What Seat Will You Choose?
Mario Lemina passes the ball up to Sami Khedria. He runs up the field, passes it to Juan Cuadrado and does a quick tap to Marko Pjaca, and he scores! Juventus win the game against Real Madrid! What a game! Well… only if you could have been there. All of us soccer fans, or those that would rather be known as football fans, think it would be great if we could watch the UFEA Champions League and Europa League at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, where the Juventus will take on Real Madrid. Well lucky for those that want to see the game, you could soon be there!
Image source: BT Sport
The BIG News!
On May 17th 2017, BT Sport announced that they will be capturing the entire match with 360º cameras, thus allowing fans that didn’t manage to grab a ticket the opportunity to experience the game as if they were actually there. That’s right, VR technology has gone further than ever before! Now we all have the chance to be the ultimate sports fan. This ultimate experience is not only available to those that subscribed to BT Sport, but is free for all users. BT Sport has announced that their content will be free and have stated that the VR experience will be available on their app, website, as well as on YouTube. Not only will you be able to experience the game in a 360º viewing, but for those using BT Sport’s viewing you will have the option to switch between different camera angles to choose your viewpoint of the match. This allows you to choose virtually any seat in the stadium for your best viewing pleasure.
How to “Attend”
Before you start grabbing the beer, wings, and whatever other deep fried food you want for this special occasion, here are some tips to help make your VR experience more seamless and enjoyable:
- A VR Headset: this will allow for a more life-like experience that makes you feel like you are actually there cheering on your favourite team.
- A compatible smartphone: if you have this option, push the headset icon on your screen and insert your phone into a mobile VR Headset, and you’re golden!
- Good internet connection: the hope is that you can enjoy the championship without any distractions or interruptions, so a good wifi connection should be essential.
- A minimum of 10Mbps is required for the best 360º VR quality
- 4K UHD on YouTube requires sufficient broadband speed
- A well charged phone: especially those using a smartphone, it’s at least 90 mins, so be prepared for the most thrilling sports game you have ever attended!
Consumer CEO of BT Sport John Petter has said that:
“Making the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League available for free to everyone in the UK shows that BT really is serious about making sport much more accessible to the public. These are two of the biggest club football tournaments in the world and showing them live on social media and on mobile devices makes it more readily available to a younger audience as well as available to traditional TV viewers.”
Which is truly the case — this could change how we watch sports events in the future. BT Sport is already looking at how they can improve for the next season, suggesting that this could be the future of sport games.
Athletes and VR Training
Not only is Virtual Reality changing how we as fans view sports, but it is also changing how athletes prepare and train for upcoming games. VR has made a positive impact in regards to athletes training using VR as a means to improve and refine their skills. A Los Angeles-based VR company is working with the Michigan Wolverines football team this coming fall to create virtual training and teaching tools. Simply put, why write a running route when you can actually experience it?
Another sports-geared developer, StriVR Labs has teamed up with the NFL’s Cowboys, Cardinals, 49ers, and Vikings already, and is now making ways with NBA and NHL teams to use its immersive coaching and trainmen to help teams train better. The hope is that teams can improve their on-the-field, on-the-court, or on-the-ice decision-making skills. Capitals’ defence man John Carlson has stated that VR training would be a great benefit for all athletes to partake in, as:
The potential competitive advantage that virtual reality training can give us is huge. StriVR's experience with football and quarterbacks is exciting for me, because I feel hockey defence men and quarterbacks go through a similar decision-making process. The virtual reality technology is going to help me fine-tune my decision making in games and allow me to train as if I'm at practice without having to be on the ice.
Whether you are just a fan viewing the latest sporting event, or an athlete that is training for the next championship, VR has shown its influential impact on how it can change the way sports are viewed and played for the better. The only question is, athletes, how hard will you be training, and viewers, which seat will you choose to cheer your team on to its victory?
Want to try VR?