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.

Steven Walden, Sports Artist

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Born and raised in Arkansas, but now living in St. Louis, Steven Walden had one of the most colorful booths at this year’s National (#2169). Bright and bold works of art that look remarkable by themselves, but get even better when Walden himself hands you a pair of 3-D glasses. The 3-D sports art immediately jumps off the canvas.

“I’m an accidental artist and I didn’t know that I could paint until four years ago. This is my second National and is what I now do full-time. I work coast-to-coast with a lot of teams, athletes and charities.”

Walden may have mentioned “charities” last, but don’t let that fool you. His artwork has raised over $200,000 for charitable efforts over the last four years.

“Right now, it’s a one-man operation, so I handle everything: designing the site, marketing, promotion, customer service, ordering and keeping stock of inventory, mailing out orders, and social media interactions.”

Rick talked with the very talented, Steven Walden, at The National on August 3. Enjoy this interview. See more of Steven’s art here.

Steven Walden at The National

Card Country, Three Generations of Sports Collecting and Dealing

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These next few “Tech of Sports” will be coming to you from last week’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland.

This week, Rick talks with Jeff Foy and three generations of sports collectors that make up the entire Foy Family and Card Country. They are from Indianapolis, IN and Jeff is a successful doctor, but he loves being a part of the baseball card and sports collecting universe. It’s a family affair for the Foy Family as they talk with Rick.

You couldn’t miss them at the National with their colorful Card Country shirts. What a great family and see how they benefit from not only being at this large show, but being a part of the hobby/industry.

Enjoy this interview!

Card Country at the 2018 National

 

Ben Keal is Director of Sales for PrivateCommunities.com

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Rick is joined this week, by Ben Keal, Director of Sales for PrivateCommunities.com.

PrivateCommunities.com is the nation’s top online information resource for affluent and age-targeted consumers seeking primary, retirement, or second homes in master-planned lifestyle communities. Ben works with national developers and builders, along with ad agencies, HOAs, and real estate professionals to generate leads, build awareness, and produce ROI for their respective communities. Each year, Ben and his team helps clients connect with more than one million actively searching buyers researching privately developed communities featured on PrivateCommunities.com. Since 1996, more than one thousand communities across the nation have benefitted from advertising on PrivateCommunities.com.

“Lead by Example” is Ben’s motto. Whether he is calling on prospects or working with current clients, Ben believes that being involved in his team’s activity drives a successful department. As Director of Sales, Retention and Operations, his team is focused on winning new clients and maintaining strong relationship with existing customers.

Ben and Rick talk about the role sports play when people of all types are looking for a retirement community and this online resource can help.

Every year, PrivateCommunities.com matches more than 1 million visitors actively searching buyers with hundreds of privately developed communities featured on our website.

Optimized for page one results for top-ranked keywords, PrivateCommunities.com is used by motivated buyers at the moment of relevance – when they begin their search. Showcase your community with a customized feature page to help new prospects discover and learn more about your community. Prospects can also link to your social media, click to your website or contact you directly. They match sales leads generated online with demographic segmentation data licensed from Claritas PRIZM, a leading provider of market research and business intelligence.

Contact Ben and see why PrivateCommunities.com is the right marketing solution for your community.

Enjoy, and learn with this episode of “Tech of Sports.”

Ben Keal

Reviver Auto Co-Founder and CEO Neville Boston

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Rick talks with Neville Boston on “Tech of Sports.”

Disrupting a 125-year old industry doesn’t happen overnight… but Reviver Auto Co-Founder and CEO Neville Boston is up to the challenge. That, added with the fact that people, especially sports fans love personalization.

What started out as a way to speed up and streamline the registration process for your car or fleet of vehicles has some additional byproducts. Gone is old dirty metal tag or plate and taking its place is a high tech and customizable digital display.

