Televised football has been around for more than 80 years with the first broadcast game being in 1939. Since then, there have been numerous changes to the rules of the sport, different ways to watch, and a love for watching in person that is still very much cherished to this day. But with virtual reality and the Metaverse on the horizon, it seems our viewing experience could drastically change.
We’ve already seen big changes to the cinema, online casinos, and education, so what does VR have in store for sports and sports fans’ ability to watch their favorite teams?
Let’s talk about a few of those changes and what we can expect from this VR treatment.
Virtual Arenas/ Fan Hubs
If you’re a fan of football, chances are you don’t just love watching from your home, but also love to sit in the stands and cheer on your team.
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of the crowd booming throughout a big stadium. The buzz of the fans, the smell of the food, and the intensity of the competition are all palpable when you’re in a football stadium. But with VR, we might be able to have a similar experience from your home.
The online casino industry was an early adopter of VR technology in the iGaming sector and has led to an uptake in this technology across parallel entertainment industries.
Of course, technology like this varies in scale from country to country and the US has been one of the frontrunners in the VR global market.
Technology adoption is rising rapidly across Europe, as is evident with this online casino Ireland has to offer. The site shows customers the available games (roulette live, baccarat, live blackjack), but they also give you the ability to explore other parts of the website.
With another click, you can check out the casino lobby, crypto, or other table games. This is how they plan to add to the experience with the help of virtual reality.
In a similar way, the NFL could run a virtual hub linked to each virtual stadium. While fans wait for their games or come back from them, they can then go to another section of the hub. There could be sections for betting, chatting, and everything in between.
Viewership From Three Platforms
With people split between physical arenas, and virtual areas, and watching from their phones, computer, or TV, there will be more fans than ever.
Fans can already watch highlights in VR, so being able to watch whole games will pull in longtime fans and people just curious to see what professional sports in the Metaverse look like. It’s a peak into the future that Metaverse sports promise to fans and non-fans alike.
It’s an uncertain step forward that many popular sports websites constantly speculate about. This technology could start a rise in popularity for the sport that we haven’t seen in decades, and a big part of that is the uncertainty and mystery of it all.
But once this technology hits the majority of households, we expect to see viewership from three platforms(television, computer, and virtual reality device.
While there are plenty who think virtual reality and the Metaverse is slowly declining before it even gets a chance to shine, we think there’s plenty of opportunity for success.
And in that success, we might be given one of the greatest NFL viewing experiences to date. Just expect to be waiting a while as the technology is promising a lot but delivering quality content slowly.
