Virtual reality in sports might be the next big thing! Are you game?

While countries around the world are re-opening a number of economic activities, large gatherings still remain a distant reality. Most sporting events which are coming back in action are taking place without any audience in the stadium. But with the use of virtual reality, the future for sports is poised to change.

An augmented experience

The La Liga football league, which premiered recently, used virtual reality to boost fan experience through CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) overlays and piped-in video game audio.

The stadiums are at loss anyway with no real fans to watch the games. But to enliven the experience of watching the telecasted matches, EA Sports used the recorded crowd noises. They had gathered these 'realistic noises' over the years for its FIFA video game series. The video games have certainly evolved today to use crowd noises as realistically and relevantly as possible.

For many fans, virtual reality in sports will help to aid their suspension of disbelief. But for many, the experience of watching sports with augmented reality might take some time to transpire.

The COVID pandemic, although inadvertently, has accelerated the path to adopting technologies in various realms of our lives. The use of augmented and virtual reality in sports can act as a game-changer for broadcasters ravaged by empty stands and suspended matches. AR makes it possible to use a static mixture in the telecast that resembles a crowd among many other possibilities.

Grab your favourite seat and cheer

The CEO of OZ Sports suggests an even more interesting and exciting option of using virtual reality in sports. There is an AR-enabled option that lets fans appear in their favourite seats during the match. All they’d have to do is sign up on the website hosted by the league and get themselves a human avatar as per the branding guidelines. Broadcasters will then choose to overlay those avatars on empty seats or opt to digitize the entire stadium.

There is also contemplation to experiment on the social aspect of the matches. For a fan, the sports events are also about pre-game festivals as it is about the actual game. The technology is not there yet but there are experimentations with VR experiences around that.

The way ahead for sports

The AR and VR technologies help to cut technology infrastructure costs, restore budget, and increase the quality of production. The stadiums might stay empty for a longer time, but there is a certain respite for eager fans and distressed companies with the existence of virtual and augmented reality. With a plethora of opportunities that virtual reality promises to offer, the experience of fans is bound to get better with more implementation.

The reality of home turf

Cricket the most beloved sport of our mighty nation has been akin to religion. Be it from watching a match in the stadiums or to a family get together to cheer on our heroes, cricket has been the glue of how we used to socialise. Although such progress has not come to light for cricket, but we might get to see something like this real soon.

If you are an engineer this might be your next project that plasters your names across headlines, or if you are an aspiring entrepreneur, this might be your next uber-esque idea that makes it big! We leave you with some interesting food for thought!