Dear Colleague,

We had another busy month of October in the world of elite sports. November is off to a great start. In the world of soccer, the national teams were competing to qualify for the next Soccer World Cup in Qatar. In Tennis, Djokovic clinched a seventh year-end No. 1 finish in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Serbian claimed a record-breaking 37th ATP Masters 1000 crown when he avenged his US Open final loss to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters. Lastly, in October NBA teams kicked off the new NBA season. The Warriors, led by Steph Curry, are now 12-2.

In the NFT/Blockchain space, the UFC and Crypto.com extended their partnerships to NFTs, and the New England Patriots teamed up with Fan Token Site Socios.com. The DFL also partnered with Sorare, and the NFL teamed up with Dapper Labs. Lastly, Topps announced the launch of the second Series of their MLB NFT collaboration. In the world of AR/VR and digital, Facebook shocked the world by officially entering the Metaverse, and changing its name to Meta.

In the world of wearables, Peloton announced some new products including a connected strength training camera, some smart dumbbells and a HR wristband. In addition, Facebook is rumored to be launching soon a smart watch, and the Fitbit added ECG and a Daily Readiness score to the Fitbit Charge 5.

In the world of sports tech investments, investments reached $292M and were down -80% in October 2021, compared to September 2021, which was exceptionally high ($1.4B+) due to Sorare’s and Dapper Labs’ recent fund raising.

As a reminder, we launched our new Upside Global platform to bring together our sports, tech & health community of 2,500 executives under a single web platform. Members include executives from the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB, Laliga, English Premiere League, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Series A, Brazilian soccer league, Olympic teams, Pro tennis, as well as representatives of startups, brands, VCs, and athletes.

If you are a head athletic trainer, CTO, CMO of a major sports team or league looking to connect with the most innovative startups or connect with your peers to network, or if you are a startup CEO looking to connect with top teams or investors, you can join our Upside community of executives from the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, MLB, Laliga, English Premiere League, Olympic teams, top VCs, startups (AR, VR, wearables, sleep tech..) and more!

Your opportunity for growth starts now, create your free executive profile today to join our online community and click on “become a member today” as a first step. It is free to join! It only take one minute to create your profile.

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? Top Stories We’re Reading This Month

⭐ Upside Analysis: Sports Performance Roles & Best Practices (Head of Performance, Head Athletic Trainer..)

⭐ ?️ NEW: Exclusive 2022 Upside GPS Vendors (Catapult, STATSports..) Survey Report

⭐ ⌚ Upside: HR/HRV Monitoring Market (Key vendors, Trends & Recommendations to Teams)

⭐ Best Practices On How To Best Create VC Decks & Pitch Sports Tech Startups To VCs

? ? Upside Analysis: NFTs Vs Crypto Vs Digital Currency, How Are They Different?

⭐ Upside VC Profile: Stadia Ventures

? Crypto.com extend partnerships to NFTs

? New England Patriots Partner With Fan Token Site Socios.com

? DFL partners with Sorare, includes highlight clips

? NFL partners with Dapper Labs, MLB Topps is back

? Facebook officially enters the Metaverse, changing its name to Meta

⌚ Peloton launches connected strength training camera, smart dumbbells and HR wristband

⌚​ ​Facebook’s Meta watch has a camera notch, according to first leaked image

⌚ Fitbit Charge 5 gets ECG – and Daily Readiness score launches

? Startup investment recap (Sept /October 2021)

? Tech Stats of the month

? Snapshots & videos of the Month

Let’s jump right into the insights and upside for all of these top stories

⭐ Upside Analysis: Sports Performance Roles & Best Practices (Head of Performance, Head Athletic Trainer..)

Over the past 10 years we have worked with many sports performance professionals of professional teams and leagues (NBA, MLS, NHL, MLB, NFL, European soccer, Olympic teams..). Within a sports performance department there are key roles (Director of high performance, Head Athletic Trainer, Director of Sports Medicine, Head of R&D, Director of Sports Science, Sports Scientist..) and not many people understand the nuances between those various roles and respective responsibilities. Roles and responsibilities can also vary depending on the club level, and the sports which adds up to the complexity and the confusion. In the analysis we will provide an overview of those key job functions with some recommendations from top sports performance executives from the MLS, NBA, Premier League, Laliga, and so on.

