Bradley Luster’s Post

New to the US? Want to learn more about [American] football and the upcoming Super Bowl (on Feb. 11)? This post is for you. It's ok to try talking about the Super Bowl even if you don't know- I grew up in the US and I still 'fumble' (pun intended) when talking about any sport, including football, just as sports isn't my cup of tea. This post talks all about what is football, what is the Super Bowl, football idioms and phrases to know and much more!  #superbowl #americanculture  #expatlife https://lnkd.in/g6jtmZ7j

New to the US? Want to learn more about [American] football and the upcoming Super Bowl (on Feb. 11)? This post is for you. It's ok to try talking about the Super Bowl even if you don't know- I grew up in the US and I still 'fumble' (pun intended) when talking about any sport, including football, just as sports isn't my cup of tea. This post talks all about what is football, what is the Super Bowl, football idioms and phrases to know and much more! #superbowl #americanculture #expatlife https://lnkd.in/gSxc_VW3

In the vast, varied world of sports, where the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat play out on fields, courts, and arenas around the globe, it's easy to get caught up in the high stakes and intense competition. Yet, sometimes, it's the lighter moments that catch our attention and remind us of the sheer unpredictability and joy of sports. This past weekend offered up a prime example of sports' unpredictable nature, and no, it wasn't anything to do with the NBA All-Star Game. Instead, the spotlight unexpectedly fell on a rather peculiar incident - one that might be dubbed as the "absolute silliest" moment in recent sports memory. Without giving too much away, let's just say it involved an unexpected participant in a setting far removed from their natural habitat, creating a scene that was as bewildering as it was entertaining. Why does this matter in the grand scheme of things? It's a reminder that sports, for all its competitiveness and intensity, is also a source of joy and communal laughter. It's these unexpected moments that often become memorable, talked-about even years later, not just for the novelty, but for the shared experience they provide. I invite you to reflect on and share your favorite "silly" sports moments. What unexpected events have given you a good laugh or left you shaking your head in disbelief? Let's celebrate the lighter side of sports together. https://lnkd.in/ecRitxFa

How many famous sports plays were impacted by weather?... And how did weather play a role in my career? A home run here, a good play there…could the weather have been the difference between a big league career and being so close to that? it’s interesting to think about and something I’ve been reflecting on as I dig into my new role with Weather Applied Metrics. It’s an intriguing reflection for any sports fan, I think. The fact that this oftentimes invisible force is such a key player in sports history. Willie Mays & Jim Edmonds’ over the shoulder catches, countless game winning, or losing field goals (Ray Finkle, anyone?), epic golf shots, bending free kicks, track world records…the list goes on and on and the only ways we’ve been brought into the story as fans are looking at flags and listening to broadcasters. Our friends at Major League Baseball (MLB) get it. This article by Mike Petriello takes a look at one of the most iconic sports plays of all time, Ted Williams’ legendary 502(?) foot home run at Fenway Park. So legendary that one red seat sits in a sea of green at Fenway Park to help us remember just how impressive it must have been to see in person. I’ve seen it from home plate and it looks forever away…impossible. But thanks to Mike Petriello's creativity, historical data, modern technology, and some expertise from Doug Sinton, we were able to add a little science to legend and make an unbelievable feat seem more…unbelievable. What are some of your favorite historical sports plays?

NEW PREMIUM ARTICLE IS LIVE: Top Football Cards to Target During the NFL Offseason A week removed from Super Bowl LVIII, we’re already looking at the market of football prints to identify potential opportunities that offer low risk and strong upside to buy during the NFL offseason. Today’s piece will identify the right cards, for the right players, that are potentially a smidge too soon of pickups to be considered “right time” cards, but are prints you should consider securing in the coming weeks. https://lnkd.in/e4_Qsyp3 #sportscards #investing #sportscardinvesting

