MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred Talks Virtual Reality
MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred sat down with Bloomberg’s Scarlet Fu at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit in New York to discuss the next frontier of sports media — virtual reality.
Virtual Reality could become a powerful asset for major leaguers, especially for their game-day preparations. Advanced performance technology like batting and pitching simulators could allow for players to analyze their opponents more thoroughly before, during, and after a ball game. Imagine having the ability to face a batter or pitcher in a life-like simulation before the ‘actual event’ occurs. While the MLB knows it needs to stay at the forefront of this modern technology, it is working to find the right company to partner with, and Manfred sees this as the key to the launch of virtual reality in baseball.
While he would not mention names, Manfred did say the MLB was working with a number of companies to find the best partner. The commissioner added that this will not happen overnight, giving a timeline of about five years before any virtual reality technology is integrated.
The MLB did experiment with VR at this year’s All Star Game. Fans were given the chance to compete in a virtual-reality version of the Home Derby. After preliminary rounds, the field at FanFest was narrowed down to 32. Those 32 contestants from FanFest were invited to compete in finals, and the eventual champion was 9-year-old Charles Smolka.
“It wasn’t that hard,” the champion said. “It’s really cool. It’s like you’re actually on the field playing the actual Home Run Derby.”
Those who participated in the event would compete head-to-head, launching as many home runs as possible and earning an even higher score if the homers were consecutive. Additionally, players could aim to hit multipliers, which were virtual floating targets above the outfield fence. Hitting them would multiply a player's points by the amount listed.
Major League Baseball actually began their virtual reality quest before this season. In 2017 the MLB released At-bat VR which was the first live-game sporting experience in VR. All you need is a mobile phone with the Daydream VR app, an active MLB.TV account, and a Daydream VR headset. To note, the games you are viewing are actually a pre-recorded video. Everything you see is post-rendered and on a 5– 7-second delay. Advancements in VR technology will need to take place in order for games to be broadcasted to you through virtual reality in real time.
“It’s another improvement, an advancement, in what we regard to be the best app in sports,” Rob Manfred said. “It’s something we think our fans will be excited about."
So while the MLB has dipped its feet into the VR waters, it seems like there is still a ways to go. One thing is certain, and that is technological advances happen rapidly. so it won’t be long until you start watching Major Leagues Baseball — and other sports — in virtual reality (and in real time).
