Good evening!

Sometimes it’s better to meet your heroes from a distance.

That’s surely the lesson for one fan of new cricket sensation Sam Konstas, who spotted the 19-year-old cricketer walking into his training facility. The fan, driving a large 4WD, swung into the closest parking spot and leapt out of the car to grab a selfie.

The problem? He hadn’t engaged the hand brake, and within seconds his car started rolling towards another parked car (thankfully, no one was injured).

The next problem? It was all caught on CCTV, and has gone viral. When asked about the incident, Konstas confirmed he would “sign some stuff” for the fan, who deserves credit for consenting for the footage to be posted.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Stat of the day

945
The number of consecutive games where Iowa State’s women’s basketball team scored a three-point basket. The streak started in February 1995 and ended this week in their game against Texas Tech.

Quote of the day

“Well, I’ve gotta say, in Sydney, I found better coffee shops”.
World No.2 tennis player Iga Świątek, speaking to Nine after her second-round win at the Australian Open. The Melbourne crowd was not pleased.

Random fact of the day

The term ‘rain check’ comes from U.S. baseball in the 1880s. The phrase was used when new tickets were given to crowds after games were delayed or postponed by rain.

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In case you missed it…

🎾 Australia’s highest-ranked tennis player Alex de Minaur (world no.8) has sailed through to the third round of the Australian Open, beating U.S. qualifier Tristan Boyer in three sets. The Demon will face Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo (no.31) tomorrow. Neither player has dropped a set so far.

🎾 Germany’s Laura Siegemund knocked out fifth-seed Zheng Qinwen yesterday in one of the biggest upsets of the Australian Open. Two-time champion Naomi Osaka also beat a seeded player, defeating world number 20 Karolina Muchova in three sets. Last year’s champion Aryna Sabalenka extended her unbeaten streak at the tournament, cruising past Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in two sets, while Coco Gauff continued her unbeaten run this year with a straight-sets win.

🎾 In the men’s draw, Czech teenager Jakob Mensik caused a major upset, knocking out title contender Casper Ruud. Mensik is being hailed as a future superstar of the game, having defeated five top-10 players so far in his short career. Meanwhile, Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis fell to the UK’s Jack Draper in a five-set marathon, failing to capitalise on a match point presented to him in the fourth set. It wasn’t all bad news for the Australian men, with Aleksandar Vukic defeating 22nd seed Sebastian Korda in another five-set match. It’s the first time Vukic has progressed to the third round of a Grand Slam.

⚽ Arsenal has beaten Tottenham 2-1 in the North London Derby, one of the most-watched matches of the Premier League season. Tottenham (coached by Australian Ange Postecoglou) took an early lead before an own goal followed by an Arsenal shot right before half-time. Arsenal now sit second on the competition ladder, only two wins behind Liverpool.

🏏 The Sydney Sixers beat the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League, ending Adelaide’s hopes of playing in this year’s finals series. Steve Smith top-scored for the Sixers, hitting 51 off 31 balls, while impressive fielding from 22-year-old rookie Lachlan Shaw produced some of the highlights of the match. The Sixers next play tomorrow against the Sydney Thunder.

I’ve got 1 minute

The men’s and women’s U.S. college basketball competitions will have pay equity for the first time

Men’s and women’s university basketball teams will have pay equity for the first time, under a new decision by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The body governing American college sports unanimously approved a change to pay women’s college basketball teams for ‘March Madness’.

The annual month-long championship tournament is one of the country’s most-watched sporting events.

The change

The NCAA will now award regional groups of women’s teams financial “units”— multi-million dollar payments based on how many March Madness games teams play.

As in the men’s competition, the players won’t receive that money directly. Rather, it’s paid to the regional groups that teams are part of, and then typically invested in coaches, facilities, stadiums and other player resources.

Growing popularity

Pressure has been mounting on the NCAA to implement the change in recent years since it signed a $US920 million ($AU1.5 billion) broadcasting contract with ESPN that included women’s basketball.

In the first year of the new financial structure, $US15 million ($AU24 million) will be awarded to women’s teams, with that rising to $US25 million by 2028.

Last year’s women’s title game set a new viewership record of 18.7 million viewers. The face-off between South Carolina and Iowa State, the team of superstar Caitlin Clark, was the most watched basketball game (men’s or women’s) since 2019.

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Why the Australian Open is serving up cartoon coverage on YouTube

Tennis Australia has found a creative way to bring more matches to fans around the world, without breaching their traditional broadcasting limitations.

The initiative allows fans to watch near-live coverage of matches for free on the Australian Open's YouTube channel, complete with real-time commentary and crowd reactions. 

There’s a catch: players appear as animated avatars in a style reminiscent of Nintendo's Wii Sports.

The broadcast rights 

In 2022, Nine Entertainment signed a $425 million, five-year deal with Tennis Australia to broadcast the Australian Open as the exclusive rights-holder in Australia. The deal, which began this year, includes increased coverage across Nine’s news websites, social media channels, and streaming services. 

However, it has been reported that, under the agreement, Tennis Australia is permitted to broadcast “versions” of the matches on its own channels. 

During last year’s tournament, Tennis Australia launched a project now called ‘AO Animated’. Designed to attract younger (and more global) audiences via its YouTube channel, it features animated avatars of the players, streamed live. 

Last year's men's final animation has recorded around 790,000 views. 

When TDA reached out to Nine for their perspective on their innovation, they chose not to comment.

How the technology works

The technology works by processing data from court sensors to create a real-time graphical representation of matches. While not perfect – racquets occasionally disappear, and player movements can be clunky – the system captures unique player mannerisms, from Novak Djokovic wiping sweat off his face to Carlos Alcaraz's pre-point routines (or Daniil Medvedev smashing his racquet, as he did in his first-round bout this year).

Tennis Australia director of innovation Machar Reid told The Guardian the technology isn't flawless, but there’s potential. 

"Limb tracking is complex... but in time you can begin to imagine a world where that comes," he said.

Global trends

The initiative follows a growing trend of animated sports broadcasts. Nickelodeon has broadcast several NFL games in recent years, with live commentary from Spongebob Squarepants’ voice actor (shown as a cartoon). Meanwhile, the NHL has featured Looney Tunes characters in a special presentation. 

A message from Deakin University

Life beyond the field – turn your love of sport into a career!

A fresh year tends to provoke some questions around what you really want to do. Whether you're itching to work with the pros or want to make a difference behind the scenes, Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences has the tools to help you get there.

Choose from a range of subjects including coaching, anatomy, nutrition, psychology and access Deakin’s world-class facilities (like their MCG-sized AFL oval, clinical exercise centre and climate chamber and more).

Looking back…

Looking forward… (All times are AEDT)

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