I don’t like most traditional American sports. Baseball, Football, Basketball. They just never really resonated and I’m sure now you’re wondering… with the heat of indignation, where are you going with this? See… I don’t love most traditional sports because I perceive them as pretty boring and over structured. I just don’t see the art or imagination that MOST people see. But I recently found a sport that I ABSOLUTELY love…. 4 to 5 yr old T-BALL. It’s the best sport out there. Maybe it’s bc I have a son on the team but here is why I LOVE this sport so much: ✅ no matter what is going on, there is something amazing happening on the field. A kid is running away, someone is eating their glove, maybe someone is bothering their friend… constant motion ✅even the most bizarre plays and simple wins are celebrated by everyone on both side. The energy is amazing in the stands. Unlike most sports where people are grouchy and angry bc some player they don’t know did something they can’t control. Interesting… ✅T-Ball allows for ultimate creativity and expression for the players. My son hit the ball and ran straight to 2nd base. I thought it was brilliant move. So did the other team. ✅the games are 40 minutes max and everyone gets it hit Now here is why this matters in a business context aside from my deep love for the T-Ball game. Business is like 4-5 yr old T-Ball. There is no set rules aside from basic morality. You get rewarded for being super creative and thinking about things in a different way. You can jump bases and take huge risks and that pays off. Your team is behind you if you build the right organization and all the player get a chance to bring their talent for the win. Everyone bats. The game is exciting, always in motion, and never a dull moment. If your business, especially an eComm shop, is starting to feel like a traditional sport (kinda boring and constricted), we’re playing T-Ball over here and having huge wins.

Context: "I Struggle Well........" "[Jesus taught his disciples with these words:] "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." —Luke 6:28 "......People never want to be part of the process, but they want to be part of the outcome- the process is where you figure out who's worth being part of the outcome....." There is work, lots of work often before the success if ever comes. Others don't see the same calling so they frequently don't have the same vision to follow.. That's why the Journey to success can be a lonely trip because to others it seems like wasted time. But to each of us it necessary to go on this trek so can become what we need to be. Just this month both the NBA and NHL crowned their yearly Champion, in a spectacular fashion with lights, champagne and confetti. Tens of thousands of fans were cheering in person and around the Country when the final buzzer sounded. Yet very few of those fans will be there when the first practice of the upcoming Season starts. Or the next after that or the next week 30 some Teams in each League start this process in late Summer in the slim hope to be Champ next June. Its a long grueling Season and most all Teams except 1 fall short of the goal and disappoint their fans again. But for the Champs, its magically and they are loved everywhere until a year from now and this is repeated ....... So on those lonely days of the Journey be sure to note who was truly in your corner then and when success comes, properly thank them for sticking with you thru it all...... .. ****** ".....If You Could Access a Brand New Community… With The Full Overview On How To Make Your First Or Next 6 Figures A Year Online… Would You Want An Invite To Join?........" My Mentors have decided to drastically shake things up in their online business. No, not how they are doing it- thru Content Creation and Community, that isn't changing. They are changing where and how the Community is structured. Both of them will be shutting down their respective FB Groups and consolidating their Community on the Skool platform. It will be a Free Community, DM me for details..... https://lnkd.in/g58g_Dxg

Sometimes, industry disruptors have a different vision than others. I think Deion Sanders is one of those. The last 30 months have seen unprecedented change in the college sports landscape. No one has taken advantage of this opportunity with more significant results than #coachprime from the University of Colorado Boulder. SponsorUnited recently published a report sharing that in 2023, The highest Follower Growth Amongst NIL Athletes Ranked by total increase in followers across each athlete’s social media accounts included three Buffalos. #5 Travis Hunter Colorado Football +1,335,703 #6 Shedeur Sanders Colorado Football +1,125,246 #8 Shilo Sanders Colorado Football +943,462 These are incredible statistics for a school that has won 13 games in the last four years. Coach Primes’s marketing of his programs to the next level has helped to change the football landscape forever. Last week, we learned that the National Basketball Association (NBA) will shut down the NBA G League Ignite program. Primarily because of NCAA rules allowing college basketball athletes to profit from their #nil brands. What will happen with the National Football League (NFL) * Will Deion change the way athletes prepare for the NFL Draft? * Will athletes gain more power when it comes to who drafts them? * Will the NFL team embrace this "new" athlete empowerment model? Shedeur Sanders, Drew Rosenhaus, Creative Artists Agency, IMG

