by Thane Ritchie | Jun 24, 2016 | Sports
The world recently lost one of its great icons. On June 3rd, Muhammad Ali (formerly known as “Cassius Clay”), passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Ali has developed legendary status from generation to generation due to his accomplishments in the realm of boxing and his unique charisma. Ali was not only self-proclaimed to be the “Greatest of All-Time,” but he was and still is, in most eyes, the greatest boxer to ever enter the ring. Based on his dominance and captivation of the specific sport that he competed in, it could even be argued that he is the greatest athlete of all time. Ali was not your typical champion: he was a black superstar athlete in the Civil-Rights era, he was a pacifist in a time of war. If one were to examine Ali before his rise as an influential icon in society, he would not be declared as a typical trend setter. In fact, in his first heavyweight championship fight, 43 ESPN analysts predicted he would lose, with only three viewing him as the potential victor. In the words of Ali, “I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.” He made true on his promise. What made this seemingly insignificant young boxer rise to the top? What was in Muhammad that the 43 analysts couldn’t see? His greatness could be found in more than just his boxing talent; but in a relentless attitude, an iconically unshakeable personality, and an embracement of his profoundly paradoxical persona. Ali approached the sport of boxing with a relentless attitude. This was seen in his...
by Thane Ritchie | Feb 26, 2016 | Misc, Sports
Sports technology is a growing area of innovation, with increasing value in the realm of safety, health and entertainment. We hear a lot about different wearables, fancy gear and smart gadgets are useful for both professional and recreational athletics. The people behind (and in front of) these innovations rarely get as much coverage as the technology itself. The truth is, for every fitness band, impact detector and smart uniform there are the people without which such inventions might never hit the field or soared far beyond it. Here are five individuals worth knowing about. The influencer: Shaquille O’Neal Okay, so you’ve definitely heard of Shaq. But it may surprise you that aside from his basketball, TV, and movie career, Shaq has also been a technology mogul for years. An avid tweeter, his was the first “verified account” in 2008. It’s of little surprise, then, that he’s become even more involved in the technology scene since then — in sports tech in particular. In 2011, Shaq became endorsed and later joined the social video streaming company Tout, using its short video format to announce his retirement. Though not explicitly a sports app, Tout has entered a partnership with the WWE in 2012 and can be used by sports teams for a variety of purposes, like announcements, interviews, fan engagement and athlete messages. Shaq also attended the latest Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as part of a panel on tech investment in sports. He will also be a judge on “America’s Greatest Makers,” a TV competition in which inventors will pitch their ideas in hopes of winning $1 million toward the next...
