UNRIVALED-bEST OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

 The WNBA season is winding down with approximately 3 weeks until the playoffs. They will conclude with the Finals starting in October. But we won't have to wait until May 2025 to watch some of the best womens basketball players in the world. The Unrivaled league will start in January 2025.

The Unrivaled league is a concept developed by WNBA and Olympic standouts,Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league is a 3 on 2 game and will have a total of 6 teams. The initial thought was to have an alternative to playing overseas during the off season. The proposal includes offering a great salary to the participants. The games will be played in Miami,Florida/ The rules and court configuration will be announced. 

The ESPN list of the top 25 WNBA Players after the Olympic break consist of many of the Unrivaled players that have commited so far.Kahleah Copper,Kelsey Plum,Arike Ogunbowale,Jewel Loyd and Rhyne Howard are  in the mix. Angel Reese and Kayla Mcbride have recently committed to play. There are 15 aditions to round out the league.The teams will be spicked by a selection commitee based on position and skill.  

Some of the investors in the league include Carmelo Anthony,Megan Rapinoe,Steve Nash,Geno Auriemmaand Ashton Kutcher. The league is player owned and will offer the players opportunities for equity investment.With the popularity of Womens Baketball at it's appex,the league is going to be sucessful. The season will start as the NFL and College Football ending. The viewers will be positioned to enjoy 3 on 3 basketball as March Madness heats up.

WNBA Spotlight:Breanna Stewart

Breanna Stewart is one of the best womens basketball players in the world.She will be on full display during the WNBA Playoffs and next year in the Unrivaled League. Here is a clip of her exploits.

Follow me on Twitter,Instagram ,TikTok and LinkedIn.

WNBA: Liberty and Aces

The New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces have played twice during the 2024 WNBA Season.The Liberty have won both matchups. The first game was a 90-82 victory at the Barclays Center/The 2nd contest was at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The Libert's 79-67 win in that contest extended their winning streak. New York has won  7 games in a row.

The Liberty are now leading the Aces in the power ranking in ESPN and are now a slight favorite to win the WNBA Title. The odds I saw are from BETMGM.The Liberty have never won the WNBA Title.They have already clinched a playoffs spot. They have a favorable schedule with most of their games agaisnt teams that are not in contention for the playoffs. That puts them on course to have the best record and playing the 8th seed. That opponent would be the Chicago Sky or the Atlanta Dream.

Here is a clip about the Liberty and Aces.

The Aces are currently in 4th place in the overall standings and a half game ahead of the Seattle Storm. This is important because the top 4 teams get homecourt advantage in the playoffs.The Aces have won seven of their last 10 games. Las Vegas plays a tougher schedule than the Liberty as the season winds down.The Liberty and the Aces will meet again on September 8th in New York City. The Liberty have a 12-1 record at home.

WNBA SPOTLIGHT- A'JA WILSON: Take a peek behind the scences at Wilson during her outstanding 2024 season.

The Olympics: 5 Athletes to watch

 The Summer Games are days away and I want to bring you up to speed on some of the athletes you should be watching and rooting for over the next two weeks. The commitment to just get through the trials is a test.As I did research for this post, I found that many of the athletes do not have sponsors. This means that they have to subsidise their raining. This is inaddition to maintaining a job,attending school and balancing family obligations. So shout out to all of the athletes participating in the Summer Games in Paris,France for their persistence.

A'ja Wilson- A'ja is the star forward for the two time defending WNBA Champions Las Vegas Aces. She is currently leading her team in scoring and rebounding. She was the WNBA Finals MVP in 2023.A'ja is an outstanding defensive player as well. Her off the court reume is quite impressive. Wilson was on Time Magazines list as one of the top 100 Influential People in 2024. She wrote a best selling book entitled 'Dear Black Girls:How to be True to You'.The book made A'ja a New York Times best selling author in February 2024. She has major endorsement deals with Nike and Gatorade. This is her 2nd Olympics and she won a gold medal in 2020.

Hezly Rivera and Quincy Wilson-Hezly and Quincy are getting accolades for being two of the youngest members of the United States Olympic Team. Rivera is a member of the gymnastic team and trains at the World Olympics Gymnastics Academy where she is one the world's top gymnast.Wilson is taphenom and his track event is the 400 meters. He has set world record times in 3 occassions over the past 6 months.Wilson is the youngest male to ever make the USA Track and Field Olympic Team. Rivera and Wilson are 16 years of age.