I have a quick “know your audience” or “know your user” story. I’ve always been a huge Major League Baseball (MLB) fan. It’s my #1 sport. Opening Day is akin to a national holiday for me. But this year is different. I have two kids, both under two year’s old. Life is a bit different for me than years past. Am I still excited baseball is back? Absolutely. But for my beloved Boston Red Sox, opening day happens out on the West coast in Seattle. And the game doesn’t start until 10:10pm EST. So yes, this post is purely because I am annoyed. But my marketing mind never stops, and this just sort of baffles me. In this multi-billion dollar league, doing anything they can to stay relevant for today’s busy consumer and sports fan, works on pace of play rules, tries to make the game more accessible, fast, fun, whatever. Trying to attract and engage a younger fan base…at 10:10pm. C’mon man. You think I am staying up until 12:30am to watch opening day? I probably won’t even sniff first pitch. Someone made this decision with purpose and intent…and completely forgot about the fan experience. Now, I am not naive -- I know not all Sox fans have young kids. But you know what they probably do have? Jobs. Early wake ups. Busy lives. So, that’s the marketing lesson. It's not terribly deep, but it's true...just know your audience. Know everything you can about them. And make business decisions that will benefit them, enhance their experience, have them top of mind in every single decision you make. Because without them, you don't exist. Sadly for me this year the national holiday has been canceled. Go Sox, and, goodnight. #MLB

"I'm sure there are a lot of people in this building who do not know the difference between a blue line and a clothes line. It's irrelevant. It doesn't matter because what we have at hand is the rarest of sporting events. An event that needs no buildup, no superfluous adjectives. In a political or nationalistic sense, I'm sure this game is being viewed with varying perspectives, but manifestly, it is a hockey game. The United States and Soviet Union on a sheet of ice in Lake Placid." With these words, Al Michaels introduced the (pre-recorded) broadcast of the first game of the 1980 Winter Olympics medal round on February 22nd. I was eight days old when an amateur team of college students went up against the USSR's Red Army ice hockey team in the first game of the medal round and defied all expectations. I say this as an American, but it is quite possibly the single biggest international sports story to have ever happened. Not merely because it's a fantastic underdog story, but because of how keenly the geopolitical tensions were felt at the time. I make a point every year of watching a film about it or the game itself, depending. Disney's "Miracle" is possibly the best movie made about it. Kurt Russell went deep in becoming Herb Brooks. There's an extra on the DVD of the team & Kurt Russell interviewing Herb Brooks (https://lnkd.in/gqjHsYX2). And how do you beat that speech? I'm ready to run through walls after watching it! There's other great films: Red Army is mostly about the Soviet ice hockey program, but a lot of time is spent on the game and that perspective on it. ESPN's 30 in 30's "Of Miracles and Men" focuses more on the story from both sides and is also excellent. The game -- all 1 hour, 49 minutes of it -- is on youtube at https://lnkd.in/g5kzJGvC You have to be a real hockey geek to watch it. The game is so different from what we see today. The broadcast is a live camera. There's super imposed film of players exiting the penalty box. There's almost no hitting. The Soviets own the puck and wheel around the ice at will. This is decades before anyone was using the swarm, before you had guys standing in front of the net tipping pucks into corners. And you'd need a program to know anything about the players. One of my side projects is an exploration into OpenCV. There's so much good data in this day & age of player & puck tracking. Even the HITS data which the NHL made publicly available under the terms of the CBA after the 2004-05 lockout was sufficient to revolutionize our understanding of the game. No data of that quality is available beyond that. The first TV broadcast of an NHL game will celebrate its anniversary in a few days on the 25th and that's from 1940. It seems like such a shame that we don't really have data of that quality for 64 years worth of broadcasts. In any event, I wish you all a happy Miracle on Ice day!