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neighborsfriendsfamily · 3 years

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Kings of the Court is the Culture Bearer of Local Basketball Communities

Kings of the Court needs no introduction at all, but if I may celebrate what this huge mission is all about... Us Filipinos who are basketball fans whether we are professional athletes or weekend ballers, we all grew up with the prestige quality of KOTC’s basketball empowerment. They just create the most elegant organized basketball leagues from our home towns up to a higher level of the sport. And seeing the company expand to not just being the core platform of basketball life, and now creating a new access to the sport dream through merchandise or should I say, flags we can wear, it represents their readiness in adapting to whatever decade we may be at. We had a conversation with the Maker of Kings of the Court himself.

So, do you believe you are the culture bearer? Hehe.

If we’re talking basketball culture for the weekend warriors like you and me, I guess yes? But streetwear is a whole different animal. It’s not like we can put our logo in a shirt and people will automatically buy. It’s a different taste, different approach, and trends are ever-changing. KOTC Clothing is a startup and a process I go through everyday and enjoy.

That’s a really bold statement and it gets me super pumped up!!! How’s LIFE and how’s WORK?

Life’s good! I have my 7-month daughter Lianna Lane who’s growing up way too fast. KOTC as a league and sports organizer is completely on hold, but somehow we’ve pivoted to digital where we do graphic design & video editing, handle social media pages, manage paid ads, and execute online marketing campaigns.

Our Kings of the Court PH page is very active as well and I’m happy that we’re consistently visible as a brand. From 120,000+ FB followers in March 2020, we’re now over 215,000 today giving people NBA and local basketball content daily.

In terms of clothing, most of my time is spent on learning the streetwear culture - research, learning the different vibes and styles, branding, e-commerce, production, and a whole lot more. And like I said, enjoy it. I meet a lot of people and learn a lot, taking my “title” away and putting on the apprentice shoes once again.

I want to be an expert in all facets of the clothing business so when I do hire people, I would be able to mentor better and be more aware of the challenges they might encounter.

This is the perfect time for you to speak volumes about KOTC’s heart and soul!!

“Empowerment through elegance and prestige. To make sports dreams come to life. To be Kings of the Court”. This is our guiding principle in bringing the brand where it is right now. It’s like the league was one big book, a saga if you may, and every season was a chapter you turn. Every initiative, prize, league feature, segment, as well as our branding (Gold = elegance; Black = serious and powerful) were all based on this mission statement.

What we did to our leagues and events, I want to transcend to our clothing brand. I want to bring the best stories in every design; stories of basketball empowerment to every person who bears our pieces. With streetwear as our subculture, this is also an opportunity to expand our boundaries in creativity… all with a good cause! Every purchase allows us to help local communities by supporting Mike Swift’s dream to paint 1,000 courts. As of writing, we have collaborated and refurbished 8 courts.

Okay, that’s super crazy to hear. Can we reveal who you are??

Yes! I’m Cholo Legisma. A 5’2 guy who’s never built for the sport but very passionate, competitive, and gritty enough to start and build KOTC.

Without KOTC, who are you?

A 5’2 guy who’s never built for the sport but very passionate, competitive, and gritty enough to start and build <different name, but same concept>.

Hahahaha makes a lot of sense. Talk about BASKETBALL and SPORT as a whole… Go!

Basketball binds people together and it’s truly a culture; a timeless sport that connects generations. Because of its roots, branches grow in the form of lifestyle, sneakers, art, music and pop culture.

What do you think your role is, for your community?

To further champion the union of basketball & fashion. To have anything you wear is an expression of yourself whenever you’re out there.

I envision people to be more conscious of their off-court style, the before-and-after game looks, especially when you play in prestigious leagues such as ours. KOTC’s goal has always been to give you the professional/bright lights experience, so why not push the needle for fashion, #KOTCFits in our term, and metaphorically converts “tunnel walks” into red carpets.

Soon, leagues will not just be about stats, game photos, videos, articles and prizes, but segments for your fits and sneakers as well.

Any super crazy up and coming launches or ideas that we’re privileged to know about??

We’ve just finished the brand’s first ever collab, with Sumptuous.ph. I’m very happy with the turnout as it gave me new perspectives in terms of art and streetwear. Our next collab is Gunner, then we’ll have another one in August, plus there are other brands in the works. Likewise, we’re starting to do retail with partner stores in Manila and outside.

When doors open, KOTC clothing will be integrated into our events - collection releases and collabs through 3x3 and 1v1 tournaments. We’ll be visible to the art and streetwear scene through concerts, expos, and more. Portion of our office will be converted into a studio and we’ll have a spot for a mini shop where people can visit us anytime.

In my mind, when can I visit that studio? Pretty exciting. This is the perfect time where you can speak about your core beliefs in LIFE and WORK!

I feel like my life is a stage and I want to always perform. Being the best is not enough, I always want to be the f*cking best (It didn’t make sense, but it did show you how passionate I am haha).

I agree haha. Lastly, we all want to know the history of KOTC and how it was architected and curated to become what we believe it is to be [culture bearer of local basketball communities].

Actually, “Kings of the Court” was on the bottom of the list when me and my partners were conceptualizing the name. It was unique, but it might be alienated rather than be attractive. Besides, it may sound “trying too hard”.

But then, I thought this was the best opportunity to put elegance and prestige to the recreational level, to empower weekend warriors. It was an opportunity to show that organized leagues aren’t only for the physically gifted. By sticking to the brand and principles, we somehow pulled through.

Thanks to my partners who did UFC-type posters and NBA-type writeups, my video editing ala NBA Jam Session, the prizes and of course, social media, it felt our first season of 8 teams was like a storyline from WWE and participants were so engaged to play. The rest, as they say, is history.

Listen man, I appreciate the opportunity and the time! It is an HONOR, so thank you!

Written & Interviewed by Four

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abangtech · 4 years

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The DeanBeat: Why can’t EA do more games with its big budget?

