MLB and Diamond Kinetics Launch Youth Partnership Aimed at Intersection of ‘Digital and Real-world Play’

MLB and Diamond Kinetics Launch Youth Partnership Aimed at Intersection of ‘Digital and Real-World Play’

Diamond Kinetics becomes the Trusted Youth Development Platform of Major League Baseball

PITTSBURGH, PA: As part of a long-term strategic partnership that includes MLB gaining an equity stake in the company, Diamond Kinetics (DK) becomes the new “Trusted Youth Development Platform of Major League Baseball” as the two organizations look to enhance the world of physical skill development through digital experiences. 

The Diamond Kinetics’ partnership with MLB will place an emphasis on making player development fun for kids by providing hitting and throwing technology that allows players to enter into a digital gamification environment where they can earn achievements, challenge themselves, compete with friends, and track improvement while interacting with MLB clubs, game content, Statcast data, and partners in unique and exciting ways.

“We believe the combination of Diamond Kinetics technology and MLB content will make swinging a bat and throwing a ball more fun than ever for today’s youth player,” said David James, MLB’s VP of Baseball and Softball Development. “We’re excited about the Diamond Kinetics partnership because it allows us to meet young players where they already are, in the digital world, and leveraging technology to make getting better at baseball even more enjoyable.”   

MLB will expand Diamond Kinetics tech integration into key initiatives like PlayBall, RBI programs, and localized club activations. Additionally because Diamond Kinetics technology is rooted in player evaluation and development, metrics-based analytics services will continue to support scouting efforts like the MLB Draft Combine and elite development programs such as USA Baseball’s Player Development Pipeline League (PDPL). Whether it’s at home, in the backyard, on the diamond, or in a facility, Diamond Kinetics mobile apps allow kids to engage in the sports of baseball and softball any place, anytime, and with anyone. This contextually relevant integration will help young players establish a deeper connection with Major League Baseball and with the sport in general. 

“We are excited to partner with Major League Baseball in such an integrated and powerful way”, said Diamond Kinetics co-founder and CEO C.J. Handron, “As Major League Baseball’s Trusted Youth Development Platform, together we will roll out fun, engaging, and instructional content through our apps to players at all skill levels, from beginners who want to discover the game and build their foundation to advanced players looking to fine-tune their skills and reach their potential.”   

About Diamond Kinetics

Diamond Kinetics (DK) is a sports-technology company pioneering the future of baseball and softball. Diamond Kinetics is the market leader in mobile-based hitting and throwing technology that helps players, parents, coaches, and teams understand their performance, improve, and have fun playing the game they love. With an emphasis on connected devices, computer vision functionality, and virtual reality integration, DK provides affordable and portable mobile technology that enhances real-world play and accelerates learning, development, and overall passion for the game. Supported by investors, including Elysian Park Ventures (investment arm of the ownership group of the Los Angeles Dodgers), TNC Ventures (investment arm of the ownership group of the Pittsburgh Pirates) and SeventySix Capital, Diamond Kinetics is recognized as the Trusted Youth Development Platform of Major League Baseball. Diamond Kinetics also partners with youth organizations such as PONY, Babe Ruth League, Ripken Baseball, USA Baseball, and USA Softball to reach and engage today’s youth baseball and softball players. For more Information about Diamond Kinetics, visit www.DiamondKinetics.com

Press Information: 

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U.S. Integrity Partners With Lucra Sports

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 4, 2022) – Today, SeventySix Capital’s portfolio company U.S. Integrity (“USI”) announced a comprehensive partnership with peer-to-peer wagering platform, Lucra Sports, also a SeventySix Capital portfolio company. Lucra Sports makes social-first wagering possible, allowing fans to legally wager across 37 states with their friends in a safe and fun environment - with no traditional sportsbooks involved.

The Lucra iOS app offers a new form of social engagement to avid sports fans and makes sports wagering more approachable for more casual fans with its peer-to-peer gaming marketplace. Players compete against each other and can wager any dollar amount in highly customizable skill-based contests. It offers the ability to create wagers for NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, golf (PGA TOUR), tennis (WTA and ATP), and soccer (MLS, UEFA Champions League, Premier League).

“As sports fans, we are proud to partner with U.S. Integrity to ensure fair and transparent wagering on the Lucra Sports platform,” said Dylan Robbins, CEO and Founder of Lucra Sports. “We want to make wagering on sports more approachable and fun, and USI’s commitment to integrity and proactive approach in detecting potentially suspicious wagering activity allows us to do that for our community.”

USI will provide integrity monitoring services via its proprietary dashboard to Lucra Sports. USI conducts analysis across dozens of data sets to proactively identify irregular contest-level, officiating and wagering patterns.

“U.S. Integrity is proud to partner with Lucra Sports and assist in their revolutionary new way to wager with friends.” says Matthew Holt, USI’s CEO & co-founder. He continued, “USI’s mission is to provide conflict-free, best in class insights and compliance solutions to our clients. We are looking forward to working with the exceptional team at Lucra Sports. All our partners are committed to the highest integrity standards, and they are no exception. These types of partnerships help ensure sports betting integrity and strengthen the unique and proprietary anomaly detection tools we have developed at U.S. Integrity.”

For additional information, visit https://lucrasports.com/

ABOUT U.S. INTEGRITY:

U.S. Integrity is a leading technology-driven sports wagering monitoring company, providing the highest level of protection against betting-related fraud and corruption. USI’s mission is to grow the legal, regulated sports betting market by providing solutions that ensure sports betting integrity in every play, every game, every sport. USI partners with a number of the largest professional sports leagues and collegiate conferences in the U.S., as well as licensed sports-betting operators and regulators. USI is based in Las Vegas and New York. For additional information, visit www.usintegrity.com.

ABOUT LUCRA SPORTS:

Lucra Sports, live in 37 states, is changing the way you engage with friends around sports by introducing a new social and approachable sports gaming experience. The peer-to-peer wagering platform allows people to create player vs. player contests to compete against friends for real money. Customization of players and stats enables fans to be more creative than any existing platform. With an energetic community at the heart of Lucra, fans share contests and enjoy healthy banter before, during and after matchups. Lucra is founded upon transparency, with the lowest fees in the marketplace and an easy-to-use platform that all sports fans can trust. For more information, visit: https://lucrasports.com/.