To Read the full Upside analysis, click here.

⭐ ?️ NEW: Exclusive 2022 Upside GPS Vendors (Catapult, STATSports..) Survey Report

Which GPS vendors (Catapult, STATSports, WIMU, etc..) are leading in terms of GPS accuracy, pricing strategy, product quality and vision? The Upside surveyed 82 pro teams and leagues to assess their use of GPS technology and their perceptions and sentiments on the vendors involved in the market.

Upside Global surveyed teams from the MLS, Premier League, Laliga, Series A, Ligue, 1, NCAA, NFL, Pro rugby/Top 14, AFL, Pro tennis, Olympic teams and others, to assess the performance and share of mind of key GPS vendors, including Catapult, STATSports, Polar, McLloyd, SPT, WIMU, Kinexon, Titan, ASI, Johan Sports, Inmotion, Q-Track, Playmaker and others.

To get more details and buy this GPS vendors survey report, click on the “Buy this GPS report button” below:

Buy this GPS report

⭐ ⌚ Upside: HR/HRV Monitoring Market (Key vendors, Trends & Recommendations to Teams)

With less than 10 leading HR/HRV monitoring vendors (Polar, Firstbeat, Suunto, Whoop..) in the market today, aside from GPS systems, HR/HRV monitoring systems have become one of the most common technologies used by pro teams today. Similar to GPS systems, pro teams and leagues have to pick the right HR/HRV system that fits their requirements, use cases, budget, and requirements. In this analysis we will discuss the current and future market trends, VC/M&A investment trends, the HR/HRV vendor ecosystems, and the key HR/HRV vendors. We will also provide recommendations to pro teams looking to adopt a HR/HRV solution.

To Read the full Upside analysis, click here.

⭐ Best Practices On How To Best Create VC Decks & Pitch Sports Tech Startups To VCs

For the past 10 years I have worked and helped many sports tech startups raise money, meaning helped them put together VC decks and connect them with potential investors (VCs, angels, Teams’ VC arms..). Now I never guarantee startups that I can help them raise money. However what I can do is help these startups be best positioned for success with a VC deck that makes sense and I can open doors to potential investors. And here is what I believe are some of the best practices when it comes to raising money from investors.

To Read the full Upside analysis, click here.

? ? Upside Analysis: NFTs Vs Crypto Vs Digital Currency, How Are They Different?

For the past 6 months we have been talking to lots of clubs regarding NFTs, what it is and how it can benefit them. But one thing is becoming more clear every day. Many clubs do not understand the difference between crypto and NFTs. And the clubs are not alone. The media seems to be confusing cryptocurrencies with NFTs. In this analysis we will go through the main differences between NFTs, cryptocurrencies and digital currencies.

To Read the full Upside analysis, click here.

⭐ Upside Podcast Interviews of the Month

? Upside Chat: Sean Harrington, Notemeal CEO (Online platform for nutritionists and dietitians)

? Upside Chat: Jake Lush McCrum, CEO of The Rajasthan Royals (Top Indian cricket team)

? Upside Chat: Alex Zimmerman, VP of Personal Training, Programming & Development at Equinox

? Upside Chat: David Hobbs, Mojo Vision (World’s First AR contact lenses)

? Upside Chat: Ismael Fernandez, ThermoHuman CEO

?Upside Chat: Alexi Pianosi, Strengths and Conditioning Coach, Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)

⭐ Upside VC Profile: Stadia Ventures

To Read the full Upside analysis, click here.

? NFTs/Crypto/Blockchain News

? UFC and Crypto.com extend partnerships to NFTs: | Via : Nifty NFT

The UFC and Crypto.com have signed a multi-year deal that expands their existing sponsoring partnership and includes exclusive line of UFC NFTs. Crypto.com will offer a wide variety of UFC digital collectibles covering unique fighter collections, fight night artwork, event posters, championship belts, avatars, artist collaborations, mystery boxes, athlete profiles, and more. UFC athletes will receive 50% from the NFT sales. The kick off happened at UFC 268 when the inaugural event NFT packs dropped.