Sha'Carri Richardson-Richardson is a comeback story that many everyday people can relate to. She qualified for the Summer Olympic Games in 2020 after breaking the collegiate record for 100 meters.At 19 years old, she was one of the 10 fastest women in history. Sha'carri tested positive for cannabis use following her US Trials, andwas inelgible to compete in the 2020 Games. She enterd a counseling progtam and accepted a one month period of inelgibility. She is in her own words,"I am not back,I am better."  Richardson has set records in the past three years at the World Championships and is expected to win the Gold Medal in the 100 Meters and as a member of the Women's 4x100 relay team.

Simone Biles- Biles is known for her epic performances during the Olympics Games. She has also become a public advocate on for mental health. After dominating the 2016 Rio Games,she limited her participation in 2020 as she dealt with mental health issues. She took time away from gymnastics but has returned to her 2016 level of dominance. Simone is considered one of the greatest gymnast of all time and made ESPN top pro athletes since 2000 list. She is ranked at number 7. Biles is a hero to so many people and whatever she does in this year's Games will not deter her legacy. 

Here is a clip of A'ja showing off her dance moves! Just another one of her talents,

Follow me on TikTok,Twitter and LinkedIn.

s 

Sports Betting-Inside the Numbers: Olympics

 The 2024 Summer Olympics will start July 26th in Paris,France. 206 countries will be participating in approximately  329 events in 32 sports. According to Forbes Magazine, the United States is the oodds on favorite to win the most gold medals.The sponsors for this years Olympics includes Anheuser,Coca-Coca,Panasonic,Samsung and Visa.Each of these sponsors are  playing a specific role during the games.

Peacock,NBC streaming platform will broadcast the games along with the opening and closing round ceremonies.The IOC has committed to and inclusive media coverage during the games.I am looking foward to segments featuring the Womens Basketball and Soccer Teams.The social media coverage for the games will incude TikTok,Snapchat,Twitter,Facebook and Instagram. Expect players to post and share photos and comments on all of those mediums.

I expect A'ja Wilson  of the Las Vegas Aces and Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves to become international superstars because of their play in the games.Edwards is going to do this to someone and go viral on ESPN.

Follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Metro Report: Sports Betting in Philly, Washington DC & New York

The sports betting coverage of the New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC markets are essential to prognosticators. I would normally just focus on Las Vegas, Philly and Atlantic City but times have changed. So I will expand with my Gaming Guy News minutes into the 3 top cities on the East Coast.

The wins totals projected for the NFL season is a very popular wager. These are the projections for the Eagles,Washington Football,Giants & Jets.

                                               Eagles 6.5 Over -150 /Under +120

                                               Washington Football 8.5 Over -120 / Under +100

                                               Giants 7 Over -130 /Under +110

                                               Jets 6 Over +100 / Under -120

I have the Eagles over the 6.5. I project them to beat the Jets,Carolina,Denver, Dallas, Washington,Atlanta and Detroit. 2 possibles with Las Vegas and Giants at home. If the offensive line can stay healthy, the Birds will improve their win total by at least 3. Philly record last year was 4-11-1.

I have Washington under the 8.5. Their schedule is extremely difficult. They play each of last's year playoffs semifinalists, Those 4 games are losses. I have the Giants beating them twice and Eagles & Dallas taking them once. Possible losses to Seattle & Denver on the road.

I have the Giants over 7.  Giants were 4-2 in the division last year. I expect the same record this season.If Saquon Barkley returns to 2019 form, the offense will improve.  I project them to win against Carolina, Miami,Chicago and Atlanta.

I have the Jets under 6. They were 2-14 last year.A new coach and  starting a rookie QB is not the recipe for a 5 win improvement over last year. Jets have won under 5 games in 4 of the last 5 seasons.They go 0-6 in the division again. Jets go 1-3 against the NFC South. Losses to Eagles,Denver,Colts and Tennessee give them 13 L's. Book it!

