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.

Jared Knott, Author, Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters: Thirty-Nine Tiny Mistakes That Changed the World

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A great talk with this interesting author this week.

Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters: Thirty-Nine Tiny Mistakes That Changed the World Forever!, by Jared Knott, is a multiple award winning bestselling book. Knott just picked up the 2021 International Book Award, in the History category, and a New Generation Indie Award, (Finalist History Non-Fiction). Having garnered over 720 positive reviews, including one from the Mensa Bulletin, Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters hit the Amazon bestseller right out of the gate and has remained there for seven-months, this while also #1 in six different categories. In addition, a major audiobook producer, Black Stone, is putting the finishing touches on a Tiny Blunders audiobook.

These Tiny Blunders which caused Big Disasters also revolve around the personality and upbringing of the famous and infamous, thus allowing Jared Knott to explore various dynamics such as the intense family rivalry in the Kennedy Clan or the circumstances which gave rise to Presidents Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. From ancient to modern times, battles, war campaigns, bureaucratic decision making and the psychological makeup of the main players is explored.

Knott wants the reader to learn from history, to know that looking after the small details is vital in order to obtain the desired outcome. Carelessness changes and costs lives, many times sparking a tsunami which engulfs individuals, nations and empires. You will never discount the small details again after reading Tiny Blunders, Big Disasters. Of course, Tiny Blunders can lead to wonderful discoveries, such as when Alexander Fleming left some bread out and it molded, thus leading to the discovery of penicillin.

Kim Carducci, Author, Former D1 Swimmer on Athletes and Mental Health

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Rick is joined by Kim Carducci this week and she has a new book!

Carducci’s debut book, The I of the Tiger, is out and it goes into depth about the mental health aspect of being a top performing athlete and offers ways athletes can manage their minds.

Carducci was able to rise above her darkest moments after retiring as a D1 swimmer at the University of North Carolina but many top sports competitors don’t. In The I of the Tiger, Carducci uncovers the many layers, fears, insecurities, and complexities the athlete identity produces. She offers insights on how this identity negatively impacts mental health and ways athletes can navigate pivotal transitions.

“When life hits us hardest, it’s important to understand the biological and psychological effects of pain to shed light on how we can best process our emotions.” offers Carducci. “With this understanding, we can move past the shock of a situation, grow stronger with a refreshed identity, and adopt a framework for life that encourages strength, clarity and light.”

Kim is a former DI swimmer, mental health advocate, podcaster and Founder of Everything Athletes.

In her athletic career, Kim struggled with depression and has since dedicated herself to helping other athletes cope with the realities of the sports world.
Kim founded Everything Athletes, an online refuge for competitors, where she offers the resources and tools needed to thrive in sport.

She resides in Atlanta, GA.

Andrea Kremer, Award Winning Sports Journalist, NFL Thursday Night and More

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Rick is joined by Andrea Kremer this week.

Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm became the first-ever female duo to call an NFL game in 2018, and are two of the most accomplished sports journalists in the business. They are back for their fourth year of calling Thursday Night Football on Prime Video, and speak to their legendary careers, their outlook for the season, as well as new ways for fans to explore and enjoy Thursday Night Football!

From the early season division rivalry game between the Seahawks and the Rams to the mid-winter battle between the Packers and the Browns, Thursday Night Football is THE hot ticket for football fans this season! Announcers Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm will be back in the booth for the fourth straight season as they continue to make history as the first female duo to call NFL games. With decades of experience as storytellers, the Storm-Kremer feed brings a unique voice and viewpoint to every game!

Kremer talks about the new and exciting ways to live stream the game each Thursday on Prime Video, with features that let fans customize how they watch. Fans get ‘insider access’ to things like live stats and data previously only available to coaches and announcers, all without taking their eyes off the game.

Andrea Kremer (born February 25, 1959) is a multi-Emmy Award-winning American television sports journalist. She currently calls Thursday Night Football games for Amazon Prime Video making sports history, along with Hannah Storm, by becoming the first all-women booth to call any major men’s team sport, not just football.[1] Kremer is also Chief Correspondent for the NFL Network[2] and previously led the network’s coverage and in-depth reporting on health and safety. Her other current roles include correspondent for HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel as well as co-host of We Need To Talk, the first ever all-female nationally televised weekly sports show on CBS. Until the 2011 season, she worked as a sideline reporter for NBC on the network’s coverage of Sunday Night Football.

