes of targeted icing AND allows you to maintain mobility.  It is best described as a smart bomb for knee icing. It’s purpose driven, technologically advanced, extremely targeted, and brutally effective.

"The Moji Knee design is the outcome of an unprecedented two year-long collaboration with top Sports Medicine Doctors, World-Class Athletes, Physical Therapists, Trainers and Engineers.” It shows…

The compression wrap, made of four way stretch Polartec Power Dry 9110, wicks away any moisture to keep your knee dry, and the wrap maintains great pressure without cutting off circulation. The cooling cell is covered in Dri-Lex fabric apparently super-absorbent to again minimize wetness. There is a proprietary gel is designed to stay cool for a minimum of 20 minutes and be pliable right out of the freezer.

This could be summarized in one word:  (N)ice