The NBA Kings will "deploy the emerging Google Glass technology to juice up the telecast of Friday night's game" versus the Pacers, according to Dale Kasler of the SACRAMENTO BEE. The Kings said that they will "become the first pro sports team to use Google Glass." Up to a dozen Kings employees and others connected to the organization are "expected to wear the special eyewear as they roam the sidelines and make their way through Sleep Train Arena." The glasses are "outfitted with tiny cameras, and video feeds will be incorporated into the broadcast" on KXTV-ABC and the Jumbotron screen at the arena. However, what is "seen on Google Glass will supplement, not replace, the usual camera angles." S.F.-based CrowdOptic CEO Jon Fisher said, "The traditional broadcast isn't going away." Kings PR Dir Lorenzo Butler said that players "aren't allowed to wear them on the court during games, but some Kings might wear them as they run through the tunnel onto the court." He added that the Google Glass video "will probably be used mainly for replays" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/22).
CROWN ROYAL: Kings Managing Partner Vivek Ranadive was profiled on last night's edition of HBO's "Real Sports," noting he grew up in India and did not touch a basketball until he was in his "late 40s." Ranadive: "You could say that I fell in love with the game." HBO's Bernard Goldberg said Ranadive is "considered a hero" in Sacramento for acquiring the Kings and keeping them in town. Ranadive said, "The absence of the team would have been devastating to the city and so keeping that team was really about more than basketball." Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said losing the Kings would have been "like ripping the heart out of a city." Johnson said after Ranadive affirmed his desire to acquire and keep the Kings in the city, he "had never come in contact with any person that had that kind of confidence and commitment and that was just so refreshing." Goldberg said losing the Kings would have been "devastating" to Sacramento "in ways that can't be measured." He added, "That's all they have there. I know it's the state capital, but who likes politics? If that team had left there would have been an economic impact, no question about it." When asked if Ranadive is losing money on the team, Goldberg said "at this point, it's an investment," but the team's finances are not public knowledge ("Real Sports," HBO, 1/21).
