I watched the national championship in virtual reality and it was sports purgatory
You can’t be in two places at once, but I’m currently sitting on the Michigan bench of the men’s NCAA basketball national championship game in San Antonio. I’m also in an overly-air conditioned private room of Jay-Z’s 40/40 club in New York City. The downside is that in order to bend space and time, I must keep a bulky virtual reality set strapped to my head. I look like a total dweeb and I feel slightly nauseous.
This event is a publicity thing for Intel’s VR experience. They partnered with Turner Sports to broadcast 21 of the March Madness games in virtual reality this year. A bunch of tech bloggers, many marketing people, and one Steve Lavin — the former head coach of UCLA and St. John’s who now calls games for the VR broadcasts — mill about, drinking beers, eating wings, and strapping these plastic boxes to their heads.
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“It’s like a VCR,” Lavin says. “When they came out, everyone was like, ooh, a VCR! We didn’t know it could be better. Same with a microwave. Now the standards are so high, we’re always waiting for technology to improve.”
Perhaps Lavin is right — maybe the VR experience will change and become the default as it gets better. Maybe with a smaller headset and great WiFi, watching a game like this with your friends could foster a sense of community and engagement.
But as it stands now, this type of viewing experience doesn’t feel very human — and humanity is sports’ saving grace.
See the full story here: https://www.sbnation.com/2018/4/3/17192218/villanova-michigan-ncaa-national-championship-game-virtual-reality-40-40-club-jay-z