Sports & Entertainment
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Blog
“The Big Picture” unveiled at Barca’s Camp Nou: A tribute to fans around the world
For FC Barcelona’s global fanbase, there’s nothing more exciting than walking through the hallowed grounds of Camp Nou stadium to catch a home game. To be in the stands, overlooking the pitch where legends like Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Iniesta made their mark on soccer history, is an experience prized by every supporter of the garnet and blue. But it isn’t only what’s inside the stadium that ma…
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Keeping sports alive: Global stars and everyday heroes
Earlier this month, Rakuten Sports released a special thank you message to fans, athletes and Rakuten members around the world for helping spread optimism and keeping sports alive during the year’s unprecedented string of league and event suspensions. Rakuten believes in the power of sports. The video, which features an extraordinary cast of global superstars, including Stephen Curry, Lionel Messi…
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This could arguably become the greatest comeback in the history of sports
Rahul Kadavakolu, Global Sports Business and Global Brand Supervisory Department, Rakuten, Inc. After World War I, the Spanish flu devastated global sports. Multiple sources recount cancellations of soccer and boxing matches. The hockey Stanley Cup final was called off. While professional baseball struggled on, legendary star Babe Ruth was emerging as one of the world’s greatest players when…
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The Fans: New Rakuten original documentary on the passion behind global soccer
In the summer of 2019, two of the world’s top soccer squads — FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC — visited Japan to join Vissel Kobe in the inaugural Rakuten Cup, a historic mini-tournament organized by Rakuten. While the matches served mainly as an exhibition for fans, to avid supporters of the three clubs the opportunity to see their favorite teams face-off against each other in Japan was a dream come…
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A new home base for Lukas Podolski and Rakuten partnership
Five artificial grass soccer pitches, two multifunctional pitches for futsal (a form of indoor soccer), a panna cage (used for the popular street soccer game panna), basketball nets, wheelchair sports and an e-gaming area – there’s something for athletes of all kinds at STRASSENKICKER Base, the latest project from former Vissel Kobe star Lukas Podolski and partner Rakuten. Based in the forme…
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Sports partnerships will never be the same — and that’s a good thing, say industry leaders
What does the future of sports partnerships look like? That was the question posed to industry thought leaders earlier this month, when they met for a special online panel at World Football Summit. The Summit, organized by footballing legend Ronaldo Nazário, brought together executives from clubs, leagues, federations, broadcasters, agencies and sponsorship brands for a series of digital discussio…
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The Big Picture: See you at Camp Nou?
With professional soccer teams around Europe continuing to play to spectatorless stadiums amid the pandemic, FC Barcelona has announced a first-of-its-kind initiative to connect with the club’s global fanbase — and put the fans in the spotlight. As something of a tribute to the passion of the club’s fanbase, Rakuten, together with FC Barcelona, plans to create a larger-than-life mosaic, featuring…
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Cardboard cutouts & remote cheering: Pro sports are back in Japan
Baseball and soccer fans rejoice! Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league and J.League have finally begun their 2020 seasons. Stadium seats remain empty as of mid-July, but that isn’t stopping fans of Rakuten’s baseball and soccer teams from celebrating in some unique ways. Vissel Kobe: Cardboard cutouts of fans and live loudspeaker cheering For Rakuten’s J.League soccer team, Vissel Kobe, the…
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Taiwanese baseball: Just what the doctor ordered?
With its quick move to close borders and begin contact tracing, Taiwan has been lauded as a clear-cut success case in planet Earth’s fight against COVID-19. The government’s swift response has so far limited cases of the virus to under 500 — with just 6 active cases as of June — a mere fraction of the total population of nearly 24 million. That’s not to say Taiwan’s citizens aren’t taking precauti…
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