Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome to the Spotlight. I must admit, dear reader, that sometimes words escape me and the task of writing weekly can feel burdensome (I know, I know—not as burdensome as reading weekly). There are certainly times when I feel like I could push a button and have it all laid out for me.  Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is poised to make that possible in many facets of the sports and entertainment industries.  Increasingly, we may hear songs written entirely by machines (lest you rage against one) and even see play calling at sporting events driven by AI data—eerie to think that human intelligence in that regard could be rendered obsolete. So with that in mind, I need to push through the writer’s block to maintain my rightful position. With any luck, it will be years before AI figures out dad humor, but I can only hope the machines will view me as an ally in that regard. The same cannot be said of Getty Images, who just made the bold move of filing a lawsuit against AI company OpenAI alleging unauthorized scraping of data from the former’s image database.  I don’t know how many among you are science fiction film buffs, but whenever artificial intelligence is challenged, things do not go well—especially if the challenger winds up under a spotlight.

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  • The University of Florida’s 5-star Quarterback recruit requests out of his letter of intent to join the school’s football program after his $13 million NIL deal falls through. Gator fans can take solace in having paid him nada.
  • Shifting gears from Florida to Flo Rida, a jury awarded the rapper over $82 million in his lawsuit against the makers of Celsius brand energy drinks, arising out of its failure to pay him pursuant to a 2014 endorsement deal. This must be one of those times Flo Rida has a “good feeling.”  
  • Hulu’s original comedy series, Only Murders in the Building adds Meryl Streep to its impressive cast of beloved Hollywood actors and Martin Short.