                                                             Surprise Cuts

                                             Eagles - Jordan Howard RB, Travis Fulgham WR

                                             Washington Football - Peyton Barber RB

                                             Giants - Corey Clement RB, David Sills WR

                                             Jets - Ronnie Blair DL, Josh Adams RB

 

Looking at the NBA matchups in 2021, I am excited about attending the Sixers and Nets on October 22nd at the Wells Fargo Center. I will preview the game on Bettors Insider. These teams are projected to be two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.  My question to you. Will Ben Simmons still be on the team?

My gaming video tip of the week is about the NBA and In Game Betting.

Follow me for more in depth coverage on NFL and NBA on Twitter and Bettors Insider My website is Smart Responsible Gaming.

The Twitter Expansion of GTLivechat and GTLHottopics

Robert M.Mims

I want to share some exciting news about my plan to expand my engagement on Twitter. At the start of the NBA shutdown due to COVID 19, I started a doing a twitter chat 3 nights a week. The conversations included sports, sports business and sports betting. It was expanded to include music from contemporary artists and delve into their music catalogues. The audience grew exponentially over the 4 months and expanded to cover both the east and west coast.  The chat achieved approximately 30,000 impressions during the ESPYS on June 21st.

Since sports have returned the format has changed. The conversation or threads can't last as long in the evening because the games are rightfully taking center stage. A mid day version of the chat was added to engage the audience longer. This addition captured positive results. With the NFL coming in two weeks, it makes sense to expand the coverage, Start on September 1st, the chat will be on 4 nights. Those nights will be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. A mid day version will happen on each of the aforementioned days of the week with Wednesday included at noon. 

The night chats will start at 7:30 prior to an NFL game. The conversation before any other game(NBA,MLB,NHL,WNBA or Tennis) will start 30 minutes before the contest.  There will still be polls that will gauge your opinions, questions that pertain to your sports betting selections and data that will help you make an informed decisions. We also highlight our followers by sharing their tweets and applaud their creativity when they include a GIF. On Thursday, there is a women in media segment that spotlights the achievements of  female athletes, reporters and business executives. On Fridays, we will still do Shout Outs and #FF. If you follow we follow back. 

Nkeshi Free 

The chat are cohosted by Nkeshi Free. She adds the creative side to the collaboration and is knowledgeable in all sports. Her twitter handle is @KeshisCuties. My twitter handle is @GamingguyM.

Tuesday is the #GTLHottopics day. All other days we use the #GTLivechat.

You can get updated information at smartresponsiblegaming.com

Sports Wagering and Business This Week

This will keep you current with the industry. These post will include trends about the sports betting market and information about what state is planning to offer it next. This will be a winning situation for a sophisticated operator and his constituents. 

This week SportTechie 2019 State of the Industry took place at the Barclays Center in New York. The theme of this year's conference was Sports Betting. Here is the link to the post that was part of the coverage from Bettors Insider. It include a quote from Rob Manfred, the commissioner of MLB.

The Sloan Sports Conference was held in Boston on Friday and Saturday. Some of the notable participants included Adam Silver, Commissioner of the NBA, Josh Harris and Scott O'Neil owners of the Sixers, Doug Kezirian , sports analyst from ESPN and Kip Levin, President of FanDuel. The panels about Sports Legacy and Sports Betting captivated interest. This Conference focuses on the balance between Sports Business and Analytics. The opportunities for an innovative mind are limitless. You can view some of these panel discussions on YouTube.

ESPN will start a new show call The Daily Wager on March 11. Kezirian will host this hour long show that will provide gambling content on ESPN News every night at 6PM. He will have guest analyst that are outside experts and ESPN personalities give their views.

                 Next week we will resume the Sport Betting 101 Series with a post on Future bets.

Sports Wagering and Business This Week

This will keep you current with the industry. These post will include trends about the sports betting market and information about what state is planning to offer it next. This will be a winning situation for a sophisticated operator and his constituents. 

CG Technology is coming to New Jersey. They have a partnership with the Meadowland Racing to develop a sports betting app. This is the 3rd skin that is associated with the Meadowlands. The other two are  FanDuel Sportsbook and PointsBet.  CG Technology have a great product and have associations with the Venetian and the Palms in Las Vegas.

Nevada came out on top with the bets on the Super Bowl. They held more than 10,000,000 thru out the state. New Jersey losses 4.5 million on the big game. Nevada had the advantage of having future bets that were tied to the contest. Prop bets and the Las Vegas experience prevails.