In 2018, Kremer received the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[3] She has covered more than 25 Super Bowls, the NBA Finals and All-Star Game, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and League Championship Series, college football bowl games, hockey’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, U.S Olympic basketball trials, 2012 U.S. Olympic swimming trials, and the PGA Championship.

Great to be joined by Andrea.

Rodney Hilton Brown, Author, MUHAMMAD ALI: The Untold Story

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Great to have Rodney Hilton Brown on the podcast this week.

For most people, it’s a little known fact Cassius Clay Sr. was a house painter as well as fine arts painter in his hometown Louisville and that he shared his love of the arts and encouraged his son, known globally as Muhammad Ali, to explore his artistic side.

Over the years, Ali expressed himself beautifully and produced a large number of drawings, paintings and, poetry over the years. In 1977, historian, Rodney Hilton Brown, veteran, collector, and author, was the owner of an art gallery in Manhattan. He met Muhammad Ali at a charity boxing match in Boston. They formed a friendship and partnership that lasted for the rest of Ali’s lifetime. Rodney became the greatest boxer of all time’s art dealer, friend, confidant, representative to the United Nations, and business. Ali lovingly nicknamed him “The Vanilla Brother.”

Rodney, now in his seventh decade, felt the time was ripe to tell his story and share his never-before-revealed memories about the decades he spent with “the greatest of all time” with the world. The result is MUHAMMAD ALI: The Untold Story: Painter, Poet, and Prophet.

Hilton-Brown’s rare and extensive collection of Muhammad Ali’s artwork and some other items will be sold at auction this coming October 5, 2021, in the morning at Bonhams in Manhattan and online.

View full sale catalog: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/27079/

Steve Grad, Pawn Stars and Authenticator for Beckett Authentication Services

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If you’ve seen Pawn Stars, you’ve seen Steve Grad authenticate autographs. In my opinion, the premiere autograph authenticator in the world.

Grad joins me from Industry Summit in Las Vegas to talk about what’s hot in autographs and some of the current topics in authentication. That includes talking Michael Jordan autographs and how many fakes are out in the wild.

Since 2013, whenever someone brings in an autographed item of significance Rick Harrison of Pawn Stars will “call his guy”, which is Steve Grad.

“In the world of collecting, my opinion might mean something to friends, but to the rest of the world, it means nothing. You need Beckett Authentication. That’s what you have to have if you want to sell it”, said Rick.

Grad got his start collecting autographs over 25 years ago, acquiring more than 100,000 in-person autographs. He took his passion and knowledge of autographs and turned it into a successful business. Formerly working for a leading authentication company, Grad built their autograph authentication business during a 15-year tenure before moving to Beckett in 2016 to spearhead the launch of Beckett Authentication Services

A renowned expert in his field, Grad has authenticated many of the finest pieces in the sports collectible hobby including the Laws of Baseball, the highest-graded Babe Ruth single-signed baseball, the only known Joe Jackson signed photograph and numerous other high-end pieces of American sports history.

Since 2013, Grad has served as an autograph expert on History’s “Pawn Stars”, appearing on over 135 episodes to date.

Great to be joined by my friend, Steve Grad!

 

Mark Frissora, Former Chief Executive Officer and President of Caesars Entertainment

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Talking everything travel, Las Vegas and wagering this week with Mark Frissora, former CEO and President of Caesars Entertainment.

Mark P. Frissora was previously the Chief Executive Officer and President of Caesars Entertainment. He also has served as the chair and CEO of two Fortune 500 companies, Hertz Global Holdings, and Tenneco, Inc. With over 42 years of business experience, Mr. Frissora’s expertise spans across all levels of managerial and functional roles. He is known especially for consistently generating stakeholder/shareholder value at highly leveraged companies in both private equity and public markets, and successfully leading companies out of bankruptcy. Mr. Frissora credits his success to a strong work culture that focuses on customer-centricity, diversity, and employee engagement.

Great talking with Mark as he has his finger on the pulse of so many things.