The Impact of Virtual Reality in the Sports Industry

Virtual Reality, often referred to as VR, is one of the leading technologies expected to disrupt the world of sports in a significant way. The fans, athletes, coaches, and games are all set to benefit from its emergence into mainstream sports. 

The UFC and Meta 

Social media powerhouse Facebook (recently rebranded to Meta), began to spearhead the world of virtual reality progression when the company’s CEO, Marc Zuckerberg, announced the Metaverse in 2021. What is the Metaverse? The Metaverse is a virtual world that mimics aspects of the physical world using virtual reality (VR). And Zuckerberg recently landed his first sports deal when the world’s most popular MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), agreed to broadcast their events in VR. 

Based in New York, Meta has become the first company to approach a sports deal of this kind. Fans of MMA will watch events through their VR headsets and will be able to engage with other fans in real time while having the chance to access “unprecedented VR views” of the fights. The possibilities are endless, and with such an uptrend in sports betting on the UFC, we should expect scenarios where the likes of Caesars New York Sportsbook will offer fans the opportunity to incorporate live betting into their virtual experience. 

The popularity of VR, MMA, and sports betting will be tested in the Metaverse, but you can bet on this trend trickling over to various other sports organizations. But will VR stand the test of time? And how does it benefit sports?

Virtual Reality: The fans benefit 

While VR in sports will unquestionably benefit user groups of multiple kinds, the fans will be the primary customer base. For example, finding tickets for the Super Bowl is difficult and expensive, no problem! You can now watch the game with a visualization that emulates if you are at the game. Viewers will put on the VR headset and instantly arrive in an all-immersive experience inside the stadium, and you can also invite your friends along for the fun. Of course, you and your friends will be sitting at home, but the potential of attending games in virtual reality is endless and the next best thing to real-life experiences. 

As mentioned, the possibilities are endless, and you can guarantee that sports broadcasting companies will offer purchasable benefits such as choosing your camera angles. Want to view the Super Bowl from a bird’s eye angle? How about entering the locker room at halftime?  

Fans will also have the chance to view a live sports event from the perspective of their favorite quarterback or starting pitcher. Viewers will see what the players see and feel what they feel as the game happens. Designers have even begun testing simulation seats for motorsport events where you (the viewer) can feel the G forces, acceleration, and even the bumps of a live race. 

Virtual Reality: The coaches/trainers benefit 

Virtual reality will revolutionise sports coaching, as trainers and coaches alike will receive real-time data from sensors connected to athletes from anywhere in the world. In addition, VR technology can replicate real game situations through simulation, thus providing tactical and strategic skill data as teams can make significant enhancements from this new approach in practice. 

Remove a real-life quarterback; for example, VR can substitute this player and allow defenders to practice the reading situations. Defenders can make as many moves as possible while lowering the risk of injury.  

Virtual Reality: The athlete’s benefit 

As previously mentioned, athletes can train more efficiently while avoiding injuries and improving their technical skills with live data fed through VR. The technology will also provide opportunities where training is otherwise limited, like bad weather. A combination of VR and 5G will allow the athletes to train virtually and resemble actual circumstances for optimal results. 

    Virtual arenas will offer athletes a real game situation. Noise interference, lights, and weather will all be tested and can deliver the emotional and mental experience as well as the physical.

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