| | | | | | | Presented By OurCrowd | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Feb 10, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! Three more sleeps 'til the Super Bowl. Current line: Rams -3.5. 🏀 Poll results: Red Auerbach (26.8%) narrowly beat out Phil Jackson (26.3%) in your vote for best coach in NBA history. Gregg Popovich (18.2%) was third. Today's word count: 1,784 words (7 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏀 A new way to watch hoops |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | "The metaverse" has become a catch-all term to describe virtual recreations of our world. Now the Nets are getting in on the action with "The Netaverse." Why it matters: While "The Netaverse" isn't fully immersive yet (i.e. its on the TV broadcast, not a VR headset), the camera technology used to create a 3D rendering of the court could change how we watch basketball. "When it comes to the metaverse, people are asking: okay, what are these digital worlds for? Here, the use case is very clear: It promises an enhanced way to experience an NBA game that simply wasn't possible before." — John Abbamondi, CEO of Nets parent company BSE Global A "Netaverse" highlight from a game last month. Courtesy: Brooklyn Nets How it works: Canon has installed 100 cameras around the court at Barclays Center, which capture volumetric data rather than video. - That data is then used to recreate the on-court action, resulting in a life-like virtual world that looks a lot like "NBA 2K."
- This "free viewpoint system," as Canon calls it, is exactly that: Because the entire court is captured, the "camera" can move around freely and be placed anywhere.
- "The Netaverse" is currently being used for replays on YES Network, and will eventually be part of the live broadcast.
What they're saying: "The first time I saw it, I was blown away," says YES Network producer Frank DiGraci. "It combines so many camera angles we've had in the past and actually puts you on the court." - "Picture yourself standing on the 'B' logo at center court looking at the basket — that's where this can put you. And then it can take you with the player as he drives towards the basket."
- "We can even go under the court," says Ken Ito, senior director of Canon USA's Innovation Center. "Now, I'm not sure there's really a use case for that, but we can do it."
The big picture: DiGraci says "The Netaverse" could eventually get its own alternate stream on the YES app, where viewers could do things like pick a player and follow him around the court. - Abbamondi says VR headsets are an obvious future application, which feels like a huge leap: Imagine watching basketball in a fully immersive world where you're sitting on the actual court.
- He's confident that these virtual renderings will ultimately be indistinguishable from real video, minus the physical constraints and limited camera angles.
Looking ahead: Canon's system will be on display at this month's All-Star Game, where it will be used for replays. 🎥 Watch: Netaverse highlights (YouTube) |     | | | | | | 2. 🥇 Eileen Gu: A tale of two nations |  | | | Eileen Gu after winning gold. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images | | | | Eileen Gu, the Chinese-American freestyle skier who won big air gold for China this week, has become one of Beijing 2022's key figures, Axios' Jeff Tracy and I write. Why it matters: Olympians choosing one country over another is nothing new, but they're not typically the face of the host nation — or at the center of a rift between the world's two biggest economies. The backdrop: Gu, 18, was born in San Francisco to an American father and Chinese mother, who raised her as a single mom and taught her to ski at nearby Lake Tahoe. - She graduated from San Francisco University High School, and will attend Stanford this fall. She's also a model with nearly a million Instagram followers and countless endorsement deals.
- In 2019, she announced she'd be competing for China. Now, she's so popular in her mother's native country that her gold medal win caused Chinese social media platform Weibo to crash.
The big picture: Gu presents a very 21st-century question: Can a skier be the face of China's Olympics and remain just an athlete, or does the underlying geopolitical tension make sticking to sports impossible? - China doesn't allow for dual citizenship, so Gu either forfeited her U.S. passport or cut a deal to keep it (she won't say). American-born figure skater Zhu Yi gave hers up to compete for China.
- "I don't get it. And never will," tweeted former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. "I think it is wrong for an American to compete for China."
What she's saying: "When I'm in the U.S., I'm American, but when I'm in China, I'm Chinese," Gu has often said. - "I'm not trying to keep anyone happy," she added Monday. "I'm an 18-year-old girl, out here living my best life."
- "I do corks in an icy, 22-foot, U-shaped snow structure," Gu told NYT. "That's not political. It's ... connecting people."
What's next: Gu's gold medal on Monday matched China's entire haul from 2018, and she could win more hardware in slopestyle and halfpipe. | | | | | | | | 3. 🥇 In photos: Snapshots from Beijing | | Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Nathan Chen won his long-awaited gold in the men's figure skating, delivering a nearly flawless performance set to music from "Rocketman." Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images Chloe Kim obliterated the field en route to her second straight halfpipe gold. The win left her hungry: "Does anybody have some snacks?" Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images The National Sliding Centre hosts bobsled, luge and skeleton events, and has quite the backdrop. | | | | | | | | A message from OurCrowd | | Explore the exclusive world of private market investing | | |  | | | | At OurCrowd, you can discover innovative tech startups that are unavailable in the public market. OurCrowd has vetted over 16,000 startups and selected the top ~2% to offer its members for investment. Experience private market potential. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round | | Courtesy: Google ⚾️ Google Doodle: Google featured former Negro Leagues player Toni Stone on its homepage Wednesday, honoring the first woman to play regularly in a major American men's pro sports league. 🏀 Streak snapped: UConn women's basketball lost 72-69 to Villanova, ending their 145-game regular-season conference winning streak. 🏒 Ducharme out: The Canadiens fired coach Dominique Ducharme amid a season from hell. Few teams, if any, have fallen farther after a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. 🥎 Play ball: The college softball season begins today, eight months after Oklahoma beat Florida State to win its fourth College World Series. Season preview. ⚾️ Good read: A Phillies prospect is willing his way back to baseball (Matt Gelb, The Athletic) "59 days in the hospital. His left side paralyzed. 50 pounds lost. Now Daniel Brito is trying to get back to the sport he loves." | | | | | | | | 5. 💵 Online betting comes for kids |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | A slew of apps and games that simulate sports and casino betting are gaining popularity among children, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: The line between gaming and gambling is getting blurrier — and social betting, which involves no real money, can lead kids to the real thing, experts say. - Sports betting-like games are being marketed directly to kids. The NFL and Nickelodeon have collaborated on a site that lets kids pick winners and get points for selecting correctly.