For me, the most inspirational parts of Electronic Arts’ EA Play 2020 event had little to do with games that are coming shortly. EA CEO Andrew Wilson expressed support for Black Lives Matter and first responders — a refreshing message to hear from a games industry leader on the eve of Juneteenth. Meanwhile, head of studios Laura Miele showed off cool graphics demos for games heading to next-generation consoles.

If I had made the usual trek to Los Angeles for the event I saw virtually yesterday, I would have been disappointed. Fortunately, I only had to drag my sorry butt out of bed to the home office in my non-air-conditioned garage. With no physical Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year to get fans excited, the malaise appears to have spread to EA, which didn’t present anything that could really be described as earth-shattering.

EA showed a bunch of games that are in the works, but the event seemed more about what was missing. All told, the company talked about nine games, including four games that were already in the market and three that were made by other companies. That adds up to just two brand-new EA-made titles. That wasn’t much for a company that spends $1.5 billion on research and development and $700 million on marketing each year.

EA had already said it didn’t have a ton to show off this year, with only one previously unannounced game in the works. (Fans were disappointed EA didn’t show off UFC 4.) I wanted to get a glimpse of the next Battlefield game — and we did, sort of — but EA warned that game is really far off.

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The company is still performing well financially because it has live operations that keep fans spending money in titles like Madden NFL and FIFA. Call me grumpy, but I get bored hearing about staples that make so much money for EA it isn’t as motivated to create brand-new titles as it used to be.

To be fair

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I know I should muster more enthusiasm, as I don’t want to come off as a hater. To be fair, there were new games that got people excited. I thought Star Wars: Squadrons looked beautiful, with amazing graphics and dogfights in space. But its $40 discounted price suggested it isn’t as major an effort as we would hope for a Star Wars game. And it looks like EA is hoping fans will consider the 5v5 multiplayer the heart of the game, with a single-player campaign just sort of attached. It almost felt like an expansion for Star Wars: Battlefront II’s combat flight sections — after big games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Battlefront II, this one feels bite-sized.

Fans of the Skate franchise were rewarded for their faith as EA confirmed in its last segment that a new Skate game is in the works. It was heartwarming to see developers like Cuz Parry and Deran Chung get a chance to reveal the game they’re working on. But they also warned that it isn’t coming soon.

Apex Legends will be headed over to the Nintendo Switch, with full crossplay enabled. But I didn’t see anything about the gameplay updates that would get me to go back after enjoying the rival battle royale game Call of Duty: Warzone. It felt like this moment caught the Apex Legends team between big announcements. This was after EA said in an earnings call that it was going to concentrate on Apex Legends as its shooter game for this year.

The most interesting part of the show (that wasn’t spoiled) was the EA Originals titles — the small titles from external developers like Hazelight’s It Takes Two, Zoink’s Lost in Random, and Final Strike Games’ Rocket Arena. As mentioned, these games were made by third-party developers.

Not enough surprises

Above: Maybe it’s Battlefield VI?

Image Credit: EA

GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb gave us some great intelligence on what was coming, but we were still hoping for a few surprises. We prepped some stories on franchises that might be returning, like the rumored remake of the Mass Effect trilogy. But that failed to materialize. BioWare is busy fixing Anthem and is working on Dragon Age 4, but those titles weren’t mentioned. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a big virtual reality title from Respawn, didn’t get a mention either.

Miele’s short spiel on tech demos for the next generation offered a glimpse of what we think was a Dragon Age 4 image, as well as an exploding building that looked like it was from a Battlefield game, but she didn’t call them out. That seemed like the most unexciting way to announce new games I could imagine.

Perhaps most disappointing of all was that EA didn’t even have any mobile games to talk about. Those games don’t take as long to make, and they generate a lot of revenue from in-app purchases. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes is a great example of a game that keeps on generating money. During this pandemic, it would have been great if EA had a game ready or decided to speed the release of a new mobile title to take advantage of the record engagement games are seeing. Nope. Didn’t happen. In fact, EA recently gave up on the Scrabble franchise, handing it over to Scopely rather than doing its own new version of the game.

Above: Bioware’s next-gen project.

Image Credit: EA

I can understand why there wasn’t much to show. Back in 2008, EA would release 60 games a year. Now it releases maybe six to eight games, as it’s taking its time and focusing on quality. It also generates far more revenue now ($5.5 billion in 2020 versus $3.6 billion in 2008) than it did back then. EA used to consistently lose money, and now it consistently makes billions in profits. So it is doing a lot right.

But games cost a lot more to make now — maybe $80 million to $150 million, before marketing costs. They take years to make. And next-generation game budgets are likely to get worse, if history has taught us anything. It felt like EA was either cooking its games for a long time or had decided long ago that 2020 was going to be a bad year to introduce big games, as it is the last year of a long console cycle. I don’t think that’s true, but the dearth of games coming out — at a time when gamers are hungrier than ever for new games — makes me wonder. I feel let down, as if the extraordinary amount of money pouring into the company has been generating less creative magic.

Back to the finest part

Above: EA’s next-generation graphics tech.

Image Credit: EA

Just to show this isn’t all whining, I’d like to go back to the messages from Miele and Wilson. Miele said the generational shift is an opportunity to push technology beyond today’s boundaries. She briefly showed images like the one above that reveal what games will look like on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X by next year. She called out images from worlds being created by EA’s Criterion, BioWare, DICE, and Motive studios as just a tiny sliver of what’s coming. She didn’t say much about them, but the images spoke for themselves. Good stuff is coming, even for impatient people like me.

And Wilson opened the show by thanking first responders, medical staff, and EA’s own employees for working at home and getting things done. He recognized billions of gamers for using games to come together during lockdown, calling gaming the greatest form of entertainment on Earth. EA also showed a video that demonstrated the Sims could be used to foster understanding and stamp out hate.

Wilson emphatically declared that Black Lives Matter and now is the time to drive meaningful change. He pledged that EA would not rest on this long-term commitment and would continue to build strong representation into its games, making its communities fun, inclusive, and positive places to play. He said EA would also make its company more diverse and reiterated his message that games bring us together. They can make our lives better. They can teach us. They can provide escape and self-expression.