Most of the wagers that are coming into New Jersey Sports Books are on mobile devices. Meadowlands take 4 times as many bets online as they do on site. They have enhance the retail experience by  having a broadcast from the sports book that is hosted by Lisa Kierney, former ESPN and Sportscenter anchor. The show provides stats and information for the betting  public.  FanDuel is going with a similar concept in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace this fall.

Sports Betting and Esports at G2E

The G2E is the biggest gaming conference in the world with participation from every continent. What made this year stand out more than any other in the past 5 years? We are glad you asked. We have two reasons why this year was a winner.

Esports is taking the world by storm and the gaming industry is starting to take notice. There were multiple seminars devoted to esports this year. 3 years ago there were none. If we work for Wendy Williams we would be asking can you say Hot Topics?
Sports Betting is exploding into casinos, racetracks and mobile devices near you. Where else can you see a panel discussion headed by ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt. This year there were 4 tracks devoted to Sports Betting. We are setting the over /under at 10 for next year's G2E.
Is Sports Betting coming to a casino or racetrack near you? Follow me and find out.

Gaming Resolutions for 2018

We want to share our resolutions for 2018. Not the personal ones. They consisted of eating health and exercising daily. Both of them have already been broken. We want to share the professional ones that reflect what we want to do in regard to gaming.  We will give you 3.

Number One is to provide more E sports news and notes. This market is growing in popularity. The gaming community is looking for ways to monetize it. We will challenge ourselves to find and share ways to do it.

Number Two is to become more socially engaged on Instagram. We will commit to posting photos from followers and vendors daily.

Number Three is to promote our Smart Responsible Gaming concepts. The app has new features that include the feed from ESPN and how to track your gaming spend. We will attend a minimum of two gaming conferences to raise our brand awareness.

We plan to have more success with our professional resolutions opposed to the personal ones. Follow us and measure our levels of accountability. Our 2nd and 3rd resolutions are quantifiable and easy to track. Our first resolution is more challenging because we will need content from the E Sports community of players and leagues internationally to be relevant. We embrace the journey.

                   Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                   Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

G2E 2017 Instagram Photos

                                 Here are 6 people to follow as you reflect on the G2E 2017.

Shekinah Hoffman- UNLV

Jan Jones Blackhurst- Caesars Palace

David Purdum - ESPN

Donna Vecere - Cooper Levenson

Jay Jabczynski - Rush Street Gaming

Bo Bernhard-UNLV

Over the next three weeks, we will cover the different facets of the Pennsylvania gaming expansion in detail.This would be a good time to follow me on Twitter or download my Smart Responsible Gaming app.

                                                                 Stay informed!

                                                        #SmartResponsibleGaming
                         Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                         Check out our app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

DraftKings and the WNBA

DraftKings made headlines with the announcement that they will sponsor contests that feature WNBA players. This is another step to bring pro basketball toward the legalization of sports betting.

This helps the WNBA promote their players and bring attention to league. The exposure of WNBA is something we see the NBA has struggle to market effectively. The commercial that current NBA stars are participating in that support the women game is a good start. Watch the link of that promo here. We would like to see more WNBA highlights on NBA TV. Do a segment that is devoted to buzzer beaters. Any shot that is made at the end of the shot clock would get consideration.The moderator of the show could ask the fans to select that top one thru a twitter poll.

We also suggest a partnership with DraftKings that notes the top three fantasy WNBA players prior to their participation in any nationally televised game. This would heighten viewership and exponentially increase the fantasy action DraftKings is looking to generate. WNBA coverage is provided by ABC and ESPN.

Photos of the WNBA stars would  promote the league as well. They could range from risqué to glamour

Elena Delle Donne

Women’s basketball player Elena Delle Donne talks about what made her decide to pose naked for the magazine. “It took some convincing. My agent likes to make lists of pros and cons for me. But in the end, I really believe in athlete bodies being a powerful image in our culture and showing that there’s not just one type of female body. There are so many different variations, and we’re all powerful in our own way.”

.

Candace Parker

Maya Moore

                                        

                                                      #SmartResponsibleGaming
             Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
             Check out our app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

March Madness

The best time of the year. NCAA tournament. The number ones are Villanova, Gonzaga, Kansas and North Carolina. No dominant team in the field. Basketball all day long!  Las Vegas is the ideal place to be. But we are in two bracket pools so we have action on every game. One is the ESPN Tournament Challenge. Someone on your job or in your college is running the other.


