The rippling effects of the NFT boom (and bust) are still happening. The NFLPA is suing DraftKings for $65 million, alleging that the sportsbook still needs to pay for using players’ names, images, and likenesses in its now-defunct NFT marketplace.

A peek into today’s edition:

• New tech at the 2024 US Open
• Pokémon and Barbie are so back
• Apple sets date for fall launch event

Game, Set, Tech: the US Open is a Digital Playground

We’re back in the swing of the US Open, where advanced tech serves as a game-changer both on and off the court.

IBM, the US Open’s official digital innovation partner, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced new updates across the US Open’s digital platforms. Most notably, fans can now tap into AI-generated Match Report summaries for every men’s and women’s singles match within minutes of conclusion. After introducing AI commentary at the Open in 2023, IBM enhanced the feature to generate more frequency and contextual commentary. The IBM SlamTracker, a feature where fans can dive into win predictions and point-by-point analysis, got a redesign and now offers near real-time 3D graphics of current play.

Aside from updates across the Open’s digital platforms, I joined IBM during US Open Fan Week along with more than 216,000 fans at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Attendance was up more than 37% compared to last year, which means more tech is imperative for the major tennis event. Over 2 million devices accessed USOpen.org and the US Open app during Fan Week, and I can bet that number will only grow as official US Open matches kicked off on Aug. 26 and will run through Sept. 8. The crowd nearly topped 75,000 fans on opening day alone.

I joined IBM and USTA executives, as well as former tennis champ Andre Agassi, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the IBM Data Center inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. The room is filled with over 50 screens and countless tech that capture and analyze millions of data points. One thing Agassi emphasized is that the evolution of tech and data in tennis is imperative to helping the sport grow. He said as AI gets smarter, he would be interested to see how players leverage data to prepare and train for their opponents.

“You guys are nerding out on the technology, and I nerd out on the tennis strategy of it,” Agassi said during the tour. “A ball has a certain bounce to it…there’s an art after it bounces. Once that ball comes off the peak of that arc, it loses energy. For me, it would be so important, never playing somebody, to understand which shots they’re actually attempting to get at peak, prior to peak, or even post-peak. That tells me a little about their mindset and aggression level.”

As part of the tour, I got to catch the “Stars of the Open” event, where notables like Agassi, Caroline Wozniacki, Carlos Alcaraz, Sloane Stephens, Francis Tiafoe, and Novak Djokovic faced off for some friendly competition. All the players wore mics during the playful matchups, which, in my opinion, brought a unique perspective to fan engagement efforts.

IBM isn’t the only tech leader with a footprint at the US Open. Here’s a snippet of more tech at the final Grand Slam of the year.

• Advantage Arena: The USTA debuted an immersive gaming space inside the Chase Center, where fans can indulge in 13 tennis-themed games and experiences on-site, including Fortnite, US Open: Champions of the Court on Roblox, TopSpin 2K25, and Tennis Clash. The gaming space will reward over 3,500 prizes during the tournament.
• Bose at CoCo’s Court: Coco Gauff hosted an experience dubbed “Coco’s Court” to celebrate the launch of her second signature shoe with New Balance. As part of the event, Bose set up a unique listening experience where attendees could step into the tennis star’s shoes and hear her game-day playlist. Everyone invited to the exclusive preview ahead of the public opening was gifted a pair of Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds stamped with CoCo’s signature. Check out my recap of the event.
• Sustainable Smart Courts: The tournament has also made strides in sustainability by incorporating smart technology on the courts. The courts are now equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting and real-time monitoring systems that adjust lighting and temperature based on crowd presence and weather conditions, significantly reducing the energy footprint.

Nostalgia is taking over this section this week.

The Pokémon Company inked a deal with Canada’s WildBrain to create a dedicated streaming channel that will debut with the first 22 seasons of the original anime series. Elsewhere, Nokia maker HMD debuted an internetless Barbie Phone for $130 that comes equipped with a Barbie logo, flip design, and the ability to call and text (check out my previous Bet of the Week on this collab). Sorry, but no social media apps will be supported on the device.

• Audio company Audity is partnering with the WNBA’s Kelsey Plum and Aliyah Boston and Olympic skiing champ Mikaela Shiffrin to launch a new audio experience titled “Coach.” Listeners can access motivational content and personal insights from the star athletes, with more athletes expected to join the project in the future.
• Apple confirmed its annual fall event will occur on Monday, Sept. 9, at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino. Coined “It’s Glowtime,” the Big Tech company is expected to showcase the iPhone 16 with some much-anticipated Siri AI upgrades and the next class of Apple Watches and AirPods.
• Arizona State University and OpenAI announced a collab to integrate ChatGPT Edu into the university’s workflows across teaching, research, and campus operations. ASU first introduced ChatGPT at scale in the spring of 2024 through innovation challenges, AI writing projects, and by developing personalized chatbots for different colleges.
• Telegram Co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in a Paris airport on a warrant related to the messaging app’s lack of moderation efforts. Durov has since been released and faced questions ahead of a potential indictment on charges that allege Telegram is complicit in aiding fraudsters and terrorist groups who use the platform to communicate about their crimes.
• Rolling Stone released its 2024 list of the most influential creators, with notables like Kai Cenat, Monet McMichael, MrBeast, Nara Smith, Keith Lee, and Druski topping the list. Rolling Stone combed through hundreds of nominees and used data from CreatorIQ to rank the list.
• Meta is making major shifts to go all in on AI as it did on the metaverse. The Big Tech giant is shutting down its augmented reality studio, Meta Spark, which creators primarily used to make custom Instagram and Facebook effects. Elsewhere, The Information reported that Meta halted the development of a high-end mixed-reality headset that was set to release in 2027.

Bored Ape Yacht Club and BAPE announced Season 2 of their streetwear collection featuring the Bored Ape NFT aesthetic. Set for launch this month, I’m going to bet that the collection will sell just as well as the first drop since the pairing just makes sense.