Amen to that. Now just give us more games.

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The post The DeanBeat: Why can’t EA do more games with its big budget? appeared first on abangtech.

from abangtech https://abangtech.com/the-deanbeat-why-cant-ea-do-more-games-with-its-big-budget/

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flxblog · 5 years

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EPIC ABU DHABI SHOWDOWN WEEK SCHEDULE TO UNDERLINE UAE CAPITAL’S HEAVYWEIGHT LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION STATUS

From mega concerts including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, bumper hotel promotions and city-wide retail and F&B deals, to free car give-aways and super parties hosted by the world’s leading nightlife and entertainment brands, Abu Dhabi Showdown Week has it all

Abu Dhabi Showdown Week will also feature star-studded events with UFC athletes leading up to the UFCâ 242: KHABIB vs. POIRIER on September 7

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Tuesday 6th August, 2019: The hugely-anticipated entertainment schedule for Abu Dhabi Showdown Weekhas been revealed, with the seven-day series of city-wide events - which take place September 1 - 7 ahead of UFCâ 242: KHABIB VS. POIRIER - shaping up to be the hottest week-long party in the Middle East.

With only a handful of VIP and hotel package tickets left available for UFCâ 242, Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has upped its own ante with an expansive series of lifestyle, retail and culinary promotions and an eye-catching schedule of parties and after-parties hosted by major international nightlife brands.

Cementing Abu Dhabi’s growing status as an entertainment hotspot, the UAE capital will come alive during Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, with dedicated beach and pool parties by day, and headline concerts and high-energy after-parties by night.

Superstar rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers are already confirmed to make their UAE debut with a spectacular concert on September 4, which will be followed by another world-class concert by a ‘mystery’ act on September 5. While both concerts will take place at The Arena, a new indoor venue being constructed on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island that will also stage UFCâ 242 on September 7, the party vibe extends right across Yas Island and beyond all through the week.

With even more events due to be added in coming weeks, the current line-up of parties and nightlife events includes pool parties at Saadiyat Beach Club on September 2 and 3, a fight night viewing party at the same venue on September 7 and a week-long Abu Dhabi Showdown Week poolside brunch offering at The Edition. Things go up a gear with the official Red Hot Chili Peppers After Party, Bizarre by Mad on September 4, and a second official post-concert After Party, Drais Las Vegas at the same venue following the September 5 concert.

On September 6, Drais Las Vegas will also host a pool party at the Fairmont and in the evening, following the UFCâ 242 weigh-in, domestic and international partygoers can enjoy the after party in The Edition Club, The Annex. Partygoers are also spoiled for choice on September 7, as the inaugural Abu Dhabi Showdown Week gets not one but two options for a fitting finale, with The White Experience and Socialista at Cipriani both set to round off the week with a bang.

“We have assembled some of the world’s biggest leisure and nightlife brands to create Abu Dhabi Showdown Week’s wide-ranging schedule of beach, pool and after parties across a number of Abu Dhabi’s leading hotels, resorts and clubs. This holistic entertainment schedule will ensure that international visitors - and local residents alike - experience a dynamic Abu Dhabi Showdown Week programme that lets all fans experience the emirate’s diverse entertainment and nightlife proposition,” said AliHassan Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi.

“This diverse bill of concerts, lifestyle and nightlife events will elevate Abu Dhabi’s growing status as an entertainment capital, and significantly strengthen the emirate’s standing as an international, globally renowned leisure hub,” added Al Shaiba.

On the culinary front, residents and international visitors will be kept well-fed throughout Abu Dhabi Showdown Week with 25-plus restaurants, bars and cafes across the UAE capital participating in a city-wide ‘Knockout Burgers’ campaign running from August 25 – September 7.

Elsewhere, hotels and dining destinations on Yas Island and Saadiyat Island will be preparing their own culinary offerings as part of a value-add culinary promotion exclusively for Abu Dhabi Showdown Week.

Shoppers can also weigh-in on Abu Dhabi Showdown Week courtesy of three major promotions in selected malls, including Abu Dhabi Mall, Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Dalma Mall, Deerfields Mall, Madinat Zayed, Mazyad Mall, WTC Abu Dhabi and Yas Mall, as well as Al Ain Mall, Bawadi Mall and Hili Mall in Al Ain.

Running from August 15 to September 7, ‘Knockout Deals’ will align with the traditional back-to-school period and offer shoppers discounts ranging from 25% upwards on health products, fitness apparel and active wear, while the mega ‘Shop & Win’ promotion will see any shopper spending AED200 or more entered into a unified city-wide raffle for a chance to win a brand-new Mercedes-Benz A Class or C Class.

In addition, a series of in-mall activations running during the seven-day Abu Dhabi Showdown Week period will hand members of the public, money-can’t-buy chances for photo opportunities and meet-and-greets with UFC athletes, and pose for social media-friendly snaps with replica UFC belts.

“With many of Abu Dhabi’s leading malls and retail destinations supporting Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, local and international fans - including more than 4,000 foreign visitors descending on Abu Dhabi for UFCâ 242 - can take advantage of special discounts, promotions and bumper deals at unbeatable prices all across the emirate,” said Al Shaiba.

“These eclectic offerings will accentuate Abu Dhabi’s credentials as a world-class shopping destination and stimulate increased revenue across participating outlets, while our food and beverage partners have united to create a compelling menu of themed promotions that will ensure the spirit of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week extends well beyond its core concert and MMA components to stimulate business for restaurants, cafes and bars.”

With UFCâ 242 serving as the mega Abu Dhabi Showdown Week headliner, fans and the general public will be able to experience the world’s fastest-growing sport franchise in various athlete-led activities across the UAE capital.

Across the week, there will be open workouts, autograph signings and meet-and-greet sessions at various locations. With the UFCâ 242 weigh-in at The Arena on Yas Island taking place on September 6, further information on how to claim a free ticket to the weigh-in will be released in coming weeks.

“The UFCâ 242 weigh-in will give fans the opportunity to see their favourite athletes square off face-to-face during an amazing afternoon of drama,” added Al Shaiba.

