North Korea and South Korea shocked the world by announcing plans to march under a unified flag at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games. FHM's Nick Dimengo joins Cheddar to discuss whether the news will increase interest in the games. Dimengo says the event has historically struggled with TV ratings and will gladly accept any positive press coming its way.
Next, we preview the NFL's Conference Championship weekend. Dimengo walks us through the potential Super Bowl match-ups and reveals which ones he thinks will draw the biggest ratings. Find out why he thinks a Minnesota Vikings vs. New England Patriots Super Bowl would be a dream for the NFL.
Finally, we look ahead to the NBA's All-Star Game. The league is changing up the format of the event this year, with captains drafting teams from a pool voted on by fans, players, and the media. Dimengo says he thinks it's a mistake for the NBA to opt out of televising the inaugural draft.
The blockchain has made its way into a slew of industries. Next at bat ー the sports world. The Los Angeles Dodgers are moving away from traditional promotions and have begun using crypto tokens to give away digital bobbleheads to fans. Ralph Esquibel, VP of information technology for the team, said this is the first giveaway of its kind and could lead to more experiments with cryptocurrencies.
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Naz Aletaha, head of esports partnerships for Riot Games, said that the "priceless" experiences with new global sponsor Mastercard will start with the world championships in October, offering premium content and behind the scenes access to the biggest event for esports lovers.
Mastercard, seeing a market opening in the skyrocketing popularity of esports, signed a deal to become first global sponsor for Riot Games' "League of Legends." Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing and communications officer for Mastercard, said the company will become exclusive payment service provider for the game. The deal represents the largest mainstream sponsorship thus far in the esports world.
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As the online gaming world continues to boom, professional sports organizations are working to marry the online and physical sports world. Hugh Weber, president of the New Jersey Devils, said that there is a way for live esports events to be compelling enough to translate to ticket sales.
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Chris Raybon, senior editor at The Action Network, breaks down the best bets for sports fans heading into Week 2 of the NFL Season.
The company's recent growth on the back of a newly invigorated gaming segment is only the beginning, according to president and CEO Bracken Darrell. He said in an interview on Cheddar that esports could become "the biggest sport in the world," and Logitech will be there as its top hardware provider.
If you had any lingering doubts that eSports had gone mainstream, they would have been erased when the North American League of Legends Summer Split took over the Oracle Arena ー home to the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. Cheddar was there for the last stop before the World Championships in South Korea next month.
