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☆ Just months after buying the platform, Elon Musk is officially the biggest account on Twitter, leapfrogging former president Barack Obama to reach 133 million followers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk overtook Barack Obama on Thursday to become Twitter's most followed account. Five months after buying the social-media platform, Musk has over 133 million followers. The Twitter CEO posted 72 times on Monday, and has his tweets boosted by engineers, per Platformer. According to the follower-tracking site SocialBlade, Musk saw the biggest increase last April – the month he first offered to buy Twitter – gaining 9.7 million followers. The Twitter CEO became the sixth-user to cross the 100 million mark last June, according to The Verge, which first reported the news.

☆ Twitter is secretly boosting 35 VIP users including Lebron James, AOC, catturd2, and Ben Shapiro: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This means their tweets automatically bypass an algorithm meant to cap a Twitter user's reach. Platformer's Managing Editor Zoë Schiffer cited internal documents from Twitter which listed 35 VIP users, who all have their posts monitored and promoted for greater visibility. The list also included the pro-Trump, MAGA-friendly Twitter commentator, catturd2, with whom Elon Musk has had many Twitter conversations. Twitter engineers have ensured that tweets by these VIP users will automatically be ranked higher than others in terms of their visibility, Platformer revealed. The VIP users' tweets also bypass a Twitter algorithm which prevents too many posts from a particular user from being viewed, per Platformer.

☆ Pay $84 a year for Twitter Blue or lose your checkmark beginning April 1, Twitter says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“To keep your blue checkmark on Twitter, individuals can sign up for Twitter Blue,” the company’s tweet continued. Twitter Blue is a subscription service that Musk relaunched late last year that costs individuals $84 a year or $8 a month. Twitter Blue first launched in the pre-Musk days of 2021, as a subscription service offering “power features” like undoing a tweet and saving bookmarks to folders. Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesMusk pulled the Twitter Blue program for a few weeks and relaunched it yet again in December, with additional steps for reviewing and approving subscribers. The company also says Twitter Blue users will see 50% fewer ads in their home timelines, and that their tweets will be prioritized among replies, mentions and searches.

Nike said its apparel inventory fell in the third quarter and expects to end fiscal 2023 with "healthy" inventory levels. Sales in Greater China fell about 8% even as the country eased pandemic-related restrictions, which is expected to benefit the company in the near term. Nike now expects reported revenue for the full year to increase in the high-single-digit range, compared with its previous forecast of growth in the mid single digits. In the fourth quarter, the company expects flat to low-single-digit revenue growth, compared with estimates of a 2.42% rise, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Nike posted revenue of $12.39 billion in the third quarter beating estimates of $11.47 billion and reported a profit of 79 cents per share above estimates of 55 cents.

March 20 (Reuters) - Nike is expected to report a rise in third-quarter revenue and grow its market share through 2023, helped by major rival Adidas' split with designer and rapper Kanye West that caused the German company to lose about $600 million in quarterly sales. Nike (NKE.N) is also expected to get a boost from higher sales of its Jordan Retros and some newer launches as the world's No. "There is an opportunity for Nike to pick more market from Adidas," said Jessica Ramirez, senior analyst at Jane Hali and Associates, adding that Adidas has not had as many bestsellers as Nike. Nike has also doubled down on its product lines such as the LeBron 20s and Nike Mercurial shoes, while also grabbing a bigger chunk of the growing China market. Still, Nike's margins are expected to be squeezed in the quarter as it continues to offer promotions and discounts to shed excess stock.

☆ Foot Locker touts a renewed partnership with Nike — but it still won't get the hottest sneaker releases
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Matthew Kish | Danni Santana | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Even so, don't expect to see more of the hottest Nikes and Jordans at Foot Locker stores. The Foot Locker CEO, sporting gold Nike Air Max 97 sneakers, announced a renewed partnership with Nike at the company's investor day, addressing one of the core analyst questions facing the sneaker retailer. Mary Dillon started as Foot Locker CEO in September. Mary DillonSpeculation had been building about Foot Locker and Nike working more closely together again since December when Nike CEO John Donahoe mentioned spending time with Dillon on a Nike earnings call. As part of its new strategy, Foot Locker wants to double sales of non-Nike brands, such as Hoka On, and Crocs by 2026.

☆ NBA roundup: 3-pointer at buzzer pushes Mavs past Lakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Anthony Davis scored 26 points with 10 rebounds for the Lakers after missing Wednesday's defeat to the Houston Rockets because of load management. Austin Reaves scored 16 points and Dennis Schroder added 15 as Los Angeles played its 10th consecutive game without LeBron James (foot). Washington's 12 points and Kelly Oubre Jr.'s 11 points led Charlotte. Jalen Green paced Houston with 25 points while Kevin Porter Jr. added 20. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 31 points and six assists, while Jonas Valanciunas had 22 points and 17 rebounds.