Fans descending on Yas Island for the weigh-in can also soak up the activity-packed UFC Fan Experience, which allows fans of UFC to fully immerse themselves in the organisation and its stars.

The Abu Dhabi Sports and Fitness Expo, managed by UAE-based Universal Music Fitness and Fashion (UMFF), will feature leading international exhibitors, competitions, fitness programmes, activations, and international conferences during a three-day run at du Forum on Yas Island from September 5-7. This expo is a premier event in the Middle East Region pertaining to wellness, fitness and healthy life style.

Designed to complement the city-wide Abu Dhabi Showdown Week programme and promote health and fitness, the dedicated industry platform will welcome fitness celebrities such as four times Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler and Mr. Universe, Mike O’Hearn and feature live fitness shows for all ages. Ticket prices range from AED50 for a one-day pass, to AED120 for a three-day pass. A single day VIP pass, which includes exclusive opportunities to get up-close to global fitness celebrities, is priced at AED100.

With the majority of ticket categories for UFCâ 242: KHABIB vs. POIRIER sold out, the last remaining hotel and ticket packages for the event are available at www.adshowdownweek.ae. VIP tickets can also be purchased via https://ufcvipexperience.com/ufc-242

With tickets for Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Yas Island concert on September 4 available on www.ticketmaster.ae, DCT Abu Dhabi is urging all local, regional and international fans purchasing tickets for Abu Dhabi Showdown Week events toavoid unauthorised online sites and only purchase tickets via www.ticketmaster.ae – the sole authorised ticket vendor – or official sales channels for specific in-property events.

For 2019, IMG will act as the local promoter for UFCâ 242 and Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, overseeing operations and production logistics for the whole 7-day experience. IMG is part of the Endeavor network alongside UFC.

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technologyinfosec · 5 years

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Red Hot Chili Peppers coming to Abu Dhabi!

Superstar rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers will make their debut in the UAE with a concert to headline Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, a seven-day series of events set to run alongside UFC 242, which will take place in the UAE capital on September 7. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the inaugural Abu Dhabi Showdown Week will run from September 1-7 and feature city-wide events and activations including pool and beach parties, retail promotions and F&B deals at beach clubs, nightclubs, hotels and malls, with the famous Californian rockers providing an awesome highlight on September 4. Taking place at The Arena, a new indoor venue being constructed on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island, the Chili Peppers' concert will be followed on September 5 by another world-class concert, with the mystery act yet to be announced. The two concerts, along with the other city-wide activations and the main event on September 7, will reinforce Abu Dhabi's growing status as an entertainment capital, strengthening the emirate's standing as an internationally renowned leisure destination and a hub for major, globally significant events. "The Red Hot Chili Peppers' concert elevates the entire Abu Dhabi Showdown Week proposition and ensures our week-long programme will appeal to as many fans as possible," said AliHassan Al Shaiba, Acting Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi. "The launch of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week also represents a strategic expansion of Abu Dhabi's wide-ranging leisure events portfolio. The initiative underlines our commitment to present world-class experiences for everyone who visits the emirate. We plan to engage local, regional and international visitors through an extended schedule of complementary activities." UFC fans and the general public will also be able to experience the inner workings of the UFC during the week through numerous gym activations, open workouts, weigh-ins, autograph signings and meet-and-greet sessions with UFC stars while an activity-packed UFC Fan Experience Zone will be created next to The Arena on Yas Island. In parallel, the first Abu Dhabi Muscle and Fitness Expo will feature leading exhibitors, seminars and competitions during a three-day run at du Forum on Yas Island from September 5-7. DCT Abu Dhabi is collaborating with various sports federations in the UAE to create a comprehensive Abu Dhabi Showdown Week programme that meets the world-class standards of Abu Dhabi's wider events portfolio and appeals to the interests of different audience groups and athletes. For more information and the latest Abu Dhabi Showdown Week updates, visit www.ADShowdownWeek.ae or follow @ADShowdownWeek on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Tickets Update Information on tickets for Red Hot Chili Peppers' Abu Dhabi Showdown Week concert will be announced in coming days, although a number of ticket categories will be available. Prices start at AED 250 and rise to AED 995 for Platinum. Fans can head to www.adshowdownweek.aeto register their interest in tickets ahead of the sale period. With all ticket categories for UFC242: KHABIB vs. POIRIERsold out, the last remaining hotel and ticket packages for the event are still available at www.adshowdownweek.ae. Read the full article

#technology #technologyinfosec

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round5figures-blog · 7 years

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Deluxe UFC Figure Chuck Liddell Platinum Edition 1 of 500 UFC 100 Fan Expo

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#1 #100 #500 #Chuck #Deluxe #EDITION #EXPO #FAN #Figure #Liddell #Platinum #round 5 mma #round 5 ufc #round5 mma #round5 ufc #UFC

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newtshirtcom · 4 years

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Crunchyroll All-Stars: Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson on Drawing Energy from Anime Fight Scenes

Anime fans come from all walks of life and in all shapes and sizes. Some are students, some are scientists, some are doctors, some are artists, and some are even nationally-recognized professional sports figures! Crunchyroll All-Stars is a series of interviews highlighting elite professional athletes who harbor a passion both for their sport and for anime.

Today's profile is on Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, a professional MMA fighter in the UFC. Thompson dominated his latest match at UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden on November 2, earning the “Fight of the Night.” Thompson is also no stranger to anime cons, and recently visited us at Crunchyroll Expo! The Wonderboy implements anime into every facet of his professional career, including watching fight scenes to pump him up before a fight. We spoke with Thompson about how Ninja Scroll got him into anime, how Goku is his inspiration, and much more!

(click through for full size image)

When did you become an anime fan? Was there a specific moment that affected you or changed the way you felt about something?

I’ve been a big fan of anime since back in the early 90s. Was Introduced to Ninja Scroll -- one of my favorite animes of all time! Then got into DBZ and have been a fan ever since.  

Are there any ways you engage with your favorite anime series or characters aside from watching them?

