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DraftKings, FanDuel and the feds: The daily fantasy story so far
This season, if you're a sports fan or are even sports fan-adjacent, two words have become nearly inescapable: daily fantasy. The suddenly booming industry has steamrolled TV, radio and the internet with ads promising that playing this "game of skill" can turn your intimate knowledge of sports into big bucks. Its annoyingly bombastic ads alone are enough to make anyone skeptical, since even in this fantasy not everyone can wind up an instant million dollar winner. All of the publicity has worked in FanDuel and DraftKings' favor, making daily fantasy games more popular than ever. That is, until a leak that showed the possibility of insider trading sparked a backlash. Now daily fantasy has the full focus of powerful government figures who may decide if the games will continue.
DraftKings is expanding its online gambling services to eSports
Online gambling site DraftKings told Re/code on Wednesday that it will expand its fantasy services beyond professional baseball and American football. Beginning next month, DraftKing users will be able to test their fantasy team management mettle in the rapidly-growing realm of eSports. In fact, the new service is slated to debut in time for the start of the League of Legends World Championship in October. Additionally, the company will partner six eSports teams for in-event promotions.
MLB allows Apple Watch in dugouts, but phones remain off limits
For coaching in its annual All-Star Game, Major League Baseball gave Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost an Apple Watch. As you might expect, Yost has been wearing quite a bit -- even during games when cellphones and other devices are banned from the dugouts. The wearable raised some concerns over cheating, but after the league reached out to the manager for an explanation, the Apple Watch can remain on the wrists of team staff seated on the bench. Until now, the only approved device was telephone used to call from the dugout to the bullpen to discuss pitching changes. Of course, without an iPhone close by, the Apple Watch isn't much more than a... well, watch. And that's exactly what Yost told the league. [Image credit: Ed Zurga/Getty Images]
Recommended Reading: How baseball's tech team changed television
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Changeup by Ben Popper The Verge The streaming tech that powers HBO Now? It was built by Major League Baseball Advanced Media (BAM). Yes, the same outfit that handles MLB.tv and announced a partnership with the National Hockey League to handle its streaming services this week. The Verge takes a behind-the-scenes look at the department and what it's doing to build the future of television.
MLB's Advanced Media arm inks deal to create content for NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL) and Major League Baseball Advanced Media, MLB's interactive and online broadcast arm, have come to terms on a deal that would give the NHL access to the same Emmy award-winning production assets that the MLB enjoys. The six year deal would effectively create "a fully integrated global hub of digital content that encompasses video, live game streaming, social media, fantasy, apps, along with statistical and analytical content." Basically, all the cool stuff that baseball fans enjoy at MLB.com is coming to hockey fans at the start on next year.
Comcast's TV sports app delivers baseball stats when they matter
If you're a baseball stats hound, you probably don't enjoy tearing your eyes away from the game just to dig up facts about the latest at-bat matchup. You might not have to distract yourself for much longer if you're a Comcast subscriber, though -- the cable TV giant has introduced a Baseball Extras feature to its Xfinity Sports app that turns your X1 set-top box into a real-time stats machine. Fire it up and you'll get a carousel of info that pops up as it becomes relevant, such as the batter's chances of defeating the pitcher or post-game recaps. You can also use it to track a game even when you're watching something else, so you don't have to interrupt your kids' show to get a better sense of how your favorite team is doing. This isn't as unintrusive as keeping your phone out while you watch, but it's definitely more convenient.
Recommended Reading: Why the Cardinals hacked a bad MLB team
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Why Astros' Sophisticated Database Would Be Worth Hacking by Johnette Howard ESPN In 2013, the Houston Astros finished the Major League Baseball season 51-111 -- fifth in the five-team American League West Division. They had a bad year, to say the least, and it followed two straight seasons of finishing last in the National League Central. So why would the St. Louis Cardinals want to hack the team's player database? A former St. Louis exec is the Astros' general manager, and his work on a similar collection of advanced stats helped the Cardinals win the 2011 World Series and five minor league championships. Oh yeah, the Astros, just three years later, are leading the division thanks to a remarkable turnaround this season.
FBI investigating St. Louis Cardinals for hacking another team's files
Sports teams employ questionable methods to gain an advantage over their opponents, but the FBI is looking into whether or not one team took to hacking. The Justice Department is investigating the St. Louis Cardinals for allegedly hacking into the Houston Astros' network and accessing files containing player information. According to the New York Times, investigators discovered evidence that front-office personnel hacked into the Astros' databases and looked at scouting reports, stats and info about potential trades. This is the first "known" incident of a pro sports franchise hacking another, as professional hackers, companies and groups operating in foreign countries are typically the culprits.
