Excitement over virtual and augmented reality seems to have faded somewhat. The initial wave of discovery has subsided, and right now people by and large seem to be intrigued, but waiting for better devices and further impact. That doesn’t mean these things aren’t coming though, and in fact some very exciting changes do appear to be on the horizon, even if they’re taking their time coming to fruition.

An area in which we can expect to see a fairly widespread impact from VR and AR as technology improves and becomes more accessible is sports. Here’s our brief look at how these technologies might change and improve various aspects of the sporting world, from athlete training to the spectator experience and much more in between.

VR & AR Optimized Training

There’s been a fair amount written about how VR and AR can impact fitness. Basically, both technologies are capable of enhancing our workouts such that we’re less distracted, more “zoned in,” and more aware of our progress. There has been less coverage, however, about how technology is beginning to alter training even at the highest levels of sport. When you dig into this concept however, you see stories about U.S. Olympic athletes training in VR, NFL teams adopting tech-based methods, and more. This is not an immediate impact situation or even something that will be visible to fans, but there’s a very real chance that VR can make professional athletes even more amazing at what they do. It’s not a stretch to suggest that as training methods improve, so should athletic performance, even at levels of sport that already seem feature near-perfect performance.

Sports Medicine and Recovery with AR & VR

The applications of VR and AR extend beyond the field of play to the realms of sports medicine and athlete recovery as well. VR and AR technologies offer innovative solutions for sports professionals to enhance injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Athletes could currently or in the near future undergo immersive training simulations at a center for sports medicine in jacksonville (or elsewhere) that mimic real-game scenarios, helping them refine their skills while minimizing physical strain. Moreover, these technologies play a pivotal role in sports medicine by providing personalized virtual therapy sessions and rehabilitation exercises tailored to an athlete’s specific needs. These advancements not only facilitate targeted recovery but also contribute to overall performance enhancement, showcasing the transformative potential of virtual and augmented reality in the world of sports.

Remote Spectatorship In VR

If you were to ask someone at random what impact VR might have on sports in general, chances are that person would think first of either gaming or spectatorship. Sports games in VR are certainly interesting, though to this point they’ve been somewhat slow to develop in any meaningful way. Spectatorship, however, may be a different matter. Already, individual professional teams and major events and stadiums have already begun to demonstrate how VR can work for fans, providing them with live viewing options that mimic in-person attendance. There appear to be some kinks to work out before this is a flawless experience, or a particularly widespread one, but some early experiences have been called “surprisingly good,” and in time this will likely become a fairly popular viewing option.

Simulated Experiences For Fans

This may fall slightly under the gaming umbrella referenced previously, but there’s also a team-linked, fan component to the idea. Basically, while VR may have struggled so far to produce a meaningful or widely beloved sports game, it has done fairly well with limited simulations. For instance, playing a full game of American football in VR isn’t an option just yet; stepping in as a quarterback to try to make a few throws is perfectly possible. Playing a basketball game in full may never be possible in VR; hitting some free throws with the game on the line, or simulating a 3-point shooting contest like the one the NBA holds during its All-Star Weekend could be a blast. We’re going to see more of these limited VR sports simulations, both as independent games and, perhaps more interestingly, as in-stadium experiences or components of league apps or websites.

Enhanced Spectatorship In AR

Right now we think of AR as being tied to our phones, but the near future will almost certainly bring us glasses that greatly improve the technology’s utility. This may prove to be particularly interesting for live sports spectatorship. Fans will be able to wear AR glasses to games and see everything from statistics flashing across their lenses to relevant Twitter updates from analysts or other fans watching the same event. Perhaps most significant of all will be the betting applications. In Europe, robust digital markets for football will undoubtedly embrace AR components to offer spectators live betting opportunities while they attend or watch matches; in the U.S., a just-sprouting betting industry will look to AR across a range of sports as it looks to launch in a tech-savvy and appealing manner. It’s only a matter of time.

Brand New Sports

We can’t get into too much detail in this final category, but in the end it may prove to be the most interesting. Aside from helping to enhance the ways in which we consume and enjoy professional sports, VR may also help us to embrace brand new sports. From simulated, artificial versions of existing leagues we can enjoy through VR, to entire new games we can compete in ourselves, potentially in very real leagues conducted through VR, there’s a lot to look forward to on this front