Being that DBZ, Goku specifically, is my favorite anime/character I have some DBZ rash guards that I wear when I train. Every time I take the rash guards off I feel like Goku when he removes his weighted clothes haha. 

Have you ever bonded with someone else over anime?

Definitely! There are so many fans of anime and being that I am a martial artist, anime fans tend to be my fans too. Random people know I’m a fan and will talk to me at signings and we will talk forever about anime. 

What’s your favorite anime series of all time, and why?

DBZ. I grew up with it and Goku was my inspiration to train as hard as I possibly could every single time.  

Who’s your favorite anime character of all time, and why?

Goku. He’s good, positive, a genuine leader, & the most powerful! 

Who would you rank as the top anime hero ever, and why?

Since we know I love Goku lol. I’m going to switch things up and say Naruto! Again super inspirational hero who will do whatever it takes to protect his village.  

Who would you rank as the top anime villain ever, and why?

Madara Uchiha. He orchestrated a plan of global domination without being found out for the longest time. On top of that he is super powerful! Physically and mentally.  

Have you ever taken any elements or learnings from anime and implemented them into your daily life?

I’m a professional fighter, and I’ve implemented their training philosophies and practice them as my own. I always use awesome anime fight scenes to jack me up before I fight.  

It feels like more and more athletes are showcasing their love for anime — what’s anime fandom like in the UFC? And what do you think it is about anime that attracts athletes?

It’s huge. You have fighters wearing Goku wigs at weigh-ins. Fighters will use hand signs from Naruto in the cage. I think it’s the warrior spirit. Anime characters are what we as fighters would love to be.  

Last question: what would your message be to someone who recently discovered anime and was thinking about getting into it?

DO IT!!!! Don’t see it as just a cartoon or just fight scenes -- get into the stories. The character development in Naruto Shippuden is some of the best of any series ever!! But be ready to binge watch though!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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bamfas · 6 years

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ReedPOP Launches Online Store With Exclusive Star Wars Celebration Merchandise

Star Wars Exclusives Available For Fans Worldwide, For A Limited Time Norwalk, CT, August 12, 2013: ReedPOP — organizer of pop culture conventions including New York Comic Con, Star Wars Celebration, the UFC Fan Expo, C2E2, and PAX — has unveiled the creation…

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rickhorrow · 6 years

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15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 8

with Jamie Swimmer & Jacob Aere

Baseball’s post season is heating up – but regular season attendance has cooled. According to the league, MLB ended the 2018 regular season with a total attendance of 69.67 million after last week’s division tiebreakers, down 4.1% from last year and the fifth decline at the gate in the last six seasons. The figure is also the lowest since 2003, and the first since that 2003 season to fall below 70 million. The Dodgers again led individual clubs in attendance for the sixth straight year with a franchise record total of 3.86 million including last Monday’s NL West tiebreaker against the Rockies. The Marlins ranked last with a total of 811,104, making them the first club since the 2004 Expos to finish a season below 1 million in home attendance. The defending champion Astros had the largest increase in the league with a 24% spike to 2.98 million, while the Marlins and Blue Jays each shed more than 750,000 in attendance from 2017. MLB’s attendance decrease roughly mirrors a 3.3% decrease this year for Minor League Baseball, with both drops influenced by high numbers of rainouts and cold weather.

National TV advertising revenue for regular-season Major League Baseball games remained stable this year — and looks to stay that way for the playoff season. According to the league and its broadcast partners, pricing for this year’s MLB playoffs is around $100,000 per 30-second unit for early-round games and up to $500,000 for World Series games. Who's buying in? A blue chip who’s who of this year’s top regular-season advertisers for MLB games, including: Softbank Corp. ($10.1 million); General Motors ($8.6 million); Berkshire Hathaway ($7.4 million); Ford Motor ($6.9 million); Verizon Communications ($6.8 million); Anheuser-Busch InBev ($5.6 million); Procter & Gamble ($5.5 million); Wells Fargo & Co. ($5.0 million); and Yum Brands ($4.5 million). The ad market for baseball’s postseason is looking even healthier thanks to the avalanche of popular big market teams that advanced: thank you Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Astros, and Braves.

As the NHL wraps its first week of regular season play, league-wide revenues are on an upward swing. The league and its 30 teams are projected to increase annual sponsorship revenue by $35 million, boost annual ad revenue by $24 million, and add $6 million from the sale of data each year if legal sports betting spreads as projected to 25 states in the next seven years, according to a study released by the American Gaming Association. The study, based on a Nielsen Sports survey of 1,032 U.S. adults, projects hockey to benefit from an overall revenue increase of $216 million tied to betting, with $132 million of it coming from gains in ticket sales and media rights that it predicts based on an assumed increase in fan engagement. And outside of placing an expansion team in Seattle, the league clearly sees China as the next horizon. The NHL played preseason games in the country last month and recently opened a youth hockey school in Shenzhen. However, should the league decide sit out the 2022 Games like they did this year in PyeongChang, it could alienate the Chinese government and halt the NHL’s progress there.

Ahead of UFC 229, Conor McGregor signed a new one year-deal with Monster Energy that is "worth millions and puts McGregor in the same category as other Monster athletes" like Tiger Woods, Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. McGregor has endorsed the energy drink brand since 2015, and SB Nation notes McGregor is also working hard to build his brand, including “releasing his very own whiskey, as well as his upcoming line of custom-made suits." UFC President Dana White told ESPN that UFC 229, headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov-McGregor, was projected to “smash company records" in both PPV revenue and Nevada gate revenue. Beforehand, White said that the $64.99 PPV buys were tracking close to 3 million. McGregor's boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in 2017 "reportedly sold 4.4 million buys." Saturday’s brief bout, won by Nurmagomedov, was certainly a hit at T-Mobile Arena, with a live gate of $17.2 million and an announced crowd of 20,034, marking the "second-highest box office number for the promotion." The fight, however, will be remembered for the ugly brawl that broke out afterward – not good for the fighters’ brands, nor for UFC.