⬆️ The Upside: This is logical move by the UFC as it can help further them monetize their large install base. Of note, the UFC’s global fan base is nearly 280 million globally, with programming now reaching 1.1 billion households in 163 countries. The point here is that the UFC can convert a good portion of its fans to the crypto world which can help them drive their top line. And it is a nice way for UFC fighters to generate incremental revenues. For more info, you can check out our latest analysis on the NFT Sports market here.

Picture: UFC, Crypto.com

? New England Patriots Partner With Fan Token Site Socios | Via : Coindesk.com

The New England Patriots are partnering with Socios in a deal that could lead to the National Football League’s first fan token. The U.S. football team announced last Friday it made the first NFL deal with Socios, a platform with an established presence in the European soccer world. Big-name clubs including Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona all have their own tokens on the site.

Socios made its foray into the American sports market in October when it announced partnerships with 24 National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. However, U.S. securities laws are seen to be a potential hurdle for tokens promising rewards for sports superfans, along with league-wide partnership implications. No such tokens have yet to launch in any of the major U.S. sports leagues.

“‘Patriots Fan Predictions, presented by Socios.com,’ will reward New England fans with prizes for correctly answering five matchup-related questions during each week of the [football] season on Patriots.com and the Patriots mobile app,” was as much as a Friday press release would specify.

⬆️ The Upside: This deal makes sense for both the Patriots and Socios.com. The Patriots is one of the most tech savvy NFL teams out there. They can convert their 16M social media fans to crypto and socios.com offering. It will help them better engage with their fans as well and drive their top line. For socios.com it is the first NFL team the company has signed. It complements its network of customers of than 100 major sporting organizations on the Socios.com roster, including leading American franchises such as the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Internationally, the Socios.com family features European soccer giants FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Atlético Madrid, Valencia Manchester City, Inter Milan, Arsenal and the Argentina and Portugal national soccer teams, as well as a number of leading teams from F1, esports and cricket. We expect socios.com to sign more NFL teams in the future.

Source: Socios.com, New England Patriots (NFL)

? DFL partners with Sorare, includes highlight clips | Via : Nifty NFT

That’s a big one! Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of DFL, has announced a partnership with Sorare. While the partnership itself isn’t a surprise, with many pro teams already on the platform, it is the following statement that made it so interesting:

Next year, Sorare will also publish NFT-based videos from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, known as “Moments”, which can likewise be collected and played in the fantasy football game.

⬆️ The Upside: This announcement is interesting for many reasons. First this is the first time that that Sorare is stepping into Dapper Labs’ territory. This could also be a direct response to Dapper Labs’ recent agreement with Laliga, which is a key customer for Sorare. Sorare and Dapper Labs are likely to keep stepping on each other toes in the future. The competition between the 2 is likely to further intensify in the future especially now that Soare recently hired Ryan Spoon, a former ESPN exec, as its new COO and head of the US growth to help drive Sorare’s growth in North America which is a key market for Dapper Labs. You can check out our latest analysis on the NFT Sports market here.

Source: Sorare, Bundesliga

? NFL partners with Dapper Labs, MLB Topps is back | Via : Nifty NFT

They have finally done it: The NFL, the NFL Players Association and Dapper Labs announced a collaboration to create video highlight NFTs, similar to the ones known from NBA Top Shot. According to the announcement the “NFT experience launches later this season and will take fandom to the next level with access to amazing features, fan activations and community engagement that place fans at the center of epic NFL game action”.

While the NFL x Dapper news was an expected one, the next news came as a surprise: Topps announced to launch Series 2 of their MLB NFT collaboration.

⬆️ The Upside: This move by the NFL, the NFLPA and Dapper Labs make sense. The NFL is trying to replicate what the NBA did with NBA Top Shot and Dapper Labs. This will also help the NFL generate incremental revenue and capture a piece on the NFT growth. For Dapper Labs, the NFL is a significant win which helps the company further establish itself as one of the market leader in the sports NFT world. For the NFLPA it will become a new revenue generator for them and the NFL players. So net net it is a win win for all parties. You can check out our latest analysis on the NFT Sports market here.

