Being a good sport

Posted by Manu Rekhi, Product Marketing Manager

Summer’s that time of year when a lot of Googlers channel our inner Tiger, Ronaldinho, Venus, Shaq or Albert. Admittedly, most of us are weekend warriors and couch potatoes, not to mention keyboard jockeys — and we tend to fall into a few other categories, too. Fortunately Google can help us all out: we’ve got some new sports-related products and search features launching. When it comes to sports information, do you recognize your type here?

Hometown Hero. Whether across continents or across branches of the family tree, you’re fiercely loyal to that team that stirred your childhood passions. But time zones, TV broadcast schedules, and the demands of, say, work or dinner may not always cooperate. Now Google can deliver up-to-the-minute scores, stats, and schedules 24x7. Check out:

- Google.com — Fire it up on the browser of either your PC or mobile device to search for your favorite World Cup group or team to view real-time scores and schedules

- Sports Gadgets — Add these to your personalized Google homepage, including a new one with World Cup info

- Google SMS — Text-message a team name to 46645 (GOOGL) in the U.S. for World Cup scores and schedules. Fans in Germany, Japan and Canada can also give it a whirl.

- Google Desktop - Get live World Cup scores right on your desktop with this Soccer Scores gadget

Sports-Commentator-In-Training. Forget “le mot juste” — you’re about “le stat juste” or “le uplifting personal story juste.” You color commentator-wannabes have to have the latest data in hand and want to connect with others just like you, since your significant other has probably long since tuned you out). Check out:

Joga.com — Football (a.k.a. “soccer” in the U.S.) fans, build your own groups and clubs, share all kinds of football-related info, upload photos and video, and get updates on matches and events

Google Alerts — Get current news and website changes as they happen by creating Alerts for your favorite teams and players

Google Video — If you can't be in Germany this month, feed your football fever at this special section of Google Video

The Intellectual. You look underneath the sweat and adrenaline to explore the cultural and psychological underpinnings of sports and sporting events. Big questions like football vs. soccer, or perhaps basketball vs. ice hockey as a preferred winter sport. Or maybe the impact of major sports events on worker productivity. To further indulge your curiosity, there’s Google Trends.

The One with Team Pajamas. Enough said. If you're a fan of both football and Firefox, soon you can grab this Joga.com extension built in collaboration with Firefox to show support for your team (or all 32 of them) while you're surfing the web. You'll have a constant pulse on games, players, and stats.

Update: Google.com results currently support group or team search only. Added Google Video link; added link to Google Desktop Soccer Scores gadget.