Category Archives: Tech of Sports

From the shoes we wear on our feet to the high definition televisions in our living room, wearable devices, the sports universe is a breeding ground for technology. Writer and Photographer Rick Limpert will examine this each week on The Tech of Sports – With guests which include athletes, inventors and journalists that cover the intersection of sports and technology.

Terry Dale, President and CEO of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) on Summer Travel

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Rick is joined by Terry Dale of the USTOA this week.

According to the Summer Travel Survey & Trends 2023 report by The Vacationer, a whopping 85% of Americans plan to travel this summer and 42% of Americans are planning to travel more this summer compared to last. With a vast array of destinations and styles of vacations available, how can travelers save much-valued time and money in navigating the where, how, when and even why of planning a vacation? In this interview, Terry Dale, president & CEO of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) will discuss the uptick in summer travel and current travel trends. He can also share the benefits of booking a guided tour as well as offer up some ‘off the beaten path’ destinations to plan your next adventure!

TERRY’S TRAVEL TRENDS INCLUDE:

OFF THE BEATEN PATH ITINERARIES – Unique destinations like Türkiye are growing in popularity. Türkiye welcomed 51.4 million visitors in 2022, making it one of the world’s most prominent travel destinations. Apart from its successful figures, Türkiye is also a pioneer country in sustainable tourism and started a nationwide sustainable tourism program in 2022. Tour operators like Collette bring guests off the beaten path to secret hideaways like Dalyan, a relaxing riverbank town connected to the Mediterranean Sea and filled with local charm.

CULTURE IS IN – Countries such as Malta offer thousands of years of intriguing history. Malta, a Mediterranean Archipelago with three sister islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, are home to a most remarkable concentration of intact built heritage, including the highest density of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in any nation-state. Club Adventures’ Malta tour offers exceptional culinary experiences, and visits to local craft villages so that you’re fully immersed in the culture.

SIMPLE SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL – Zagreb is a Croatian city of delightful contrasts – it is both young and old, cosmopolitan, and alternative, a mix of Austro-Hungarian and modern architecture, bursting with over 30 museums, 30 theaters, and many galleries and festivals. Tour operators like Intrepid Travel work with locally owned and operated accommodations in Zagreb, which helps support the local economy and provides authentic experiences for travelers. Itineraries often include visits to local artisans, like Radiceva and Tkalciceva Street, and Ilica, where travelers can learn about traditional crafts like embroidery, pottery and woodworking while also supporting small, local businesses.

For more information please visit: www.ustoa.com/tournow

Tim Wright, Super Bowl Champ, Co-Founder and Chief Strategic Officer of Dome Audio

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Tim Wright joins Rick this week. Tim is currently Co-Founder and Chief Strategic Officer at Dome Audio.

Before embarking on a career in the technological arena, Tim Wright played in the pro football one. A former tight end who spent three years in the NFL after going undrafted out of Rutgers in 2013—one each for the Buccaneers, Patriots, and Lions—Wright won a championship with New England when the team beat the Seattle Seahawks 28–24 in Super Bowl XLIX.

Wright played, but had no catches. He caught 6 touchdowns in the regular season.

Wright wants to bring game-changing headphones to deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

While winning a Super Bowl ring may represent the pinnacle of one’s football career, it doesn’t represent the pinnacle of who Wright is as a person. In a recent interview with me conducted over email, Wright made crystal clear at the outset that he’s always believed himself to be “more than an athlete.” He described his life’s purpose as “[investing] in art, technology, big vision ideas, and making a difference in people’s lives.” The origins of Wright’s entrepreneurial spirit trace back to his days at Rutgers on the school’s football team, where he became the sole offensive captain; he carried these lessons into his playing career and elsewhere.

Dome uses proprietary technology to offer so-called “open” and “closed” headphones—open being bone-conducting style, closed being the more traditional Beats-like style—designed to help people hear better all the while providing improved audio fidelity.

Wright believes this mindset has set him up well for success in life. “When preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable… my discipline and acumen, coupled with my gifts as a visionary, shines through in my daily works,” he said.

Here is the preorder link: https://www.domeonesound.com

Brian Johnson, City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Ga., Criterium, New Tech

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Rick talks with City Manager of Peachtree Corners, Ga., Brian Johnson, this week.

Each year about 1,000 cyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes that occur on roadways in the U.S. To bring attention to the importance of roadway safety for cyclists, pedestrians and more, Peachtree Corners, Georgia is hosting the U.S. Pro Cycling Curiosity Lab Criterium on Wednesday, April 26. This Curiosity Lab Criterium is more than a qualifying bike race – this Criterium is a way to bring attention to the issue of roadway safety by demonstrating first-ever technologies focused on saving lives and preventing injury for pedestrians, cyclists and more.

In addition to the Criterium, in front of City Hall Peachtree Corners will be showcasing smart city technologies that improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and more. These technologies will be on display for attendees to experience during the event. Technologies include:

The first-ever connected vehicle technology for cyclists to prevent injury and death. This VRU2X technology by Spoke allows cyclists and drivers to be alerted of each other before the human eye can even detect them. This is through connected vehicle technology known as C-V2X (cyclists can communicate with vehicles, vehicles can communicate with cyclists, cyclists can connect with traffic infrastructure, etc.).

Cyclists will be using this technology during the Criterium race. This is a simple unit placed on the bike that sends signal 10x per second. Spoke partner Audi will be onsite to demonstrate the C-V2X within their vehicles as well. Attendees can experience how drivers will see where the cyclist is located in relation to the vehicle and from what direction they are approaching.

Beep’s autonomous and electric shuttles will be on display showcasing C-V2X technology by Commsignia. This tech improves AV safety by alerting vehicles of oncoming traffic, pedestrians and more.

