Learn From the Pros - Sports Video Business
“Protege Sports is the idea of entrepreneur Ron Shaffer to help anyone with an Internet connection learn the fine points of baseball, golf, tennis, and other sports directly from the pros.
If your kid is having trouble with his stance in the batter’s box, maybe former Angel Tim Salmon can help. Want to improve your basketball jump shot? Get some tips from ex-NBA greats George Gervin or Eddie Johnson.
For $3 the amateur athlete can download video clips from Protege’s Web site, www.protegesportsinc.com, on various aspects of baseball, soccer, football, golf, tennis or basketball. So far, the company has produced more than 500 instruction videos in those sports.
But Protege has taken the concept one step further. Computer users can upload videos of their own swings or shots to the Web site, and one of the pros will analyze the action and create a custom video with advice on how to improve. The computer user is notified by e-mail when the video is ready for viewing in a password-protected section of the Web site. The private lesson includes lines, arrows and side-by-side stop-action frames to show where hands and feet should be during specific moves.
“You really are learning from the pros,” said Kevin Young, former first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Protege’s baseball director who is helping to line up major leaguers as instructors.
Lombard and Shaffer have plans to add additional sports such as volleyball, softball and even surfing to the mix. Also, the company plans to sell franchises by the end of this year, giving franchisees the right to set up kiosks at stadiums, malls and stores where customers can buy memberships and upload their videos to the Web site. “