☆ Nike is facing a PR nightmare as Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, and now Tom Sachs face scandals – but experts say partnerships with celebs and athletes will never go away
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Curbed published a blistering story about Tom Sachs, a Nike collaborator, this week. As long as companies have partnered with celebrities, some endorsement deals have run aground, said Coresight Research CEO and founder Deborah Weinswig. Longtime sportswear industry analyst Matt Powell, who recently founded Spurwink River, said endorsement deals are "fraught with peril." "I thought for a while that brands were moving away from real celebrity endorsements," he told Insider. "We're talking about a very, very small percentage of celebrities who get endorsement deals who have that halo effect," Herzog said.

☆ NBA roundup: Red-hot Knicks outlast Celtics in double OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

Julius Randle added 31 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, who also received 29 points and 11 rebounds from RJ Barrett. Jayson Tatum had 40 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who have lost their last two home games. Bennedict Mathurin scored 17 points, Myles Turner added 16 and Chris Duarte had 15 for Indiana. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 17 points for Charlotte, which dropped its third straight. Walker Kessler (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Kelly Olynyk (15 points, 10 rebounds) each had double-doubles in the loss.

☆ LSU issues statement on academic misconduct after college athlete influencer Olivia Dunne promoted AI essay helper on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Student athlete-slash-TikToker Olivia Dunne posted a paid partnership video about using AI for homework help. Three days after the video was published, LSU made a statement about the power of AI and warned students of academic misconduct. Dunne is the third highest valued student athlete in the US, according to NIL database. The 10-second clip garnered over one million views, and was followed by a statement from LSU on using AI for schoolwork days later, local news reported. The change sparked a slew of brand deals for college athletes, and Dunne is among the highest earners.

☆ NBA roundup: Suns win in Kevin Durant's debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Bucks 139, Magic 117Giannis Antetokounmpo collected 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists to fuel streaking Milwaukee's victory over visiting Orlando. Orlando's Cole Anthony scored a season-high 28 points off the bench and Markelle Fultz recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jalen Williams led Oklahoma City with 24 points and chipped in seven assists, while Josh Giddey added 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. The 76ers, who snapped a two-game skid that included a home loss to the Heat, also got 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists from James Harden. Ja Morant had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Memphis, which led by as many as 28 and won its third straight.

☆ NBA roundup: Spurs top Jazz, end 16-game skid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Jeremy Sochan added 13 points and Devonte' Graham had 12 for the Spurs, who got just their 15th win. Lauri Markkanen scored 28 points with 10 rebounds for Utah, Talen Horton-Tucker scored 16 points and Walker Kessler contributed 10 points and 15 boards. The Bucks are on their fifth 15-game winning streak in team history and second in four seasons after winning 18 straight Nov. 10-Dec. 14, 2019. Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 points, but Brooklyn scored only 19 points in the fourth and dropped its third straight. Zach LaVine added 17 points, DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points and Ayo Dosunmu scored 10.

☆ NBA roundup: Damian Lillard erupts for 71 in Blazers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Jerami Grant added 13 points and Nassir Little scored 11 for Portland, which connected on 54.5 percent of its field goal attempts and was 20 of 39 from 3-point range. Doncic scored 26 points with nine rebounds, while Irving had 21 points and 11 assists. Ayton also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and blocked three shots. Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 13 rebounds for his 39th double-double of the season, third most in the NBA. Jakob Poeltl added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Raptors, who were coming off a win over the host Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

☆ NBA roundup: Malik Beasley leads revamped Lakers to win
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Anthony Davis scored 12 points with 12 rebounds for Los Angeles. Klay Thompson scored 22 points and Ty Jerome added 20 for the Warriors, who were without Stephen Curry (leg) and Andrew Wiggins (personal). Evan Mobley had 31 points and nine rebounds, Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland scored 22 points each, and Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Tatum had 31 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Anunoby returned from a wrist injury to score 12 points, but Toronto was without Fred VanVleet (personal).

Police officers involved in the deaths have become an intense focus of investigation, protest, and media coverage. Despite being at the heart of some of the most defining incidents in modern policing, most of the officers involved continue to live their lives under the radar. Insider's review of 72 cops involved in two dozen of the most notorious police killings of the past 30 years shows the many different paths officers have taken. There's no nationwide view into what happens to officers involved in egregious incidents of violence. In rare cases, cops involved in these killings have tried to publicly rehabilitate their image rather than seek out anonymity.

☆ The founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the best-selling Black-owned spirit brand in the US, explains how she reached $100 million in sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fawn Weaver founded Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the US's best-selling Black-owned spirit brand. Uncle Nearest has generated more than $100 million in sales since its launch, information Insider verified with documentation. Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. In 2017, Weaver opened the Nearest Green Distillery and launched Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, making storytelling the foundation of her brand's success. Fawn Weaver, founder and CEO of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey.