- There are also downloadable apps like Omada, BETUP and WagerLab. Some have age restrictions, but they're easy enough to circumvent.
What they're saying: The solution isn't necessarily to do away with these apps, but for parents to be more aware of what their kids are doing, says Timothy Fong, a co-director of the Gambling Studies Program at UCLA. - Many of these games are akin to "modern-day Monopoly," he says, and it's possible for kids to enjoy them safely.
- "This is a new area of parenting," Fong says. "We're always talking about teaching kids about drugs and alcohol. And now parents need to learn about these games and talk to their kids about gambling."
My thought bubble: Betting has fully infiltrated sports fandom, making it feel mainstream and casual. Younger generations tend to view it as a game of skill, rather than gambling, which has a negative connotation. | | | | | | | | 6. 🏀 Happy NBA Trade Deadline Day! |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | The NBA trade deadline is typically one of the most chaotic days in all of sports, and was literally made for Twitter. Here's the latest buzz as we approach today's deadline (3pm ET): Go deeper: The biggest in-season wheelers and dealers (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | 7. 🏒 Out of quarantine, into the back of the net |  | | | Mitchell Marner scores the OT game-winner against the Hurricanes on Monday. Photo: Vaughn Ridley/NHLI via Getty Images | | | | Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner has scored in eight straight games entering tonight's matchup against the Flames (9pm ET, ESPN+). Why it matters: That's the longest goal streak this century and the third-longest in the last 27 years, trailing only Teemu Selanne (11 in 1997-98) and Jaromir Jagr (nine in 1996-97). - The backdrop: Marner was in quarantine last month, and spent most of his time hitting golf balls and playing video games. Since emerging, he has 10 goals and nine assists in eight games.
- What he's saying: "I have no idea," said Marner when asked if he's ever had a hotter stick, including his youth hockey days. "I'm sure my dad knows, but I have no idea."
The big picture: Toronto is 24-3-0 in its last 27 games with Marner in the lineup, and has the fourth-best points percentage in the league. - Avalanche: 32-8-4 (.773)
- Hurricanes: 31-10-3 (.739)
- Panthers: 32-10-5 (.734)
- Maple Leafs: 30-10-3 (.733)
| | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Hockey for breakfast |  | | | Courtesy: USA Hockey | | | | Today's Olympics coverage includes day two of the men's hockey tournament, with the U.S. debuting against China this morning (8:10am ET, USA). Reminder: NHL players didn't make the trip to Beijing. More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🇩🇪 Germany trivia |  | | | An aerial view of the Schwabing district in Munich. Photo: Christian Ender/Getty Images | | | | Munich, Germany's third-largest city by population, will host an NFL regular-season game next season, the league announced Wednesday. - Question: Which two cities are bigger?
- Hint: The Beatles.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🍿 1 movie thing: Will Smith loves sports |  | | | Courtesy: Warner Bros. Pictures | | | | Will Smith has received a best actor nomination for his role as Richard Williams in "King Richard," which is also a best picture nominee. Zoom out: Smith has played a sports figure in five of his 34 movies, and two of his three Oscar nods have come from those roles. - ⛳️ "The Legend of Bagger Vance" (2000): Smith's Bagger Vance is a mystical caddie who helps a struggling golfer (Matt Damon) during a big tournament. "See the field."
- 🥊 "Ali" (2001): Smith's first Oscar nod came as Muhammad Ali in this biopic. Rumble in the Jungle.
- 🎙 "Anchorman 2" (2013): He's one of many cameos in the movie's huge fight scene. "Jeff Bullington, ESPN."
- 🏈 "Concussion" (2015): He plays Nigerian-American Bennet Omalu, who in 2002 became the first physician to discover a link between football and CTE. "Tell the truth!"
| | | | | | | | A message from OurCrowd | | The unicorns — startups valued at $1B — are out there | | |  | | | | Looking for the next unicorn? OurCrowd has invested in 320 companies to date, 21 of them unicorns with at least a $1B valuation. With a total of $1.8B investment dollars committed, 48 OurCrowd investment companies have already had IPO-exits or been acquired. Search for your unicorn at OurCrowd. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Neta" Baker Trivia answer: Berlin and Hamburg 🙏 Thanks for reading. For more sports, follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. As always, friends can sign up here. |  | Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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