Virtual Reality Lets MMA Fans Feel the Punch
Bellator MMA, the mixed martial arts league owned by media giant Viacom. But where other sports are using VR to capture live action, Bellator plans to go behind the scenes and let viewers experience fighters’ pre-bout rituals, practice rounds and training regimens.
Jason Jordan, the league’s chief operating officer, professes himself underwhelmed with the current state of VR game footage—a sentiment widely shared by analysts and sports fans, who say the experience is little more immersive than conventional broadcasting.
"Everyone is throwing a lot on the walls to see what sticks," Jordan says.
That’s why Bellator isn’t bothering with the fights at all. MMA fighters don’t represent cities, colleges or nations in the way that teams do. So the leagues have capitalized on individual personalities, turning fighters like Ronda Rousey and Kimbo Slice, the YouTube street fighting sensation, into household names. Jordan says VR could bring fans exponentially closer to experiencing what a fighter goes through.
At a recent fight in Houston, the challenges of shooting in VR were painfully clear. A VR videographer strapped into a complicated camera rig had to jostle for space amid dozens of traditional broadcast cameras. As Kimbo Slice strode across a narrow runway, enshrouded in fog, cameramen jogged backward to capture his movement, leaving little room for the VR guy, who trailed behind. It wasn’t much easier in the training room, where the VR camera got in the way of pre-fight sparring and grappling.
See the full story here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-02-25/virtual-reality-lets-mma-fans-feel-the-punch