MLB Network starts streaming live broadcasts on mobile devices
If you're a baseball fan, chances are you're already aware of the Major League Baseball's At Bat app for streaming live games with a MLB.tv subscription. Now, the league is bringing it's 24/7 news, analysis and more from the MLB Network to your computer and mobile device, too. As Forbes reports, this is the first time that a league-owned TV network has offered a live authenticated stream of its around-the-clock broadcast on the desktop, iOS and Android. All of the network's studio shows, original programs, game telecasts and more will stream to the At Bat app, but there's a catch: you'll need a cable subscription to access it.
Major League Baseball doesn't want you livestreaming its games (update: it's cool)
You may want to think twice about livestreaming that baseball game for the sake of your friends back home. Major League Baseball tells the Wall Street Journal that it's reminding teams not to allow services like Meerkat and Periscope in their stadiums, since the live video violates broadcast rights. At least some of the organizations are taking that warning seriously -- the San Francisco Giants will be watching their WiFi network for relevant traffic, and may eventually block it.
120 Sports streams its live news and analysis on Apple TV
With the backing of Sports Illustrated, MLB, NHL, the PGA tour and more, 120 Sports started streaming free live sports news and analysis on the web and mobile devices last June. Now, the digital network is making the leap to set-top boxes, starting with Apple TV. The channel delivers 8 hours of live coverage every day, with the "120 Morning Run" from 8-10 AM ET during the week. Football fans can take a long lunch for "120 Football Fix" from 12-2 PM ET, and if you miss a live broadcast, there's a library of videos for on-demand viewing, too.
Use social media to follow your teams with BreakingSports
Now you can get loads of information about your favorite teams and players from a variety of social media sites without spending hours searching those sites individually. BreakingSports is a free universal app that requires iOS 7.0 or later. Once you register on the app you will be able to have hundreds of updates delivered directly to your device without doing any searching. The app works with the four major American sports leagues, the NFL, MLB, the NBA, and the NHL. Users can select first which league they are interested in, then choose which teams you want to follow and finally the app provides a team roster and users can choose individual players and receive updates on them. The app is always seeking out information on the social media sites from games, news conferences, or sports reporters comments. BreakingSports detects the items which match the users criterion and sends notifications right to the user's device. The information covers game previews, roster moves, injuries, news alerts, line-up changes, rumors, and more. Once the game begins, users can choose to receive updated scores and injury updates throughout the game. BreakingSports seems like a no-brainer for fantasy players. Now with this app you can follow each of the players on your team and get updated data on any injuries, whether they will be in or out of the line-up, and other team information that might impact your fantasy line-up. In addition to stories and updates about your favorites the app provides users with a general news feed for each of the four leagues. These will keep users informed about all the activity taking place around the league and with other teams. So with one app users can be up to speed on all they need to know when talking sports with friends over a few cold ones. I used the app for a couple of days and found a couple of shortcomings. First you can't follow college football or basketball or any of the major soccer leagues such as MLS or the Premier League. I can understand college because of the huge number of teams and players but with soccer a growing interest in the US, it might be a good idea to add that sport in the future. The other area users need to be aware of is the volume of notifications you will receive. I selected two teams and three players and my phone seemed like it was going off all the time. I can only imagine how many alerts i would have received if I had entered a ten or twelve man fantasy football roster. It could be more than users want, but with all those alerts users should be assured BreakingSports is doing what it set out to do and that is bring loads of useful information directly to users devices.
HBO eyes April premiere for its standalone streaming service
Reports have been pretty consistent that HBO will offer a direct-to-consumer streaming option sometime next year. When that might land and what that might look like, however, have been subject to rampant (and usually unfounded) speculation. Today, at least a little more detail is trickling in. The company is currently planning to launch the service, in some capacity, in April alongside the premiere of season five of Game of Thrones. Though, that timeline is subject to the usual caveats about plans changing and all that jazz. Those plans were revealed in a memo (which you'll find after the break) announcing plans to cancel its own streaming platform project "Maui" and license MLB Advanced's much-lauded tech instead.
Smart sleeve helps pro baseball players avoid injury
While the average Joe might use a wearable to see how many calories he burned on the way to Starbucks, such devices can be infinitely more useful for pro athletes. The Motus Sleeve (shown below) can even help Major League Baseball (MLB) players, especially pitchers, to perform better and avoid injuries or possible career-ending Tommy John's surgery. It has a removable 3D sensor sensor with six accelerometers and gyros that's placed in a pouch on the player's elbow. The Sleeve then collects data like arm speed, pitch counts, elbow torque and other pertinent data for hurlers, and swing data for batters.
