This trend is going to take off: Competitive short takeoff and landing, aka STOL, looks like a lot of fun. It’s one of aviation’s fastest-growing sports, thanks, in part, to Microsoft Flight Simulator. Watch how it works — I’d love to try this!
15 sporty and outdoorsy gifts for the adventurers and active people in your life
Amazon
Do you and your family love to play outdoors? This holiday season is the perfect time to find an activity you can all bond over. With help from these products, you can get everyone off the couch and on their feet.
If your family already loves to spend time outside, these gadgets are the perfect way to bring everyone together from time to time.
Are you ready? Check out these 15 outdoor sports and activities gift ideas the whole family can enjoy.
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🏈 What’s the score? In the Alexa app, open Settings > Sports Update. Add your teams (you’ll find all major American sports leagues). Now, say, “Alexa, give me my sports update” for scores and schedule info.
The glasses that will change everything
Oakley and Meta just launched sunglasses that look normal but secretly record everything you see. The AI-powered Oakley Meta Vanguard could change privacy, sports, and even journalism forever. Here’s what you need to know.
🏴☠️ Streameast resurrected: Remember when that pirate sports site Streameast was taken down last month? Well, it’s back online, using the exact same domain Homeland Security seized just 13 months ago. Turns out, the feds let the domain expire, and the original owners just reregistered it like a normal GoDaddy shopper. The government’s Achilles’ heel? Forgot auto-renew.
$500 million
How much a Bay Area tech trio is willing to spend on a 6% stake in the San Francisco 49ers. Vinod Khosla, Byron Deeter and Will Griffith are dropping half a billion to own a slice of the 49ers, valuing the team at over $8.5 billion. If approved, it’ll be one of the priciest valuations for any sports team on the planet.
🔮 Witches on the payroll: Before their hot streak, the Mariners were cooked. Then a fan hired SpellByLuna on Etsy to “unf*ck the team.” Now? Nine wins straight and a team-approved witch cameo on X. Players even shouted out the witch. Sports curses? Cliché. Sports spells? Apparently working overtime. I think the witch was from Austin, which makes her a hexin’ Texan.
The Oakland AIs: The Oakland Ballers are going full Moneyball 2.0. They’re going to be the first pro sports team to let an AI manager handle in-game lineup, substitutions and field positions. It’s a one-time stunt, but it’s a first for pro sports. Fans used to manage the team via app. They lost. Now it’s the bots’ turn.
🚗 Fastest car under $1 million: I’m a car gal, so I love this story. The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 hit a top speed of 233 mph on a 7.6-mile test track in Germany. You may know it’s one of the heaviest sports cars, starting at $174,995. To punch above its weight, GM engineers simulated it to prep for the test. The computer was only off by 1.09 mph. How cool. I tried a computer sim once, but I was only spinning my wheels.
20,000% spike
In drone reports over sports stadiums. It’s illegal to fly even a registered drone over a stadium during a game. In 2017, the NFL reported about a dozen drone sightings. In 2023, there were 2,845.
🥊 Night-night, th-leep tight: YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and heavyweight legend Mike Tyson’s boxing match is happening this week after months of delays. The odds are favoring Tyson, at plus-190. Paul’s a lot younger, but he’s never fought in the heavyweight division. Who knows? His big brother is kicking butt (literally) in the WWE.
$2 loss
For every $1 put toward sports betting. As federal and state guidelines have loosened, fewer Americans are investing in stocks and other safer assets. This past January, folks put $14 billion into online sports betting — compare that to $1.1 billion in January 2019.
540 calories burned
Every 90 minutes, just by watching the Olympics. It all depends on how invested you are. A 176-pound football fan who fidgets, jumps, shouts or punches the air for 75% of a 90-minute game can burn the equivalent of a 45-minute run. Send this one to a diehard sports fan in your life.
Stream 4K for free: If you have Sling TV, you’ll be able to stream sports in 4K starting this week, including NFL games and the Olympics. You’ll see two versions of an event as you browse. Just click the one labeled “4K” to watch. You’ll need a Roku or Fire TV with 4K in the name, too. Here’s the full list of compatible devices.
Roku frustration: Roku’s recent update added motion-smoothing to TVs, and people are fuming since there’s no way to turn it off. This feature is meant for fast-moving scenes, like sports, and it completely ruins movies. I’ll update you when they fix it.
$57,000 median wage
For journalists. Just this year, the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, NBC News, Forbes, National Geographic, Business Insider and Sports Illustrated all have laid off writers. We’re hiring talented writers and editors if you are one or know one.