Geek Locker Newsletter #4
February 23rd, 2024
Geek Locker
Welcome back to the Geek Locker Newsletter— your bi-weekly round-up of sports innovation news, product releases, and design resources is back!
In a bid to prove that not all change is bad, Redditors recently highlighted products they thought had improved in recent years, despite “shrinkflation” and general consensus that product quality is decreasing over time. This inspired me to create a list of outdoor sports products that have improved in recent years. As a result of nearly every sports-related product improving over time due to the nature of competition, I tried to highlight products that have improved on the basis of their product design, not just due to an improvement in constituent materials. The result is one of few online lists that includes both fish finders and bike trainers!
Next week, I’m going to share a brief primer for how you can design consumer product packaging to actually get recycled, not just be recyclable— an important distinction that continues to gain attention.
The only other addition to the Newsletter moving forward is a splash of *lack of color by way of the Newsletter thumbnail and social image. I’ve decided to take inspiration from either a top story of the week (writer’s discretion as to which) or a sport that’s seasonally appropriate, and use my favorite trend with Chat GPT which is to generate and image and make it “more.” It could be making a scene of the Tour De France more French, or making a glade skiing scene more treacherous, or even making a football sideline with even more people standing around. The results are often comical, and I will share all the images in the coloring book format for readers with an artistic inclination.
We appreciate your engagement and please share with others who might be interested in learning more about sports innovation!
New Releases
New Releases shows off “new” products and major features that are hitting the market.
OpenAI revealed its first Sora demos, showing off the most impressive (and potentially most unsettling) AI-based video generation to-date.
Salomon launched the Brigade INDEX helmet, made almost entirely of polypropylene— #5 plastic in the US. Their goal was to make a completely recyclable ski helmet, but only achieved it by requiring customers to ship helmet to specific facility in France to actually be re-purposed, which surfaces interesting questions about environmental impact.
Tiger Woods launched his first post-Nike product Sun Day Red with TaylorMade golf. I won’t lie, it is still somewhat jarring to picture Tiger adorned with non-Nike gear.
Tracksmith released their first “super shoe” the Eliot. They plan to launch the shoe at the 2024 Olympics, and may seek to gain public favor after the company alienated large swaths of recreational runners who didn’t qualify for the Boston Marathon.
Company Cable
Company Cable highlights major and minor updates from companies around the sports innovation space.
In January, Box to Box raised $38MM from Bruin Capital, seeking to accelerate its growth in the entertainment and docuseries space on the back of its success with Drive to Survive, Break Point, and more.
JetSetLife launched an online marketplace for sports enthusiasts seeking pre-planned access to the world’s premier sporting events. The company has been in operation for nearly 40 years and is expanding beyond its relatively private boundaries.
Private equity funds continue to seek investment in US-based sports teams, particularly the NFL, which does not currently allow such grouped investments within their ownership stakes.
The KICKR CORE bike trainer added virtual shifting, likely the result of lawsuits between WAHOO and Zwift, who are seemingly becoming more and more intertwined (and who I could see merge at some point).
Some News
Some News shares select news stories from across the sports and design world.
The Kansas City Chiefs won their 2nd Super Bowl in a row. The game blew up viewing records, though users of Paramount+ had a hard time streaming the game due to demand, which makes Amazon Prime’s exclusive streaming of a Wild Card game next year more intriguing.
World-record marathoner Kelvin Kiptum and his coach passed away from a car accident, a tragedy on all levels for the most promising marathon runner of his generation.
Caitlin Clark broke the women’s NCAA basketball scoring record with a dominant performance. It’s an incredible feat and moment as Iowa turns its eyes to March Madness and a run at the national championship.
The 2024 Paris Olympics medals were revealed, which include iron from the Eiffel Tower, but have very little cohesion among the gold, silver, and bronze medals— a departure from previous Olympic games.
Nike laid of 1600 people, about 2% of its global employee base. It’s a continuation in the trend of tech-adjacent corporations making staff reductions to cut costs.
The Arizona Coyotes are launching a new streaming service, which is a bold move for an NHL franchise that is currently playing in a small college arena and struggling to make ends meet. I had to include this very minor news for how interesting it is— the streaming wars continue!
Grab Bag
Grab Bag features interesting or useful sports innovation and product design resources, ranging from books and websites to individual graphics.
If you are looking for incredibly-crafted gifts or industrial design inspiration, you need to check out Brooklyn-based CW&T. The duo of Che-Wei and Taylor are master craftsmen, makers, and thinkers.
Syracuse researchers recently showed a diminishing of a 3-Pointer’s value in recent seasons of the NBA, marking a potential major shift from the current race to lob up as many shots beyond the arc as possible.
Yanko Design highlighted 10 key materials for product design in 2024, a list that included basic manufacturing materials like titanium and advanced conducting materials like Gallium Nitride.
The cycling world is reacting to proposed changes to the three-week-long “grand tour” races, which include shortening the length or adding substitutions for injured riders. I’d say the response has been… mixed.
StudioFar released a retrospective on the design process for the Pelican U160 backpack, designed specifically for hauling photograph equipment. It’s a great peek into the soft goods design process!
This Youtube documentary about baseball in Japan was fascinating and absolutely made me want to go to a game next time I’m there. If the MLB had managers fly in on hovercrafts, I’d be at Fenway for every game.