NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Hagens Berman: NCAA College Athletes Receive Second Class Certification Victory in Name, Image and Likeness Antitrust Class-Action Lawsuit

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, November 4, 2023

A class of NCAA college athletes received a second class certification in a sweeping antitrust lawsuit filed against the NCAA accusing the sports governing body of illegally withholding earnings from athletes related to the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), according to attorneys at Hagens Berman, co-lead class counsel.

Key Points: 
  • A class of NCAA college athletes received a second class certification in a sweeping antitrust lawsuit filed against the NCAA accusing the sports governing body of illegally withholding earnings from athletes related to the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL), according to attorneys at Hagens Berman, co-lead class counsel.
  • “We have challenged the NCAA regarding scholarships, concussions and videogame franchises, and now we’ve come to another pivotal juncture: name, image and likeness rights.
  • Damages would be based on payments college athletes would have received if not for the NCAA’s restraints.
  • In that round, the NCAA chose not to contest the class certification, but it did seek to block the damages class from certification, an important step forward for the lawsuit.

Gigged.AI Announces "30 Days of AI" Campaign to Kickstart AI Journeys for UK Businesses, Offering Up to £100,000 of OpenAI API Credit

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 25, 2023

LONDON, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gigged.AI, the on-demand talent platform, has today announced its "30 Days of AI" campaign, commencing from 1st November 2023, with support from OpenAI. This collaboration promises a fusion of Gigged.AI's top-tier AI and data talent with OpenAI's state-of-the-art tools, reshaping the manner in which UK businesses harness the power of generative AI.

Key Points: 
  • This collaboration promises a fusion of Gigged.AI's top-tier AI and data talent with OpenAI's state-of-the-art tools, reshaping the manner in which UK businesses harness the power of generative AI.
  • In the "30 Days of AI" campaign, a selection of businesses will have their projects fully underwritten by Gigged.AI, while all participants are entitled to exclusive OpenAI credits, setting their AI journey in motion.
  • The core message of the campaign is "Empowering UK Businesses with the Best of AI Talent and Tech".
  • This campaign follows on from the hugely successful "March Madness" campaign where Gigged.AI funded UK businesses to build new tech products using on-demand tech talent.

CUMULUS MEDIA’s Westwood One Presents Exclusive Audio Coverage of the 2023 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 31, 2023

Hosted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this year’s game will feature the Virginia Union University Panthers and the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers.

Key Points: 
  • Hosted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this year’s game will feature the Virginia Union University Panthers and the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers.
  • The team of Troy Clardy, Anthony Herron, and AJ Ross will provide the network’s live broadcast coverage from Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
  • Ross currently serves as sideline reporter for “The NFL on CBS” and for the network’s college football and basketball coverage.
  • Westwood One’s coverage of the 2023 Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic can be heard on terrestrial radio stations nationwide and via SiriusXM.

San Francisco Youth Basketball Nonprofit Empower ME Academy Hosts Annual Empower Fest

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 14, 2023

Empower ME Academy (EMA), a San Francisco-based youth basketball social enterprise that facilitates leadership and skills development for Bay Area youth from all backgrounds and communities, will host its 2023 Empower Fest on August 26 and 27 at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Key Points: 
  • Empower ME Academy (EMA), a San Francisco-based youth basketball social enterprise that facilitates leadership and skills development for Bay Area youth from all backgrounds and communities, will host its 2023 Empower Fest on August 26 and 27 at the Palace of Fine Arts.
  • "Empower Fest represents the culmination of a decade's worth of our organization's efforts to change the narrative for youth sports," says Coach Jerome Gumbs, founder and CEO of EMA.
  • Empower Fest celebrates our values and our culture.”
    Formerly known as Basketball-A-Thon, Empower Fest is open to students grades 3-12 of all basketball skill levels.
  • The women’s and men’s teams from The Hilltop Club, in San Francisco, will volunteer in the event and join the fun to empower students on the court, take pictures and enjoy Empower Fest with the community.

Women's World Cup: The epidemic of ACL tears in female soccer players is about more than just biology

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Over 25 of the world’s top female soccer players are missing the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup because of ACL tears, including Canada’s Janine Beckie.

Key Points: 
  • Over 25 of the world’s top female soccer players are missing the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup because of ACL tears, including Canada’s Janine Beckie.
  • If we trust the research, we should brace ourselves for two to three ACL tears during the World Cup itself.

Dreaded aftermath of the ACL tear

    • People usually feel or hear a pop when they tear their ACL and experience significant joint swelling within a couple of hours.
    • For athletes, the treatment of an ACL tear involves physical therapy, exercise or surgery, where the ACL is reconstructed using a piece of tendon harvested from the quadricep or hamstring muscles.
    • Under ideal conditions, recovery from an ACL tear takes nine to 12 months.

Greater risk for female athletes

    • The environments in which female athletes learn and play sport also contribute to the risk.
    • For example, at the 2021 NCAA March Madness, male athletes had access to a full gym, while female athletes were provided with a few light dumbbells and yoga mats.
    • However, the sporting environment hasn’t kept up, lacking resources, facilities and coaching tailored to meet the needs of female athletes.