The Chelsea Football Club Foundation and education technology innovator EverFi, Inc. have launched the Digital Blue – Career Inspiration program, bringing hands-on STEM teaching to 25 schools in Manhattan at no cost to the schools and inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals. The Chelsea FC Foundation and EverFi announced the new project during a visit with students at Frederick Douglass Academy, where they joined students and educators to discuss STEM careers. Digital Blue – Career Inspiration introduces middle and high school students to exciting careers in technical fields and uses gamified lessons to encourage and prepare students for a career in STEM. As part of the course experience, students will virtually hear from Chelsea FC and Chelsea FC Women players, and Chelsea FC Foundation executives who’ll talk about the importance of STEM education and how these topics are part of key careers in the industry. Following classroom time, Chelsea FC coaches hosted a soccer skills lesson, teaching the students how STEM is relevant on the field, as well. The Chelsea FC launch follows on the heels of a similar initiative announced with IndyCar driver Zach Veach last month – clearly, EverFi is adept at harnessing the STEM power of sport.

Momentum is a word that has come to define Mike Whan’s tenure as LPGA Commissioner. Since Whan took the LPGA helm in 2011, the narrative emanating from the preeminent women’s golf tour has been one of progress and expansion. Over the course of the past seven years, the circuit’s schedule has grown from 23 to 33 tournaments, total prize purses have exanded to nearly $70 million, and the LPGA broadcast audience has surged to around 500 million households worldwide. All told, LPGA revenues have soared by a staggering 88% since 2012. Commercially speaking, the LPGA’s deal making has accelerated dramatically in recent months. Since the start of 2017, the Tour has signed no fewer than 16 new corporate partnerships, bringing on board eight new tournament title sponsors, including the Indy Women in Tech Championship Driven by Group 1001. That slate is testament to a sponsorship philosophy that spans the entire organization, from athletes to front office staff. Societal forces are also helping to shape the LPGA’s momentum, with a renewed focus on women’s empowerment and equality.

The Phoenix Suns have teamed up with PayPal to put the company’s logo on its jersey, becoming the 25th team in the NBA to sign a jersey patch sponsorship deal. According to SportsBusiness Journal, the agreement makes PayPal the official payment partner of the Suns, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, a second-tier Spanish soccer club that is owned by Suns Owner Robert Sarver. “The primary driver for us and for PayPal is the customer experience and creating an environment that is seamless and convenient as possible,” Suns President and CEO Jason Rowley said. PayPal will now become a viable payment option at Talking Stick Resort Arena and at the team’s store there, with fans able to access the service via the official Suns mobile app. The move by the Suns to sign PayPal goes well beyond boosting the team’s top line, it helps make payments easier and quicker, catering to the demands of millennials and younger fans.

The U.S. sports memorabilia market is estimated to be worth a whopping $5.4 billion annually. According to JohnWallStreet and David Yokun of collectable.com, that figure includes “the total gross merchandise volume from eBay ($4.7 billion), independent auction houses ($290 million), auction house private sales ($62.5 million), online retail venues and other sources ($400 million).” Vintage baseball jerseys have fueled a lot of industry’s boom, as they have drawn record bids lately due to their extreme rarity and demand. A 1964 Mickey Mantle World Series jersey recently sold for three times the previous high ($1.32 million), while a Babe Ruth game-worn away jersey that sold for $4.416 million in 2012 is now estimated to be worth $10 million. Fan apparel, products produced in mass, and modern trading cards were all left out of the industry’s estimated value, though it remains possible that trading cards could be factored into future calculations. This seems reasonable, as “baseball cards” are almost synonymous with “sports memorabilia.”

Major League Triathlon made an unprecedented move last weekend: paying out prizes in bitcoin. According to SportsBusiness Journal, the highly volatile cryptocurrency, which reached a peak value of $19,783 per unit in mid-December, is now worth around $530 for one bitcoin, down 88% for 10 months ago. The deal came as “part of a presenting sponsorship sold to Bitcoin.com, a content website dedicated to the cryptocurrency controlled by bitcoin advocate Roger Ver.” The competitors who placed high enough in the event to receive bitcoin cash prizes won the equivalent dollar amount to what they would have otherwise earned based on the current exchange rate; the athletes are free to convert the bitcoin cash into real cash if they choose to. “Our athletes trust us a lot,” said Major League Triathlon CEO Daniel Cassidy. This groundbreaking twist on awarding athletes has the potential for both good and bad: if the value of bitcoin goes up, athletes could earn a lot more than they initially expected, but if they hold onto the bitcoin for too long and it plunges in value, their achievement may have been for naught.

10.The Tampa Bay Rays are denying that their move to purchase the USL soccer club Tampa Bay Rowdies has anything to do with an attempt to find a new stadium. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the “surprising” purchase gives the ownership group “at least short-term control of downtown waterfront Al Lang Stadium,” the site where the Rays tried to build a new ballpark 10 years ago. This connection is why many speculate the purchase goes beyond a simple entry point into the American soccer market, though Rays President Brian Auld said that it was just an “opportunity to buy the soccer team” from Rowdies Chair and CEO Bill Edwards and "grow their overall business.” The Rays have been trying to move from their current home at Tropicana Field for years now and are seeking an alternative St. Petersburg stadium location “to their proposed new home in Ybor City, where talks have been ongoing to bridge the funding gap in completing that $892 million deal.” The Rowdies deal, complete with soccer stadium, seems to give the Rays a leg up.

The NFL is considering exercising an exit clause in its deal with DirecTV following the 2019 season. According to JohnWallStreet, in doing so, the NFL would strip the satellite provider’s exclusivity rights to broadcast its Sunday Ticket package of all out-of-market games. The current deal, signed back in 2014, sees DirecTV pay the NFL $1.5 million per year and is set to run through 2022. Speculation is that the league would break the contract to then package “satellite rights with global streaming rights and continue to grow the revenue pie.” DirecTV only allows some of its NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers — only college students and those able to prove the inability to place a dish on their home — to stream games online, proving its outdated nature in a 2018 marketplace dominated by OTT platforms. Google previously made a bid for the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket but without satellite capabilities it lost to DirecTV. Expect companies like Google and Amazon to reenter the race for the rights if the NFL opts out of the deal.

