Molly is a All-American out of University of Texas Austin, three-time AVCA All-America Selection and currently getting ready for the Athletes Unlimited volleyball season. She is is a member of the Athletes Unlimited Volleyball Player Executive Committee and comes from a family of athletes. During her time at Texas, she majored in corporate communications. Beyond sports, she advocates for sustainable fashion and ethical shopping. Her personal interests encompass reading, cooking, and cherishing moments with her dog.
She talks with Rick from an appearance she did at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago as she learns about the sports collecting universe and more.
As the popularity of pickleball continues to surge, The Wuerffel Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit focused on inspiring greater service and unity, today announced the 2nd Annual PickleBowl presented by Selkirk Sport will take place on Tuesday, September 19, at ITA Atlanta.
Heisman Trophy Winner, College Football Hall of Famer, former NFL quarterback and humanitarian, Danny Wuerffel — now also a passionate pickleball player — will once again serve as host of the charity event that will feature a line-up of professional pickleball players competing alongside celebrities, former athletes, musicians and entertainers.
Also serving as tournament host at the inaugural PickleBowl in 2022, Wuerffel teamed up with pickleball pro Kyle Yates, representing the University of Florida, to capture the very first title. This year the duo will look to defend their title as the charitable event pairs professional pickleball players with celebrities representing their alma maters for ultimate bragging rights.
With the Major League Pickleball Atlanta event on September 21-24, a group of Pro Pickleball players and owners will also participate in the PickleBowl this year. In total, there are expected to be 24 teams competing for the 2023 title.
Wuerffel will be joined by Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry; American Idol Winner Phillip Phillips; Director/Producer Doug Ellin, Pro Beach Volleyball player Casey Patterson, and NFL Alumni & Analysts including David Pollack, Marcellus Wiley, Eric Decker and Danny Kannell among other celebrities, as they compete alongside a strong line-up of the most accomplished professional pickleball players in the world, including Yates, Parris Todd, Collin Johns, JW and Jorja Johnson, Megan Fudge, Ryler DeHeart, and more.
The beneficiary of the 2023 PickleBowl Presented by Selkirk Sport is The Wuerffel Foundation, which has a mission to inspire greater service and unity in communities. A renowned humanitarian, Danny Wuerffel counsels and mentors community leaders in under-resourced neighborhoods across the United States and helps facilitate introductions to philanthropically-minded supporters. The Wuerffel Foundation also annually presents the Wuerffel Trophy, College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service.
Selkirk Sport, a family-owned business based in Hayden, Idaho, is at the forefront of pickleball’s surge in popularity because of its product innovation, market leadership, philanthropic initiatives, Selkirk TV, professional tour sponsorship and elite line-up of brand ambassadors.
Rick talks to Scott Deans of BeONE Sports this week.
BeONE Sports – developers of a platform where accomplished athletes’ movements are digitized into a phone app with the goal of creating a training paradigm for athletes to learn – today announced the first-of-its-kind collaboration with Mass St. Collective and the University of Kansas to bring a Collegiate NIL NASCAR car to the upcoming NASCAR race on September 9 at Kansas Speedway.
The collaboration also includes JD Motorsports, eleven (11) University of Kansas student-athletes being featured on the race car, and Mass St. Collective – the KU NIL Collective founded in 2021 to help Jayhawk student-athletes build their personal brand and benefit from their name, image and likeness.
“Our goal at Mass St. Collective is to find new and unique instances where we can grow the brand of our KU student-athletes in new and meaningful ways through name, image and likeness.” says Dan Beckler, President of Mass St. Collective. “To partner with BeOne Sports and have 11 Jayhawks on a NASCAR is something that has never been done before, and it’s an exciting way to bring NIL and college athletes to the racing industry. Brand loyalty is the best among NASCAR fans, and we hope this car only adds to that. What makes this even more special is to debut the car in our home state at Kansas Speedway.”
Additionally, BeONE Sports is developing technology to level the racetrack. With the technology available from BeONE Sports, JD Motorsports hopes to become more competitive with the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ top teams and is exploring a variety of applications using comparative training within the team.