Fox Sports Go comes to Windows Phone
If there's one downside to being a sports fan, it's that you can't take your HDTV with you wherever you go. Like, for instance, you get a lot of weird looks if you try and watch a 40-inch plasma while trying to buy groceries down at the local market. Thankfully, some relief has appeared in the form of Fox Sports Go, which has now arrived on the Windows Phone Store. The app itself is free, since you'll have to sign in to your specific cable provider, such as AT&T, Time Warner or Comcast, to get access to the good stuff. Now, you can stand in the DMV queue rocking out to (select) MLB, NBA and Champions League games - although given the smaller screen size, it might be wise to move the phone closer to your face. [Image Credit: Eric Broder Van Dyke / Shutterstock]
Follow MLB, NFL, and NBA rumors with Trade Rumors app
For a large number of fans, what happens to their favorite teams off the fields and courts is just as important as the action that takes place in the games. Now with a single app users can follow all the latest rumors about trades, cuts, waivers, hirings, firings and just about everything else dealing with roster changes in the Trade Rumors app. The origin of this app began with a web site put together as a hobby by a fan who loved the baseball "hot stove" season. He poured over Internet sites looking for information on all the player movements during the off season. His hobby grew into a full time job and now his site MLBTradeRumors.com is one of the most wide read sites of its kind on the web. It is used by fans, reporters, and team officials to keep up with player movement. The site compiles reports from other web sources including well known insiders such as Ken Rosenthal of Fox, Buster Olney and Jason Starke of ESPN and Hall of Fame reporter Peter Gammons. The baseball site was successful and grew into similar sites for football and basketball. Now you can access all of this information in this single free universal app. The other sites are ProFootballRumors.com and HoopsRumors.com. Users can choose to receive news feeds from all three sports or just the one or two that holds the most interest. Additionally users can select news feeds dealing with their favorite teams and just about every player active in MLB, the NFL, and the NBA. The app contains all of the stories posted on the three web sites and is separated by sports and teams or players. Just tap on the story you want to read or slide the graphics left and right to find the one that interests you. Then a single tap opens the story for your perusal. Once you read that story you can slide the stories left and right again to read more without going back to the main page. Trade Rumors also offers users the ability to share stories with friends through all the major social networking sites plus email, texts and more. You won't get game stories and scores in this app but you do receive a compilation of information from some of the most outstanding reporters working on the web. So if trades, waivers, roster changes, etc. are of interest to you, this app should be one you download. I have used the original sites for years and was thrilled when I found I can now get all that same great information the Trade Rumors app. It is now on my iPhone and iPad.
MLB hopes to ease blackouts on streaming local games
With MLB.tv, Major League Baseball's subscription-based streaming option, your local team's home games are blacked out due to TV and/or cable deals. That could change as early as next season though, as Bob Bowman, the league's head of Advanced Media, expects a revised online viewing agreement soon with broadcasters and teams. Networks pay millions for the rights to beam the action into living rooms, so we'd surmise there's quite a sum of money to discuss. When the restrictions are lifted, you'll likely need a cable plan to access those games -- just like FOX required for the All-Star Game this summer and ESPN does for its streaming option. [Photo credit: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images]
Amazon Fire TV scores live video apps for Disney, MLB and WWE
The launch of Flappy Bird Family last week probably wasn't going to make you rush to buy a Fire TV any time soon, but don't worry -- Amazon has a few more aces up its sleeve. The Android-powered media hub is now getting a slew of extra apps, many of which expand the video selection to areas that Amazon simply can't cover. You can now tune into MLB.tv and WWE Network if you need a live sports fix (real or otherwise), and you can entertain your kids with Animal Planet and Watch Disney. If you're the patient type, you'll also be glad to hear that NFL Now, Watch ABC, A&E and Dailymotion are due later this year. These additions likely won't make you chuck your Apple TV or Roku box, but they might get you thinking about a Fire TV if you'd previously ruled it out.
Livestream the MLB All-Star Game next week thanks to FOX Sports Go
It doesn't matter if you're planning on getting cozy on the couch or watching next week's Major League Baseball All-Star Game while in transit. Thanks to FOX Sports Go, the network that shares the same moniker will stream the game that features the best (or most popular) players from both the American and National Leagues. The app will offer both English and Spanish versions of the event, with the first pitch set for 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, July 15th. If you're looking for pregame coverage, FOX Sports 1's broadcast will be beamed to your gadgets starting at 4:30 PM ET. Folks looking to tune in on the go can nab the FOX Sports Go app on Android, iOS, Kindle and Windows or access the action via the web. [Photo credit: Boston Globe via Getty Images]
'R.B.I. Baseball 14' hits Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on June 24th
We knew MLB would eventually bring R.B.I Baseball 14 to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but now there's an official date. Today, the league announced that the classic title is coming to Microsoft and Sony's new consoles early next week, on June 24th. Now don't expect R.B.I Baseball 14 to match the looks of, say, MLB 14: The Show -- the fully remastered game is more about being easy for anybody to quickly pick up, while still maintaining a fun edge to it overall. Just as it is priced on Xbox 360 and PS3, R.B.I. Baseball 14 will also be $20 on Xbox One and PS4 when it arrives in a few days time.