                                                    Things to know about the tournament:

Final Four is in Phoenix Arizona
Tournament starts 3/14 and ends 4/3.
A number 12 seed will upset a 5.
In the history of the tournament, just 14 teams that were seeded lower 7th or worse have made it to the Final Four.

                                                               Players to watch:

Josh Hart and Frank Mason III

Malik Monk

Lonzo Ball

Follow me thru out the tournament and see how long our brackets last!

#SmartResponsibleGaming 

             Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
             Check out our app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

The Sports and Entertainment Pictures of 2016

At the end of the year we always review the best images. So as we wind down 2016, we look at the most stunning photos of  the stars we know and the faces we need to watch. We included some of our followers from Facebook and Instagram. Enjoy the view. In one word. Breathtaking!

Conor McGregor

Allysa Seely

D Wade

Rose Bertram

Serena Williams

Beyonce

Several photos were part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and ESPN the Body Issue.
See our friends and followers here for their best photos of 2016.

                          Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                          Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

NBA Style on Instagram: Brooklyn

This week NBA Style looks at Brooklyn. Enjoy the view! Join me on #GTLivechat  during the primetime games on #ESPN and #TNT. Photos of NBA players and fans. Get info here.

Jeremy Lin on GQ China Cover

Luis Scola gets amp before the game

Dr. J is the Greatest Net Ever. Also Best Dress.

EDAS before a Net game

                         Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                         Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

NBA Fav Five:Week Six

This post will appear every Monday. We will change the lineup this week with the addition of Rudy Gay from the Kings. He will come to the five in place of  Otto Porter.  The other starters will remain intact. Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, James Harden and Karl Anthony -Towns are the still part of our fav five. This is a group that consistently gives production every night. Who is your fav five?

Rudy Gay

Westbrook is averaging a triple double as of this post. This was reported in a article from ESPN.

                         Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                         Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

   

NBA Style on Instagram:New York

This week NBA Style looks at New York. Enjoy the view! Join me on #GTLivechat  during the primetime games on #ESPN and #TNT. Photos of NBA players and fans. Get info here.

Carmelo Anthony GQ photo

Melo in a gray double breasted Zenga

Beyoncé at the game

This fan ruled the skyline

I knew you wanted more so I gave it to you.

                        

Kristaps Porzingis shows a casual side

                        
                         Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                         Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

NBA Fav Five:Week Four

This feature will post every Monday during the season. Lebron James was a great addition to the team . He had a triple double and just missed in two other games. Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul

posted great numbers as well. But while this was happening, James Harden is doing MVP type work with the Houston Rockets. Since we are always looking to upgrade the team and both of these payers are in the elite price range, Paul is out and Harden is in.

James Harden

Note: Don't develop an emotional attachment to a player. We like Chris Paul's game more than Harden's. The decision should always be based on productivity.

TJ Warren fell short of the 30 to 35 scoring level and is off the team. So is Nikola Vucevic. He exceeded the number once , fell short slightly and failed miserable in three contrasting performances. The additions at forward and center respectively are Otto Porter and Karl Anthony-Towns. Porter comes out a good price. KAT will give 20 points in scoring with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. We expect 32 points from him. We are right at the edge of the salary cap of 45,000 with this team. If they perform as expected they are worth the investment.

Otto Porter

Karl-Anthony Towns

Starting next week, we will extend the cap to 50,000 to allow more flexibility in selecting a team. We will always stay under the designated number.

                         Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                         Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

NBA Style on Instagram: Atlanta

This week NBA Style looks at Atlanta. Enjoy the view! Join me on #GTLivechat  during the primetime games on #ESPN and #TNT. Photos of NBA players and fans. Get info here.

Dwight Howard rocks a bow tie

Kyle Korver scores in a gray suit.

Captivating and Slaying in the ATL

                         Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                         Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com

NBA Style on Instagram: Week Two

The photos are getting noticed. Join me on #GTLivechat  during the prime time games on #ESPN and #TNT. Photos of NBA players and fans. Get info here.

Kim Kardashian stuns on Vogue

Kate Moss is on the list

                       

Kevin Love rocks a 3 piece suit

                        Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                        Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com