“We believe athletes are everywhere, and we are very excited to bring new and interesting NIL opportunities to student-athletes. The KU NIL NASCAR is a great example of collaboration and driving innovation…literally,” says Scott Deans, BeONE Sports Founder and CEO.
BeONE Sports will be on location in Kansas from September 7th-9th. They will be kicking off their collaboration with athletes from the Kansas Chiefs on September 7th, working with University of Kansas athletes on campus on September 8th, and at the NASCAR race on September 9th. For more information, visit beonesports.com.
BeONE Sports has developed cutting-edge, sports training technology based on body mechanics within any sport. They’ve invented “Comparative Training,” where accomplished athletes’ movements are digitized into the technology, creating a catalog of learning potential. Using their patent-pending AI on a mobile device, young athletes around the world can train with their heroes! Athletes, coaches and parents receive immediate feedback on technique and body-position improvements, and BeONE Sports is revolutionizing the use of NIL where athletes and coaches earn income while training the next generation. For more information, visit www.beonesports.com
Rick talks to Jason Shatsky, CEO and Founder of TicketRev this week.
TicketRev is the first ever buyer-driven marketplace for live events, allowing fans to name their own desired price for tickets without any fees. From there, sellers are able to accept these requests and sell their tickets without ever having to list inventory for sale. Available for sports & music fans in marquee cities like New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Boston, TicketRev’s platform has grown to over 10,000 active users and is changing the power dynamics of live events.
Topics:
The roadblocks currently preventing fans from buying concert tickets at a fair market price
How they can get cheaper tickets to major summer 2023 concerts (Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Drake, etc.)
How Ticketmaster and Live Nation are stifling competition within the live event ticketing industry
Why this is dangerous, and what the industry needs for success
If the current industry landscape is prepared to meet a 350% expected growth in 2023 concert tours versus 2019
What this will mean for consumers
Why they are still vulnerable to increasing ticket resale prices
If this will successfully lower prices for fans attending live events
What else the industry needs to be successful and lower the barriers of entry to live events
The potential impact of recently introduced ticketing legislation; how it can encourage new entrants in the market, leading to more choices and better pricing for consumers
How transparency in fees can enable consumers to make better-informed decisions when purchasing tickets.
The future of live event ticketing
An engaging talk. Thanks to Jason for coming on this week!
“In an era where data privacy is paramount, Zoom’s decision to train its AI models using certain customer data, as per their updated terms, underscores the delicate balance tech companies must strike between innovation and user trust. While the move aligns with Zoom’s AI ambitions, it also amplifies the broader debate on the ethical boundaries of AI training. As consumers, it’s crucial we stay informed and exercise our rights, especially when our data becomes a pivotal asset in shaping the future of technology.”
ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. Many people are eager to see how it works and use it themselves, but some people may have questions on how to actually use it.
When it comes to sports, Shomron helps clear up some of the mystery.
ChatGPT is great. However, it needs to be used as a tool, not a substitute for actual content creation. It is helpful for building outlines. Most importantly, remember that it cannot generate new ideas. It can only analyze information.
Iterate.ai is a developer of AI-powered low-code software intended to accelerate innovation projects within large enterprises. They have deployed at scale with several global enterprises, such as Circle-K, Pampered Chef, Ulta Beauty, Driven Brands, Jockey, and others.
Rick has a few minutes with the legendary sports artist, Dick Perez.
Perez’s entry into baseball started in 1972 as a team artist for the Philadelphia Phillies. His paintings of all the Hall of Famers with ties to Philadelphia reside in a permanent collection at Citizens Bank Park.
While working with the Phillies, he also became the official artist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Perez has painted every Hall of Famer’s official portrait.
In 1980, the popular Perez-Steele Hall of Fame postcards were released and updated every year with every new induction until 2002. By the end of the project’s run, there were 270 postcards. The larger postcards have become favorites among autograph collectors.
There were also the popular Diamond King baseball cards put out by Donruss.
“I loved doing them because I had the freedom,” stated Perez who was appearing at the Robert Edwards Auctions booth at The National. “(Donruss) got the license to do cards and they wanted to separate themselves from the pack.”