Video analytics and LiDAR for traffic and intersection management will be demonstrated to show how object detection and data is used to make roadways safer and more efficient to improve congestion, traffic, pedestrian safety and sustainability initiatives.

For additional event information visit: https://www.curiositylabptc.com/curiosity-lab-criterium/.

Jay Margolis, ‘My Maril: Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood, and Me’

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Rick talks to author, Jay Margolis, this week.

The book is ‘My Maril: Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood, and Me’

The movie star, the singer, the sex symbol, the so-called “dumb blonde” – all things that Marilyn Monroe is known as, and yet her story goes far beyond that. How did she build her career in Hollywood? Who was she close to – her family, her friends, her lovers – and who was really there for her? Was a successful young woman’s life cut short by suicide, or is there more to the story? Most importantly, who really was Marilyn Monroe? My Maril: Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood, and Me reveals the intimate details of the star’s life and the environment of Hollywood and the United States at the peak of Marilyn Monroe’s career.

Terry Karger, granddaughter of Metro Pictures co-founder Maxwell Karger and the daughter of Fred Karger (Marilyn’s lover and vocal coach), recounts her experience with Hollywood and a young Marilyn Monroe. Coauthored by New York Times best-selling author Jay Margolis, My Maril begins with a young Terry Karger meeting Marilyn, affectionately nicknamed “Maril” by the Karger family, for the first time as her father’s new girlfriend. Marilyn becomes Terry’s babysitter, and she serves as a friend and sister-esque figure in the young girl’s life. Terry’s version of Marilyn is personal – she is kind, affectionate, smart, and mischievous, strikingly different to the way she was portrayed by the media. This book is a comprehensive account of Marilyn’s entire life, as well as a behind-the-scenes glance into other prominent public figures, such as Ronald Reagan, that Terry Karger knew personally.

 

Ophir Gaathon, Chief Executive Officer of DUST Identity and Sports Collectibles

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Rick talks with Ophir Gaathon of Dust Identity.

Under the NCAA name, image and likeness (NIL) policy, among other benefits, college athletes are able to profit from signing autographs and essentially selling their jerseys and wares as collectibles. Having products of college athletes on the market in season ramps up excitement and growth of the industry. But the NIL also presents inherent challenges including the need for athletes to know which jerseys, helmets, and so on are theirs and which autographed wares are authentic and not knock-offs. For the individual athlete, there are not a lot of good options out there for authenticating their own products and protecting their investment.

At DUST Identity, the answer to this challenge is small — nanoparticle small. Using engineered diamond particles embedded in high-performance polymers, DUST gives physical “things” — products, parts, and packaging — an unclonable fingerprint to offer full tracking, indisputable authentication, tamper-free validation, and data transparency throughout the object’s entire lifecycle. Compared to existing identification methods, DUST is more cost efficient at less than $0.01 to apply at scale.

Ophir Gaathon – Chief Executive Officer

Ophir Gaathon is a supply chain security expert who has a deep understanding of the complex security challenges associated with global value chains. In his current role as CEO, he is responsible for the company’s overall vision and strategy, product commercialization, and overseeing technology and R&D initiatives. Prior to launching DUST Identity in 2018, Ophir was the CEO and founder of Diamond Nanotechnologies for seven years, where he developed the underlying technology for DUST with his cofounders. Prior to that, he was a Research Affiliate for the Synthetic Neurobiology Group in the MIT Media Lab for 3 years and served as a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics’ Quantum Photonics Lab in 2013. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Columbia University and B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering at NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. He has led research projects at MIT and Columbia, and he holds several patents.

Lara Krug, Kansas City Chiefs Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

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Rick talks with Lara Krug from Adobe Summit in Las Vegas.

Lara Krug was hired as Kansas City’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer on June 29, 2021 and begins her third season in the National Football League in 2023.

As the first CMO in franchise history, Krug oversees all club marketing functions, including brand marketing; community outreach; digital, social and website operations; influencer activation; event entertainment; content production and the Hunt Family Foundation.

Reporting directly to team President Mark Donovan, she strategically and proactively works across the organization to identify opportunities to help internal and external stakeholders achieve key growth objectives. Employing short- and long-term strategies, Krug and the marketing team are focused on brand extensions and loyalty with current and new fans; engaging with fans through original content across all the club’s social, digital and mobile channels; as well as creating once-in-a-lifetime experiences domestically and globally all in an effort to welcome all to Chiefs Kingdom.

In addition to managing all domestic marketing efforts for the team, Krug is leading the club’s international growth in both Germany and Mexico as part of the NFL’s IHMA (International Home Marketing Area) announcement in 2021. This league initiative grants clubs access to international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization, enabling the Chiefs to build a more robust global brand while driving NFL fan growth internationally.

Prior to joining the Chiefs, Krug spent more than seven years in multiple marketing roles with Anheuser-Busch InBev, eventually taking over as Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Stella Artois (2018-21). Before leading the national marketing efforts for Stella Artois, she served as the Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Regional Brands, including Estrella Jalisco, Landshark, Presidenté, Beck’s and Kirin. Those roles saw her develop and lead experiential platforms and campaigns around Super Bowl LIV (2020) and the FIFA World Cup (2018). She also held positions as the Director of Global Experiential Marketing and Director of Global Digital and Media Operations at Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Before joining A-B InBev, she spent three years with L’Oréal USA, where she finished her time as Associate Vice President of Global Digital Marketing, overseeing the creation of digital and social content toolkits, CRM and data capture strategy. Prior to L’Oréal, Krug was the Manager of Online Marketing for Avon Inc. and Avon.com and was a Media Strategist for multiple national clients at PHD Media.