October 2021. During Connect 2021 Mark Zuckerberg presents his already famous keynote about metaverse. Suddenly, and acting as a chain reaction, the tech world, especially the virtual reality one, starts to make a lot of noise. Analysis of the keynote, the topics addressed, and the technologies explained appear. Articles from experts in technology are published in the main newspapers and in the media. The umpteenth polarization inevitably arises on networks with praises on one side, and reservations on the other. Then millionaire investments are made in technology companies, cryptocurrency, NFT and even virtual lands yet to be built? We could say this metaverse has come to change the game rules not only of the Internet but of our lives. Will it also change our relationship with sport?

New coordinates are not geographical but virtual

Defining the metaverse has become a challenge, probably because today it is no more than a mere fantasy. We could say it is about a technological space being built where any concept working under coordinates such as the internet, immersive experiences, socialization, multisensory or connectivity has its place.  Putting these ideas in order, multiverse would eminently be an immersive connection place where we could do much more than we currently do in devices as virtual, augmented, or mixed reality glasses, or our mobiles or computers.  An immersive evolution of the Internet, if you prefer, which implementation is unspeakable today no matter how much sci-fi imagery you use to describe its possibilities. Without going any further, the idea of metaverse (yes, I’m sorry but I’ll say it too) comes from the cyberpunk novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

The potential of these ideas is, as you can guess, huge. From there comes the noise and investments.  Everybody wants a place when this starts. Even though it won’t be a specific event with a specific opening day, it will be a progressive and gradual building in which little by little spaces, limits and rules will be defined. In fact, there are pilot tests, so to speak, that have shown the feasibility of the metaverse. Many companies work with virtual meeting environments. There are thousands of  spaces available to socialize with other people who use virtual reality in their homes. Mass concerts in Fortnite have made it clear that people can enjoy a good party in the company of real or virtual human beings. Selling items that only exist in the digital world starts to be a frenzy among videogamers eager to have the best skins, and among fashion trends hunters. They didn’t start to build the metaverse when Zuckerberg announced it. That was a moment to call the attention to what they have been doing for years, and that they will boost it in the next years.

All this leads us to count on a kind of alternative to the real world in which we can meet, work, learn or connect with other people or artificial intelligences. There will be cinemas, concert halls, night clubs or virtual theatres.  It is needless to say there will be shops. We would be able to attend maths, yoga, or contemporary dance classes. We would even have the chance of learning to handle complex or dangerous machinery thanks to simulators which will enable us to feel we are there, in front of the commands, and in real situations. 

And if we think about the sports world, there are infinite options. Virtually playing football or table tennis or even sport yet to be invented with our friends thanks to the freedom offered by these simulated environments. Going to sports shows broadcasted on the other side of the world, but feeling we are there. Also practising strategies with our teammates and under the attentive supervision of our coach. Where’s the limit?

Sports metaverse

Dozens of sports organizations are already taking their first steps into the metaverses exploration.  In fact, it is something that was already done several years ago, but now, with the technological resources we have, seems to have found its ideal breeding ground. Manchester City is developing its own virtual Etihad Stadium for the followers around the globe to meet there using personalized avatars. It is similar to what Virtway has done for FC Barcelona creating Camp Nou, which could be visited and enjoyed having an experience really close to be there live.

But not everything will be about leisure and buying exclusive digital items. For example, sports professionals will count on a huge number of resources to aid their usual trainings. Thanks to augmented reality some companies are working hard to create metaverses where exercising is possible leveraging the advantages offered by combining the real and digital world. It’s a fact, sports practiced in virtual reality will allow not only to physically feel you are in some other environment, but also to do them with other people, like our teammates.

Collaborative spaces, illusion of real presence in a virtual environment and the capacity of storing all the information about our movements and plays. This triad of characteristics makes metaverse a tool for training and a source of data with an immeasurable value for sport. Stop and think it for a moment. On one side, our players will feel they are there, surrounded by other people in an immersive environment. Our mind experiences virtual tricks as if they were the mere reality, and that illusion could have a great impact on performance, even though we are in our home’s living room.  Besides, you can have coordinate training with the whole team, and as we said, each play or strategy could be stored and reproduced as many times as wanted. This offers the coaching staff a unique tool to identify the strong points in their players and the details to improve.

It is difficult not to mention that with metaverse implantation a world of possibilities opens for the sports industry. But it is like that. Combining strategies used so far in the real world and complementing them with what this new way of interacting offers us could soon become  the differential factor for the most prepared teams and sports professionals.  And the path, even though virtual, is made by walking. Let’s walk, then.