football
Latest
AI is better at bluffing than professional gamblers
The act of gambling on games of chance has been around for as long as the games themselves. For as long as there's been money to be made wagering on the uncertain outcomes of these events, bettors have been leveraging mathematics to give them an edge on the house. As gaming has moved from bookies and casinos into the digital realm, gamblers are beginning to use modern computing techniques, especially AI and machine learning (ML), to increase their odds of winning. But that betting blade cuts both ways, as researchers work to design artificial intelligences capable of beating professional players at their own game -- and even out-wagering sportsbooks.
Twitter and Fox Sports are making a live show for the Women's World Cup
Following their partnership during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Twitter and Fox Sports are now teaming up on video content for another major FIFA sporting event. For the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, which is being played in France this summer, Twitter and Fox Sports are bringing back their live soccer (er, football) show from last year, though it'll now be called FIFA Women's World Cup Now. The premise is the same as the original program: It'll be live-streamed on Twitter, feature match previews, recaps, highlights, guest appearances and, naturally, the best tweets from users across the site.
Premier League wants video referees starting next season
The wheels are in motion for the Premier League to roll out the video assistant referee (VAR) system starting in 2019-2020. Teams have agreed in principle to the plan, and the league will formally request approval from FIFA and the International Football Association Board.
New 'FIFA Mobile' season brings revamped visuals and team chemistry
FIFA Mobile has usually played second fiddle to its 'full-size' counterparts. That gap just closed a bit, however. EA has updated FIFA Mobile on Android and iOS for the new season, and it includes some much-needed improvements. There's a full gameplay engine revamp that promises more fluid animation as well as smarter, more realistic AI. You can also expect more authentic-looking star players (like Neymar above) and reworked menus. And yes, there are some significant gameplay changes.
'Fortnite' is adding NFL team jerseys, emotes and more
Epic Games has landed a major partnership for Fortnite -- it's bringing the National Football League into the fold. Starting Friday at 7PM ET, you'll be able to buy NFL team outfits from the Battle Royale Item Shop, which you can customize with any of the NFL's 32 team uniforms (as well as a Fortnite team) and add your own squad number from 1-99. The NFL cosmetics don't stop there, as there will be gliders. emotes and resource harvesting tools with a football theme, while you can also pick up a referee outfit.
Amazon's NFL streams will feature an all-female commentary team
When Amazon starts streaming its latest round of Thursday Night Football on September 27th, you'll have a few options for commentary -- including one that breaks new ground in the broadcasting industry. The internet behemoth has announced that it will include an option for all-female audio commentary from veteran sports journalists Andrea Kremer (at left) and Hannah Storm. It's the first time two women commentators will cover an entire NFL game, Amazon said. While it's easy to be cynical about the move, it's definitely big news if you want a break from the usual play calling.
Swiss soccer fans interrupt game to protest esports
While a growing number of professional sports leagues are supporting esports, not everyone is too pleased that they're doing so. This weekend, fans of two Swiss soccer teams -- Young Boys and Basel -- protested the rise of esports during a game, hurling tennis balls and video game console controllers onto the field around 15 minutes in. Some of the controllers appeared to have "fuck esports" written on them. Fans on both sides also unfurled banners, with one featuring a giant pause button and another saying "scheiss esports."
'FIFA 19' has everything it needs to be the best
I've always tried to love FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer equally, though there are years when one franchise wins me over the other -- even if it's by a tiny bit. You can always count on the game mechanics of Konami's PES to be a pleasure to play, but EA Sports' advantage with FIFA has been that it owns the official licenses to the biggest clubs and players. I don't know about you, but I'd rather play with Manchester United than Man Red. This year, the most important change to FIFA 19 is the addition of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club competition, which had featured on PES since 2008. EA Sports didn't need the Champions League to make FIFA great, but it was basically the only thing it was missing. And now, at the expense of PES, it's finally here.
FCC received thousands of fake letters supporting NFL's blackout rule
Fake FCC comments aren't just reserved for net neutrality opponents. The Wall Street Journal has discovered that the FCC received about 21,000 identical letters urging the regulator to let the NFL keep its blackout rule, which let it ban cable and satellite airings of home games that weren't sold out when the league blocked local broadcasts. These weren't even subtle attempts, either. In addition to using the identities and email addresses of some people without their consent, the campaign relied on some obviously fake messages -- at last check, Bilbo Baggins was more interested in magic rings than cheering on American football teams.