☆ The Best Draft Prospect Since LeBron is Coming. NBA Teams Aren’t Tanking for Him.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Robert O'Connell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The arrival next season of the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James was supposed to be foreshadowed by an all-time spectacle of futility in this one. Victor Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 French teenager, launches one-legged 3-pointers and swallows opposing team’s shots whole. He is a functional certainty to be selected first in June’s draft. In other words, he is the type of future winner that teams have long considered to be worth losing for.

The 2023 NBA All-Star game will air live on TNT at 8:30 p.m. ET TNT NBA All-Star Game February 19, 8:30 p.m. ET TNTHow to watch the 2023 NBA All-Star GameYou can watch the 2023 NBA All-Star game on TNT; the draft begins at 7:30 p.m. Of those options, Sling TV is the most affordable service that lets you stream the NBA All-Star Game. The teams for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game will be decided by a draft before the game.

☆ How to Spot Robots in a World of A.I.-Generated Text
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Keith Collins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

A detection tool that knew which words were on the special list would be able to tell the difference between generated text and text written by a person. That would be especially helpful for this generated text, as it includes several factual inaccuracies. By contrast, the detection tool OpenAI released requires a minimum of 1,000 characters. A person could repeatedly edit generated text and check it against a detection tool until the text is identified as human-written — and that process could potentially be automated. By that time, educators and researchers had already been calling for tools to help them identify generated text.

☆ NBA roundup: Jayson Tatum's big 2nd half leads Celtics past Pistons
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Tatum had 24 points, including six 3-pointers, in the third quarter -- the most points he's scored in one quarter during his NBA career. Jalen Green scored 14 points before exiting in the second quarter due to a groin strain. Bane added 24 points and six rebounds, while Ja Morant tallied 20 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Utah's Kelly Olynyk had a double-double in the first half, and he wound up with 28 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. Jordan Clarkson added 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Walker Kessler logged 10 points and 14 rebounds.

☆ LeBron James' business partner Rich Paul unveils new sportswear brand with New Balance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Klutch Athletics will support and serve athletes throughout their athletic journey including youth, collegiate and professional sportsRich Paul, the sports agent who represents LeBron James, is launching a new sportswear brand with New Balance. The new brand will be called Klutch Athletics, and the company says its mission is to provide all athletes with high-quality training apparel and empower them throughout their sports journey. For New Balance, the partnership offers a fresh new angle in combining sports and culture. The Boston-based footwear and apparel brand has seen a resurgence of late, with Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon calling out the brand's momentum on her company's earnings call in November. New Balance sales were up 70% for the sneaker store during the third quarter, Dillon said.

☆ How rising-star athletes balance sports and content creation, even as the tech implosion disrupts lucrative brand deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Social media, content creation, and lucrative branding deals offer a new path to fame and fortune. Top agents and managers working with athletes on content said it can be tricky to balance with training. Chasing content deals can be a distraction from the sport, and the industry-wide layoffs across tech companies from Twitter to Meta to Amazon mean that opportunities for influencer revenue are facing a slowdown. Fresno State basketball stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder, for instance, have a number of lucrative brand deals under their belts. A lot more athletes may not get deals if they don't have content creation, social media followings, or brand building."

☆ NBA roundup: Kings spoil Mavs' Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Kevin Huerter scored all 15 of his points in the second half, Trey Lyles added 14 points and Harrison Barnes had 13 for the Kings. Mikal Bridges scored 23 points in his Nets debut after being obtained from the Phoenix Suns on Thursday for Kevin Durant. The Hornets' losing streak reached seven games despite LaMelo Ball coming within a rebound of a triple-double. Jokic, who pulled in seven offensive rebounds, scored 40 points in a mid-December home victory against the Hornets. DeMar DeRozan followed with 16 points, and Nikola Vucevic notched a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.

☆ NBA roundup: Bucks win ninth straight as Lakers rest LeBron James
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Khris Middleton scored 22 points off the Milwaukee bench, and Jrue Holiday finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 17 rebounds and DeMar DeRozan finished with 14 points. Cole Anthony and Bol Bol scored 17 apiece as the Magic won for the third time in four games. Hawks 116, Suns 107Trae Young collected 36 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to fuel host Atlanta to victory over short-handed Phoenix. Ish Wainright scored 17 points and Chris Paul added 15 points and eight assists for the Suns, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.

☆ Iconic Kobe Bryant jersey sells for record $5.8 million at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A jersey that belonged to late basketball star Kobe Bryant, expected to fetch between 5-7 million USD, is displayed at Sotheby's auction house in New York on February 1, 2023. An iconic Kobe Bryant jersey from his MVP season sold for $5.8 million on Thursday, setting a new record. The previous sale record for any item of Kobe Bryant sports memorabilia was set by a game-worn and autographed basketball jersey from the 1996-1997 season, which sold for $3.7 million in 2021. Sotheby's previously estimated the jersey would sell for between $5 million and $7 million. Sotheby's in September sold Michael Jordan's 1998 "Last Dance" jersey for $10.1 million, a record-breaking auction in its own right.

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