.Diamond Resorts has announced the initial group of world-class sports and entertainment celebrities confirmed to play in the inaugural Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions. The tournament will be held January 17-20, 2019, at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Orlando in Florida. Hall of Famers Ray Allen, Brian Urlacher, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, John Smoltz, and Marcus Allen; six-time Cy Young Award Winner Roger Clemens; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester; Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander; former NASCAR champion Michael Waltrip; NHL star Jeremy Roenick; and actors Alfonso Ribeiro and Jack Wagner will be among the celebrities playing alongside LPGA winners from the past two seasons at the event. The women will compete for $1.2 million in official prize money over 72 holes of stroke play with no cut, while the celebrities will compete for their own $500,000 purse. All four days will be nationally televised, with Thursday and Friday on Golf Channel, and Saturday and Sunday on NBC. Next month: Tiger vs. Phil. January: the LPGA vs. the OGs.

Roger Federer is looking past his tennis days as he settles into his sponsorship deal with Uniqlo. According to Reuters, Federer’s decision to switch from Nike to Uniqlo as part of a deal speculated to be around $30 million per year stems from the Japanese company’s "commitment to stay with him long after his playing days are over.” Still one of the world’s best on the court, the Swiss superstar has a desire to work through his foundation to contribute more to charity long after he is done playing. As Fed himself put it, “John Jay in New York, where I had an event there, said it very nicely, 'One day I will retire from tennis but I will not retire from life.' Life will go on and Uniqlo and [Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai] believed in me very strongly as being very important to their brand, even though maybe my playing days are going to come to an end at some point.” The deal should come out to more than three times the $10 million that Nike payed Fed on an annual basis, which will go great lengths toward giving the tennis legend more flexibility with his charity work.

14.The Toronto Maple Leafs are the NHL’s first franchise to launch an esports competition, doing so after partnering with online video gaming platform WorldGaming Network. According to SportsPro Media, the Leafs Gaming Network is set to serve as a “one-versus-one online ladder for fans and competitive gamers who play the EA Sports NHL 19 ice hockey title.” The new competition will be launched later this month. "MLSE is taking this first big step to bring structure and significance to Toronto's NHL gaming community," said Shane Talbot, esports manager at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the company that owns Toronto’s NHL team. Gamers will compete head-to-head to climb the virtual ladder to the top, with the Grand Finals being hosted January 3 at the team’s facility, Scotiabank Arena. The NHL’s first dip into the esports world came earlier this June, when Finnish gamer Erik Tammenpaa won $50,000 from winning the NHL Gaming World Championship. Clearly, that’s just the tip of the ice[berg] when considering the NHL’s esports potential.

15.Elite Spanish soccer club FC Barcelona has become the first sports club in the world to surpass $1 billion in revenue in a year. According to the Associated Press, the club recently presented its annual accounts for the 2017-2018 season, which saw it earn $15 million in after-tax profit on $1.054 billion in revenue. The team’s new budget for its 2018-2019 fiscal year calls for an increase in revenue, up to $1.1 billion, but a drop in after-tax profit to $13 million. This now marks the eighth consecutive year that Barca has closed a year with a profit, accumulating $217 million in gains since 2010, and the “fifth consecutive year the club has broken its own record income.” Comparing these finances to arch rival and fellow Spanish and European giant Real Madrid, Real’s operating revenue for the 2017-2018 cycle reached 750.9 million euros. Barcelona’s financial success has largely been buoyed by “the new cycle for distribution of UEFA payments for the Champions League,” the team noted. The World Cup lead up season didn’t hurt, either.

Tech Top Five

Major League Baseball Players Association cashes in on esports for its own players. According to Cynopsis Sports, the MLBPA teamed up with UMG Media Corp. to launch the first-ever esports series of competitions designed exclusively for MLB players. The events started on October 3 with the MLBPA Fortnite challenge and will run until its December championship in Las Vegas. Fans can follow the mixture of active and retired players who will compete against each other through the UMG Twitch channel that will stream the contests. For the Live Championship Finals and the Live Final, UMG partnered with Caesars Entertainment and The Wall Gaming Lounge to host 16 teams of Major League players competing for the MLBPA Challenge Series title in addition to cash prizes. Nationals shortstop Trea Turner, Twins relief pitcher Trevor May, and Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. have already confirmed their participation in the tournament.

Amazon brings new features to Thursday Night Football for fans using Fire TVs. Coming on the heels of a massive two-year, $130 million rights deal to stream NFL games on the esports platform Twitch and Amazon’s own Prime Video, the media giant has introduced interactive game watching to better the fan experience. In addition to U.S. users’ ability to navigate straight to Amazon’s ecommerce platform for home and away teams’ officially licensed NFL merchandise, fans watching games on Fire TV devices will also be introduced to the “X-Ray” experience. According to TechCrunch, this feature incorporates real-time stats integrated into game coverage to allow viewers to select game leaders and team statistics such as rushing, passing, and receiver yardage. In addition, the “Play History” tab will read details on any plays that could have been missed, while the “Teams” tab will provide information about franchise owners, player facts, and Super Bowl wins. With Amazon’s NFL coverage now underway, the company is paving a pathway for interactive fan experiences away from stadiums in professional sports leagues.

Tennis Channel strikes a deal with the Women’s Tennis Association to become the new over-the-top digital streaming and linear television home of the sport in the U.S. According to Sports Pro, starting in January 2019, Tennis Channel will become the host of more than 2,000 annual women’s tennis matches including premier and international tournaments as well as the end-of-season WTA Finals. For matches not on the linear network, fans will be able to subscribe to the network’s Tennis Channel Plus streaming service. The move to Tennis Channel was largely facilitated by BeIN Sports, which is one of the WTA’s largest rights holders worldwide and will continue to offer some global matches. As part of the agreement, Tennis Channel and BeIN Sport will cross-channel promote and BeIN Sport will provide highlights and match replays on the service. This deal provides a crucial next step in boosting the broadcasts of women in sport.

