This week's AB Extra features a successful marketing trend in the NBA, a new app that will take pictures of fans at the STAPLES Center during the game so they don't miss a play, and a new girls' tackle football league in Utah.
"Shirting" Trending in NBA Playoffs
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This week's AB Extra features a successful marketing trend in the NBA, a new app that will take pictures of fans at the STAPLES Center during the game so they don't miss a play, and a new girls' tackle football league in Utah.
"Shirting" Trending in NBA Playoffs
Teams such as the Golden State Warriors order thousands of t-shirts and place them on every seat in the arena for fans to put on once they arrive, creating a sea of one color that not only unites those in the building and emphasizes the home court advantage, but creates a picturesque image on television that teams want to project.
Those who did not put on the shirt when they arrived at the Warriors' Oracle Arena for the latest playoff game were featured on the big screen, which implored them with messages to don the free attire.
"Put your shirt on!" the screen read as the camera zoomed in on those who had yet to put on the t-shirt. Once fans realized they were on the big screen, they quickly put on the shirt and the big screen read, "Thank you!"
“The impression when you walk into the arena and see 19,000 yellow shirts neatly folded over every chair, it tells you, ‘I’ve arrived,’ ” the Warriors’ chief marketing officer, Chip Bowers, said. “It kind of takes your breath away.”
A Functional Bleacher Sculpture?
The structure, titled "Home and Away" is modeled after the old bleachers from Empire Stadium and ski runs from the 1950s, and according to the artists from Seattle-based Lead Pencil Studio, "will be a striking and engaging addition to the diverse active recreation features at Empire Fields and Plateau Park."
The artwork also has an element of fun in addition to providing seating for park visitors as there will be “a playful slide exit back into the park.”
The installation of the piece is slated to be done by late this year or early 2016.
New App to Take Fan Pics at STAPLES Center (So they don’t have to miss the game!) 
The pictures are taken by small robotic cameras that are strategically placed throughout the STAPLES Center. When fans arrive at the STAPLES Center, they log in to the Fanpics app and enter their seat number.
Once a person is logged in, the camera is able to recognize where they are seated and then takes pictures of them at strategic points throughout the game, such as when a player makes an important shot or a cool play happens.
Fans using the app receive photos just 30 seconds after they are taken. The photos also come with a detailed description of what was happening in the moment when the picture was snapped.
Fanpics just received two more rounds of funding and expects to be implemented at more stadiums and arenas around the country, and in different sports leagues.
Girls' Tackle Football Coming to Utah
According to league president Crystal Sacco, the rosters for the fifth- and sixth-grade teams were full within five days of the announcement that the league was formed.
There are four teams that will play three games in West Jordan, Utah beginning this Saturday.
Gordon's father, Brent, was one of the co-founders of the league. He was nervous about how many girls would sign up and said he was "super happy" about the enthusiastic response to the league.
He added in a statement, “The best part was hearing from parents who approached me to tell me how grateful they were that we started this league. Their daughters had been begging them to play tackle football, but parents were concerned about letting them play with the boys. That’s what this league is all about: fulfilling the dreams of girls who want to play football.”
Below is the highlight reel of Sam Gordon that gained popularity in 2012.
Check out the news you might have missed from previous weeks in the AB Extra:
May 22
May 15
May 8