Source: NFL x Dapper

? AR/VR/Video/Digital Sports News

? Facebook officially enters the Metaverse, changing its name to Meta | Via : The Verge

For the first time in 17 years, Mark Zuckerberg has a new job title. On Thursday, he officially became the CEO and chairman of Meta, the new parent company name for Facebook. The rebrand is about solidifying the social media giant as being about the metaverse, which Zuckerberg sees as the future of the internet. Zuckerberg is staying in control of everything. He told me in an interview that, unlike the founders of Google who stepped aside in 2015 when it became part of a holding company called Alphabet, he has no plans to give up the top job.

Instead, the change is about recognizing a shift inside the company that’s already taken place. Zuckerberg has been pouring billions of dollars — at least $10 billion this year alone — into building the metaverse, an expansive, immersive vision of the internet taken from the pages of sci-fi novels like Snow Crash and Ready Player One. “I think we’re basically moving from being Facebook first as a company to being metaverse first,” he told me this week over the phone. While details are slim, a unified account system is going to be introduced to span all of the company’s social apps, the Oculus Quest headset, Portal, and future devices. That means you won’t need a Facebook account to use the Quest.

⬆️ The Upside: Facebook’s name change to Meta makes sense for many reasons. Here Facebook is trying to accomplish a few things: (1) Establish itself as the market leader in the hyped Metaverse world. (2) Solidify its growing HW strategy (Portal, Oculus, Ray Ban Glasses, Smart watch..) (3) Position itself for future growth (4) Move away from the Facebook brand which was seen by many as toxic due to the several privacy issues, etc. That being said, Facebook is still Facebook regardless of the new Meta name. The company still faces the same issues in terms of privacy issues. We expect Facebook to launch its hybrid AR/VR glasses next year along with some new hardware (e.g. smart watch). Only time will tell if changing the name to Meta was the right move but we have to give credit to Facebook, Zuckerberg and its leadership team for making a bold move like this one.

Picture: Facebook, Meta, 2021

? Wearables, Health, Nutrition News

⌚ Peloton launches connected strength training camera, smart dumbbells and HR wristband | Via : CNBC

As Peloton grapples with finding new avenues for growth, the company announced Tuesday that it’s adding a strength training product, known as the Peloton Guide, to its lineup of connected exercise devices.

Starting early next year, Peloton will sell the Guide in a bundle with its heart rate armband for $495 in the United States and Canada. It will go on the market in the U.K., Australia and Germany later in 2022.

The Guide consists of a camera that plugs into a TV screen and tracks users’ movements via machine learning technology. Members who pay an additional $12.99 per month can take live and on-demand classes that target different muscle groups through weight lifting, lunges and other strength building exercises. The Guide, which is also voice activated, will recommend classes based on what muscles a member previously worked.

⬆️ The Upside: This announcement from Peloton makes sense for many reasons: (1) Peloton needs to shake things up as the company’s stock has dropped significantly over the past 6 months. (2) Competition is intensifying with competitors such as Mirror launching some smart dumbbells just a few days before this announcement. So the timing of Peloton’s announcement is not a coincidence but a direct response to it. (3) This helps Peloton solidify its hardware ecosystem and improve the stickiness of its offering and potentially reduce churn. (4) The new Peloton’s HR band and the AI camera are the results of Peloton’s acquisition of Atlas Wearables. Net net this is a good move by Peloton. We expect Peloton to introduce new products in 2022. (5) This will help Peloton’s further drive its install base of 2.3M connected fitness subscribers.

Picture: Peloton, 2021

⌚​ ​Facebook’s Meta watch has a camera notch, according to first leaked image | Via : The Verge

In the first leaked images of Facebook’s smartwatch, it’s clear: there’s a notch, which is the kind of thing people love to make fun of, and what appears to be a front-facing camera. In the photo, the watch’s screen is off, but the beady little camera eye is clearly visible. The photo, which was first reported on by Bloomberg, was found inside the company’s app for its Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. The watch, referred to as “Milan” in the code, has a large display like the Apple Watch — but that smartwatch doesn’t have a camera. The picture today may not be a version that consumers ever see, according to Bloomberg. Still, it confirms earlier reporting about Facebook’s work.