The NBA is now catering its media offerings to fans who love crunch time. According to JohnWallStreet, as part of NBA streaming options for the 2018-2019 season, the league is set to offer fans the “opportunity to purchase only the final 12 minutes of an out-of-market league broadcast on an a la carte basis” for just $1.99. This new option, the partial-game League Pass, will provide the NBA with a new revenue stream on top of its other League Pass offerings: premium ($250 per season), traditional ($200 per season), individual team ($120 per season), and single game ($6.99) subscription plans. This offering has been years in the making, as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver first discussed partial game packages and “fan interest in paying a set price for five minutes as opposed to what they would pay for two hours” back at CES in January 2016. This is another great example of a league catering directly to cable-cutting millennials who have short attention spans and crave drama.

Heed, a startup designed to bring together sport leagues, clubs, and fans, raises $35 million. According to Consultants Insider, the large sum of money raised by the company was led by SoftBank Group International. The startup sits at the intersection of sports and the Internet of Things and its primary mission is to connect a young audience with sports leagues and clubs. With younger fans consuming less broadcast TV and linear programming, the company aims to close the technology gap by placing sensors around a match, game venue, or even on players’ clothing and equipment. The main idea is that Heed uses AI and its tracked audio and video data to form a narrative to be viewed on the company's smartphone app. With Heed, the goal is to replace a standard in-game commentary with unique details and statistics about how the game or match is unfolding. Heed takes modern technology and modifies not only how sports are viewed, but even understood.

Power of Sports Five

With the MLB postseason underway, T-Mobile brings back #HR4HR to help hurricane relief efforts. With recovery efforts led by military-veteran Team Rubicon, the “un-carrier” company will donate $5,000 for every postseason home run to help mitigate the damage caused by recent hurricanes in the U.S. According to Business Wire, anyone who posts, tweets, or retweets the hashtag #HR4HR on Instagram or Twitter until the conclusion of the World Series will play their part by donating $1 to Team Rubicon. The organization is a non-profit that offers military veterans a chance to extend their service by directly helping those impacted by natural disasters and allocates its funds to help rebuild homes that have been destroyed. After last year’s massive success in raising $2.78 million during the MLB postseason, T-Mobile reaffirmed its dedication to U.S. military and veterans during MLB All-Star Week and the T-Mobile Home Run Derby with #HatsOff4Heroes and is back at the plate to make an even greater difference this postseason in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

The Pittsburgh Penguins goalie is ready to flash his glovework with the “Saves MATTer” charity program. Matt Murray will donate a combined $30 to youth-based charities in his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario and hockey town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for each goal he saves during the 2018-2019 campaign. According to NHL.com, Murray gets his charitable passions from his father who worked with his hometown charities throughout his life. $15 from each save will go to the Ward Home in Pittsburgh and the other $15 will be split among two charities in Thunder Bay - Children's Aid Services and Dilico. The Ward Home teaches at-risk teens and young adults how to live independently, while the Thunder Bay charities cater to the safety and health of children as well as the well-being of the Anishinabek community. If Murray can put up similar numbers to last year, that means he will have roughly 1,300 saves and would donate nearly $40,000 by the end of the season.

Vincent Kompany of Manchester City FC doing his part to end homelessness. According to Yahoo! Sports, Kompany’s recent accomplishment of 10 consecutive years playing for Man City will be honored with a benefit match to be held at the end of the 2018-2019 season in which all proceeds will be paid to the Homelessness Fund. Kompany, a Belgium native, said that he is “lucky to have witnessed and played a part in Manchester City’s rise as a club, brand… and region.” However, Manchester’s sudden growth has left people without access to the benefits of rapid development, often times forcing them onto the streets. In addition to 15% of Kompany’s salary going towards the Homelessness Fund, “King Kompany” has teamed up with Burnham FC to create ‘Tackle4MCR’ – a further pledge by the icon to end homelessness by 2020 and ensure every rough sleeper a bed for the upcoming winter. Again, the good-hearted Belgian will pledge a donation toward a city where he has found a home and is trying to provide the same for those who are less fortunate.

NBA and NFL players donate their kicks for children in need. According to Sole Collector, streetwear marketplace Grailed is collaborating with nonprofit organization The Kickback to sell sneakers provided by professional football and basketball players. Athletes who will participate in the effort include Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors, Emmanuel Mudiay of the New York Knicks, Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams, wide receiver Jaelen Strong, and former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz. Although no shoe list has been released, it is expected that there will be everything from pairs of signed on-field collectibles to extensive personal collections. To date, it has been confirmed that Gurley's "Chicago" Air Jordan 1s and autographed Nike Alpha Menace Elite cleats, and Strong's "Triple Black" Adidas Yeezy Boost 750s will be part of the donation. The items became available to the public on grailed.com retroactive to September 19 with all proceeds from purchases used to help buy other shoes for children in need in each athlete's respective city alongside their charity of choice.

Philadelphia Eagles Chris Long keeps on giving back – this time for children’s literacy. After donating his entire $1 million salary from 2017 toward educational initiatives, the Eagles’ defensive end announced that he’s now donating an additional quarter of his post-tax 2018 salary – about $625,000. According to NBC Sports, Long is partnering with the United Way and Philadelphia’s “Read by Fourth” to ensure that every child in the city is reading at their grade level when entering fourth grade. Long is calling his portion of the charity “First Quarter for Literacy” which tackles Philadelphia’s lack of adequate elementary reading ability – almost two-thirds of children in the city entering fourth grade were unable to read at grade level. Chris and his wife, Megan, also have a goal of donating 75,000 books for children to have personal libraries at home. In addition, three Chris Long Book Nooks will be funded for neighborhood based give-and-go reading spots. The Long’s relentless dedication to philanthropy is spilling over to other players in the NFL as the couple are matching donations from fellow NFL players, up to $25,000, to help literacy in other communities around the country.

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