CBS will stream Super Bowl LIII on mobile devices without a sign-in
CBS is determined to make the most of the NFL's loosened streaming rules. The broadcaster has revealed its streaming plans for Super Bowl LIII, and you'll finally have the option to watch on mobile devices without a sign-in through CBS Sports' website and mobile apps. You'll also have mobile access through authenticated apps from CBS' cable, satellite, telecom and streaming TV partners. To no one's surprise, you can watch through All Access on mobile if you're a subscriber.
Facebook will stream live Champions League matches in Latin America
Facebook's soccer (aka football) ambitions aren't stopping with July's Premier League deal. The social network has secured the rights to stream live Champions League matches for free in Latin America between 2018 and 2021. It's not as sweeping as the earlier arrangement, as Facebook will only broadcast 32 games per season. However, the company will share highlights and magazine programming every match week.
Adidas will livestream high school football games on Twitter
Adidas has partnered with Twitter on a new series that will livestream high school football games happening all over the country on the social network. Titled, naturally, Friday Night Stripes, the show will broadcast friday night games throughout the sport's regular season from September 7th until November 9th.
Snapchat deals with NFL, NBC add more sports videos
The jury's still out on whether or not Snapchat Stories are successful, but giants in the sports realm are apparently happy. Snap has signed deals with the NFL and NBC that will bring more sports programming to your phone. To begin with, it's extending its NFL partnership to include a "best of" Sunday Story in the Discover section that summarizes American football news and highlights for the past week. You'll continue to see Snapchat-produced NFL Our Stories material as well as Bitmoji, filters and lenses.
Amazon’s Manchester City soccer docu-series debuts August 17th
Now that the World Cup is over, the football world can settle back to obsessing over the Premier League. And just in time, Amazon's documentary series All or Nothing: Manchester City is arriving on Prime Video worldwide on August 17th.
Amazon sets its sights on official soccer shirt sales
Amazon's foray into clothing and fashion has been met with mixed responses, particularly from major labels that believe its marketplace could devalue their brand. That notion doesn't seem to fit with Italian soccer giants Napoli, however, as the club has just become the first team in the world to launch its own "brandstore" on Amazon's sprawling marketplace.
World Cup tweets were viewed 115 billion times
Twitter had high hopes that the World Cup would be a big hit on its platform. The previous games in 2014 happened before the platform released video features, but this time around, it secured a deal with the event's US rights holder Fox Sports, as well as others across the world, for exclusive content like highlight clips and interviews. As the dust settles following the French team's triumph over underdog Croatia's squad in Sunday's final game, Twitter has released its own numbers to give us an idea how the World Cup went for the platform.
The World Cup showed how VAR will shape soccer’s future
For every football (aka soccer) fan, it doesn't get any bigger than the FIFA World Cup. Every four years since 1930, the tournament has been held in different parts of the globe, and honestly, it hasn't changed much. There was the expansion to include 32 teams in 1998, but the game's rules have rarely been altered -- largely because of FIFA's unwillingness to embrace emerging technologies. But the 2018 edition in Russia, which ended Sunday with France's win over Croatia, was different. For the first time ever, FIFA used the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at its flagship competition. And the tech, for better or worse (depending on which team you cheered on), certainly made a mark.
Even the World Cup couldn't escape the 'Fortnite' fever
Now that England is out of the 2018 World Cup, there's one thing we're really going to miss about its team: The goal celebrations from midfielders Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard. While professional athletes creatively expressing themselves after scoring is nothing new, these guys stood out because their quirky moves were inspired by none other than Fortnite. Best of all, they did it at the world's biggest sporting event. Fortnite's mark on the World Cup in Russia is just the latest example of how inescapable the Epic Games' survival title is.
'Alexa, is football coming home?'
You've gotta hand it to England's football fans -- what they lack in World Cup wins they more than make up for in boundless optimism. It's been 52 years since the team won the World Cup, but after their unbearably tense win against Colombia earlier this week, football (or "soccer", except not soccer) is now closer to coming home than it has been for more than half a century -- and even Alexa knows it.
Facebook will broadcast live Premier League games in Asia
Facebook made clear its intentions to move into sport earlier this year, when it hired Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton to lead negotiations for worldwide live sports streams. Hutton's been earning his keep, because the company has just agreed a £200 million broadcast deal with the Premier League.