If this is the same watch as the one we reported on in June, there will also be a second, detachable camera. The front-facing camera may be used for video calls, and has a reasonably high 1080p resolution. The watch will support LTE. In February, The Information reported that the watch will have health, fitness and messaging features.

⬆️ The Upside: It makes sense for Facebook to add a smart watch to its hardware offering. This nicely complement its hardware ecosystem already comprised of AR/VR glasses, and smart speakers. This is also part of Facebook’s metaverse strategy. It will also enable Facebook to tap into the fast growing smart watch market which has been dominated by Apple over the years. Will Facebook disrupt Apple’s dominance? We doubt it. And Facebook has a big challenge ahead of itself: Convincing Facebook users and others to share their health data with them especially given the many privacy issues that Facebook has faced over the years. But we expect the Facebook to have competitive specs with advanced biosensing capabilities (HR, HRV, sleep quality..).

Picture: Meta Watch, 2021

⌚ Fitbit Charge 5 gets ECG – and Daily Readiness score launches | Via : Wareable

Fitbit has announced that its ECG feature has launched on the Fitbit Charge 5, and the Daily Readiness Score has rolled out across the company’s devices. The Google-owned outfit announced its follow-up to the Charge 4 back in September, introducing a new stainless steel design with an AMOLED display, with features like built-in GPS and skin temperature sensors housed in that more attractive look.

It packs an ECG sensor, joining Fitbit’s Sense smartwatch in offering the ability to take more accurate heart rate readings when placing your fingers on the stainless steel case to take a reading in 30 seconds. It means the Charge 5 is now able to help detect atrial fibrillation.

⬆️ The Upside: This comes as no surprise. ECG has become the norm among fitness tracker vendors. We expect Fitbit to add ECG to the majority of its offering. Moving forward we believe that Fitbit should focus on adding new biosensing capabilities such as hydration assessment, lactate/electrolyte measurement, and blood pressure measurement. By doing so, it will only makes its offering stronger and more appealing. Plus Apple is expected to add those types of capabilities in the next 2 years.

Picture: Fitbit, 2021

? Sports Tech & Health Investment Recap – October / September 2021

Here is the recap of the major sports startups’ investments in October / September 2021, which totaled $292M and were down -80% in October 2021, compared to September 2021, which was exceptionally high ($1.4B+) due to Sorare’s and Dapper Labs’ recent fund raising.

Source: Upside, Confidential, October 2021

M&As:

• FuboTV Acquires Molotov SAS For $190M.
• Slinger acquires Israeli sports-tech company PlaySight for $82M
• Teamworks acquired Notemeal.
• Czech Republic investment group led by billionaire Daniel Křetínský has purchased a 27% ownership stake in the Premier League’s West Ham United F.C.
• Kevin Durant launches $200M SPAC for sports, consumer tech

? Key Tech Sports Stats of The Month

$22B: Tencent posted $22 billion in revenue in Q3 2021, a 13% uptick compared to the same period last year. The China-based conglomerate’s value-added services segment — which includes video games — generated $11.7 billion in revenue during the quarter, an 8% increase year-over-year.

$18.5B: Disney’s revenues climbed 26% in its last quarter of the fiscal year, though analysts expected more growth in its streaming networks. The company brought in $18.5 billion in the three months ending Oct. 3.

$1.5B: The Premier League is set for a record windfall from its U.S. broadcasting rights, with deal announcements reportedly soon. The league is expected to bring in at least $1.5 billion over six years starting with the 2022-2023 season. A deal of that size would give each of the league’s 20 clubs $39.3 million.

• The league’s U.S. rights are currently held by Comcast on a six-year deal worth $1.1 billion, which began in 2015.
• A report from October floated the possibility of a $3 billion deal over nine years.
• Comcast is interested in continuing to broadcast league games but faces likely competition from ESPN, WarnerMedia, and ViacomCBS.