The Rplate Pro from Reviver Auto is the world’s first digital license plate. The multi-functional digital display and connected vehicle platform offers a variety of features to make driving safer and smarter for consumers including:

-Automated DMV Registration – Including renewals, transfer of ownership and autopay
-Parking & Tolls – Display parking permits & violations, automatically pay tolls
-Safety Alerts – Including emergency, weather and Amber Alerts
-Personalization – Change plate’s background color and add custom messages such as student driver, real driver or baby on board
-Specialty Plate – Handicap, medical condition, senior driver, student driver etc.
-Cause Plate – Support nonprofits, communities, charities and other causes with approved cause plates
-Vehicle Tracking – Track your vehicle, speed and trips, and even display a stolen vehicle message
-Smart Home Connectivity – Connect your Rplate Pro to interact with smart home features such as lights, garage door and security system
-Targeted Messaging – Display customized messaging when the car is legally parked

Rick and Neville talk about how this impacts the world of sports! A fun talk!

Neville Boston

 

Michael Johnson, Olympic Track and Field Legend, Coach in AFFL

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Track and field legend, Michael Johnson, is coaching in the American Flag Football League (AFFL). And his Godspeed team is going for the $1 million.

Great to be joined by Michael Johnson, this week on “Tech of Sports.”

Michael Johnson is nothing short of a legend. Michael was a part of the USA Olympic team in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Sydney in 2000. He established a record of 13 Olympic and World Championship gold medals during his 11-year career.

Michael broke world records in the 200 meter, 400 meter and the 4 X 400-meter relay. He completed the historic 200/400-meter Olympic double in 1996, giving him the title of the “Fastest Man in the World.” He was clocked running 23mph en route to his historic 200-meter performance of 19.32 seconds. He added the 400-meter world record in 1999, clocking in 43.18 seconds, securing his place in history.

He also runs Michael Johnson Performance, and is helping train the next generation of athlete:

“He is obsessive about human performance. With decades of research and the relentless pursuit of the best training methods, they combine tested and proven training methodology with the latest and most innovative techniques to produce the best results possible. Michael Johnson Performance has a simple belief that training programs should be created to help individuals of every athletic ability achieve their goals and reach their full potential in their sport. The fundamentals and structure of the programs are designed to optimize the athletic performance of any athlete on the court, track, field, or ice.”

Johnson is lending his expertise, knowledge and training advice to the Godspeed team in the AFFL; and it;s working. Godspeed led by Seneca Wallace and come ex-NFLers will be playing on Thursday night for a winner take all chance at $1 million. It was great to talk with Michael, enjoy the interview and enjoy the Flag Football.

Where to see it:

America vs Pros

BBVA Compass Stadium
Houston, TX
July 19, 2018
July 19 at 8pm EST Godspeed vs. Fighting Cancer, NFL Network
America’s Team and The Pros compete for $1,000,000.

 

 

Michael Johnson and the AFFL

Catching Up With Former Iowa State and Longtime NFL Quarterback, Seneca Wallace

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It’s the middle of summer… do you need your football fix? Did you catch the American Flag Football League on the NFL Network over the weekend? Longtime NFL and Iowa State Football fans would’ve had a chance to relive some of the glory days, when Seneca Wallace was taking snaps from center and scrambling around to make plays.

Wallace is starring in the NFL-backed, AFFL, and his team, Godspeed, is currently in the semifinals of a tournament that will pay out a cool $1 million to the winning team.

He talks to Rick about playing flag football, strategy, his post NFL career and the state of Iowa State Football.

The likeable Wallace spend 10+ seasons in the NFL after two successful years leading Iowa State in 2001/02. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers.

Wallace received widespread notice in 2002 while with the Iowa State Cyclones in a play known affectionately to some as “The Run,” in which he traversed back to the 32 yard line before running it in for a 12-yard touchdown versus Texas Tech. While quarterbacking the Iowa State Cyclones in 2001 and 2002, he threw 26 touchdowns.

Post NFL, Wallace, is now owns two restaurants- Wingstops in Ames and Des Moines.

The American Flag Football League (AFFL) brought the remaining eight teams of the US Open of Football (USOF) to Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Atlanta on July 7-8, along with some new technology debuting for the sport of football.

This is an NFL-backed league with players from all walks of life and former professional athletes going “all in” for a chance at $1 million. The winners coming out of the Atlanta games, advance to the America’s Bracket Final and Pro Bracket Final on July 14 at Indianapolis’s Butler Bowl, and then the $1 million Ultimate Final (featuring both bracket champions) on July 19 at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium. The NFL Network has been covering the games with the help of some new tech.

Seneca Wallace

Rick talking to Seneca