Addressing the epidemic

    • This means a national professional league, pay and resource equity, investment in long-term welfare and prioritizing training opportunities for female coaches, trainers and medical staff.
    • There is also an urgent need to fund research focused on female health, injury prevention and long-term health.
    • Only through collective effort and a commitment to addressing all the root causes of ACL injuries in female athletes can we build a future where all athletes have an equal chance to excel in the beautiful game.

SPLASH INC. ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF RUNYOURPOOL AND OFFICEFOOTBALLPOOL, LAUNCHES SPLASH SPORTS PEER-TO-PEER REAL MONEY GAMING PLATFORM

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 5, 2023

DENVER, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Splash Inc. ("Splash," formerly known as BetterPool) announced today their acquisition of RunYourPool (RYP) and OfficeFootballPool (OFP) alongside the launch of their real money gaming platform SplashSports.com (Splash Sports).

Key Points: 
  • DENVER, June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Splash Inc. ("Splash," formerly known as BetterPool) announced today their acquisition of RunYourPool (RYP) and OfficeFootballPool (OFP) alongside the launch of their real money gaming platform SplashSports.com (Splash Sports).
  • Splash Sports brings the sports pool space to the modern age by removing friction to handle payments in one platform.
  • Currently in private beta, Splash Sports provides a much-needed alternative to traditional wagering options in the United States.
  • "A trend we've seen in real money gaming is that players are tired of giving money 'to the house.'

Dittoe Public Relations Leads NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Social Media Channels to 296 Million Impressions, 23 Million Engagements

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Dittoe Public Relations , an award-winning national public relations and social media agency, was selected by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to lead social media management for NCAA Division I women’s basketball during the 2022-2023 season, including March Madness.

Key Points: 
  • Dittoe Public Relations , an award-winning national public relations and social media agency, was selected by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to lead social media management for NCAA Division I women’s basketball during the 2022-2023 season, including March Madness.
  • “We chose to partner with Dittoe PR because of their extensive experience in social media and PR for big sports events and organizations.
  • They have become like part of our team and their expertise in social media strategy has been very helpful in surpassing our goals.”
    Dittoe PR’s primary responsibilities on behalf of NCAA Division I women’s basketball include copywriting, community management and live game coverage across its social media channels.
  • Dittoe PR was founded in Indianapolis in 1999 and currently has 35 full-time employees dedicated specifically to PR and social media.

New SCORPIO Outdoor Pizza Oven Wins Best New Product at Global Outdoor Tradeshow.

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, May 25, 2023

LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SCORPIO™ Pizza Oven, the most capable and easy-to-use portable, outdoor pizza oven was voted "Best New Outdoor Lifestyle Product" by 5,200 retailers, distributors and outdoor product manufacturers at the 2023 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Exposition (https://www.hpbexpo.com/attend/npp-aca/) this past March. This is the largest outdoor lifestyle tradeshow in the world, staged over three days and was held this year in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Key Points: 
  • LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SCORPIO™ Pizza Oven, the most capable and easy-to-use portable, outdoor pizza oven was voted "Best New Outdoor Lifestyle Product" by 5,200 retailers, distributors and outdoor product manufacturers at the 2023 Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Exposition ( https://www.hpbexpo.com/attend/npp-aca/ ) this past March.
  • Beating out 18 other entrants in the category, including submissions from competing pizza oven manufacturers, SCORPIO stole the show.
  • John Donohue, co-founder and CEO shares, "We are thrilled to have such strong industry recognition and validation of the meticulous design effort behind the SCORPIO Pizza Oven.
  • After several years of continuous research, development, testing and refinement as well as hundreds of pizzas, the SCORPIO Pizza Oven was born.

Mielle Taps Angel Reese As The Brand's Newest Ambassador

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 23, 2023

MERRILLVILLE, Ind., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mielle - the fastest-growing multicultural hair care brand - has signed LSU breakout star, Angel Reese, as its newest ambassador. This is Reese's first major beauty deal. Throughout the partnership, Reese's activation with the brand will include marketing, social media, events and a limited-edition product bundle.

Key Points: 
  • MERRILLVILLE, Ind., May 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mielle - the fastest-growing multicultural hair care brand - has signed LSU breakout star, Angel Reese, as its newest ambassador.
  • Mielle and Reese are leading the charge in bridging the gap between sports and beauty.
  • "Angel is a rising star with bold beauty, confidence, strength and must-have edges who uses and genuinely loves Mielle products.
  • She is THAT girl, and we are so thrilled to have her as our newest ambassador," shared Mielle's founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez.

Catapult Launches Vector Core, Expanding Its Portfolio of Athlete Monitoring Solutions to Reach More Teams Globally

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, May 17, 2023

These data and insights help teams make informed decisions to improve athlete performance, reduce the risk of preventable injuries, and help injured athletes recover faster.

Key Points: 
  • These data and insights help teams make informed decisions to improve athlete performance, reduce the risk of preventable injuries, and help injured athletes recover faster.
  • “Catapult sets the standard for athlete monitoring, capturing performance data for the most demanding teams across the globe,” said Will Lopes, CEO of Catapult.
  • We know there is a strong appetite for performance data beyond the First Teams that have traditionally trusted Vector.
  • The launch of Vector Core is the second Performance & Health innovation to debut from the company in the last 90 days.