$693M: Adidas took a $693M Hit in Q3. Supply chain issues have caught up to Adidas, as the shoe and apparel maker reported a drop in third-quarter operating income and lowered its full-year forecast. Adidas said its revenue growth dropped by $693.5M in the quarter, citing “the challenging market environment in Greater China, extensive COVID-related lockdowns in Asia-Pacific, as well as industry-wide supply chain disruptions.”

$560M: La Liga struck an eight-year broadcasting extension with Televisa reported to be worth $70 million per year, or $560 million total.

118M: Last quarter, Disney+ subscribers grew 60% year-over-year to reach 118.1 million. ESPN+ subscribers were up 66% year-over-year to 17.1 million. Hulu subscribers climbed 20% year-over-year to 43.8 million.

15M: Planet Fitness surpassed third-quarter estimates by 13.62%, reaching $154.26 million in revenue compared to $105.38 million the year prior. The national gym chain recorded a net income of $18.6 million, up from a $3.3 million loss during the same period last year. Planet Fitness “returned to positive system-wide same-store sales growth,” marking a number of records for the company.

• It gained the highest net member growth ever in the history of the company’s third quarters. CEO Chris Rondeau said the gym has 15 million members.
• Quarterly revenue was the highest it has ever been for the franchise segment, increasing 26.1% year-over-year to $75.4 million.

$1M: Record Premier League crowds generated nearly $1M on Match Days. Premier League fans are coming back in record numbers after 16 months of not being able to attend games. Matches are averaging 39,440 fans each so far — per data from transfermarkt.com — bringing in close to $955 million in match-day income, according to Kieran Maguire, lecturer of football finance at Liverpool University.

The attendance numbers could be a record for the league’s 30-year history if those crowd sizes are maintained throughout the season — each match is 95% full on average.

• Amex Stadium, home to Brighton & Hove Albion, increased its seating by 1,250 seats, totaling 32,000.
• All corporate membership areas for Amex Stadium are sold for the next five years.

1M: FuboTV generated record revenue of $156.7 million in Q3 2021, a 156% increase compared to the same period last year. The impressive results were driven by a spike in paid subscribers, which reached 944,605 during the quarter, a 108% uptick compared to Q3 2020. FuboTV reported $138.1 million in subscription revenue in Q3 2021, a 151% increase year-over-year. Since the third quarter ended, the company has reached 1 million total paid subscribers.

$300k: The NFL fined the Green Bay Packers $300,000 and the team’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers $14,650 for violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols. The fines are a result of how the team handled Rodgers’ vaccination status.

102%: Roblox, the online game-creation platform, generated $509.3 million in revenue in Q3 2021 — a 102% increase compared to the same period a year ago. The quarter was driven by a spike in daily active users, which reached 47.3 million in the third quarter, a 31% increase year-over-year. Roblox users spent more than 11.2 billion hours on the platform in Q3, a 28% uptick compared to Q3 2020.

20.9%: The racial disparity in head coaching hires is a well-known trend across the sports industry. A new study shows how that pattern extends to women’s basketball. Between 1984-2020 — the period after women’s basketball took off in the wake of Title IX — white coaches have dominated new hires in the Power 5, the study found.

“Outside the HBCUs, African American head coaches are not afforded as many opportunities at high resourced universities,” the study said. Of the 172 women hired between 1984-2020 in the Power 5, 78.5% were white, about 20.9% of women hired were Black, and one coach identified as Latina. 63 of the 68 men hired were white.

26%: Sorare stays on the high level that they managed to establish over the last couple of month from a sales and transaction side. However, a very pleasant number to look at is the unique buyers one, which grew over 26% compared to last month. Potentially a first sign for mass adaption.

NBA Top Shot had a monster month, probably connected to the start of the new season. They managed to increase total sales by over 100% with increasing transactions and average sales prices significantly. And, similar, to Sorare, the unique buyers number went up by a lot, close to 40% in this case.

MLB Topps keeps worrying us, in fact the numbers go down even more, but as expected the two partners will try to utilize their cooperation until they part ways in a few years. So it’s not a surprise that they announced a World Series NFT drop, including some items that are only available to championship game attendees.

? Snapshots & Videos of the Month.

Neymar Jr is the “new” Batman: PSG star Neymar Jr got himself a new hair style a la Batman:)