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Weplay raises $8.6 million from Deep Fork Capital, Derek Jeter, LeBron James, Peyton Manning

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Online youth sports community Weplay announced the closing of $8.6 million in Series B funding led by Deep Fork Capital with participation from existing investors FirstMark Capital, Derek Jeter, LeBron James, Peyton Manning, and senior executives.

The funding will accelerate the company’s momentum as the fastest-growing online youth sports destination.
 
“We’re thrilled to have Deep Fork Capital join our existing partners Creative Artists Agency, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, FirstMark Capital and our founding athletes. The world of youth sport is currently held together  by email, clip boards and  telephone calls.   As the parent of a youth athlete, I want to make that experience simpler, safer and more fun for the millions of  parents, kids and coaches playing sports everywhere,” said Steve Hansen, CEO of Weplay. 

Originally posted on August 5, 2008 @ 7:12 pm

Pop Warner names Weplay as official social networking platform provider

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Online sports community Weplay announced a three-year partnership today with Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. Under the agreement, Weplay will become the official social network service provider and partner of Pop Warner.

As a part of the partnership, Weplay will provide a social utility platform that will allow any Pop Warner player, cheerleader, parent or coach the ability to create a unique profile, connect with each other, share pictures and videos, create blogs and more. Coaches, parents and administrators can also create groups for teams and squads to facilitate communication, share media, and enhance the relationships they make on the fields.

Originally posted on July 16, 2008 @ 12:49 pm

Wazoo Sports receives $2 million for expansion

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High school broadcast network Wazoo Sports, Inc. has received a $2 million equity funding from Meritus Ventures, L.P.

Wazoo Sports, Inc. has offices in London, Kentucky, Knoxville, Tennessee and Benton, Kentucky. Wazoo Sports currently employs 15 people between the three offices.

During the 2007-2008 high school basketball season, Wazoo Sports broadcast 88 games live over the Internet. Wazoo Sports also provides unlimited on demand viewing of their content, including all 88 basketball games from this past season.

Originally posted on June 18, 2008 @ 11:34 am

USOpen.com sets live Internet records with Woods in playoff

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The United States Golf Association (USGA) announced that the recently held USOpen.com set a record for live concurrent streaming viewers during the playoff round of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, California.

More than 2.5 million streams were served on USOpen.com, surpassing all previous single sporting event numbers. The numbers peaked at more than 600,000 concurrent streams during the playoff.

USOpen.com’s new video internet console allowed fans to watch the playoff in a high quality and reliable environment. The technology was provided through its newest corporate partner IBM, which designed and hosted the site.

Originally posted on June 17, 2008 @ 9:42 am