Major League Baseball is one of America’s Big Four leagues, and the Atlanta Braves from this league have become the first team to “operate” on the Metaverse
Physical Sports Franchises making the move to the Metaverse
It has been apparent that the future of sports viewership and sporting experiences is online. For the past few years, we’ve been aware of the need to incorporate virtual experiences into the sporting world. Still, this need only became painfully obvious when the COVID-19 pandemic began, and fans could no longer visit their preferred arenas to support their favorite teams.
For the few months where fan attendance was outlawed at sporting events, sports teams and leagues worldwide realized the urgent need to incorporate a system where fans can interact and enjoy experiences similar to visiting their favorite arenas in person. Another reason sports organizations view virtual experiences as the future of sports is due to the amount of revenue they stand to make.
Across the world, sports organizations are going above and beyond to put their teams on the Metaverse because it just makes sense. It would be a lost opportunity for franchises worldwide not to create more virtual experiences for their fans.
Atlanta Braves: Welcome to the Metaverse
February 2022, The Atlanta Braves became the first MLB team to enter the Metaverse, and now fans can enjoy awe-inspiring experiences on the digital rendition of its Truist Park Arena. Atlanta Braves call Truist Park their home, and thanks to the new photo-realistic digital copy dubbed “Digital Truist Park,” fans can experience this space like never before.
The Braves’ Metaverse is powered by Unreal Engine technology from Epic Games, and the team behind this project had enough foresight to include surrounding architecture into this experience. Not only will you enjoy amazing views of the Digital Truist Park, but you can also pay a visit to the nearby Battery Atlanta Shopping Center for a shopping experience that you’ll not forget in haste.
The Atlanta Braves back office also shared that the launch of the Digital Truist Park project is part of their long term Web3 plan; in the future, we can expect Web3.0 innovations, NFTs, and even cryptocurrencies from this franchise, and they hope all these will help them better engage fans of the future.
Are the Atlanta Braves the exception in the world of Sports?
As the Atlanta Braves make their entry into the Metaverse, they’ll be joining a healthy and growing list of sports franchises and leagues worldwide that have made the Metaverse their digital home. The National Football League (NFL) launched a virtual store in a Roblox video game in November 2021 and expanded on this experience in February 2022 for the Super Bowl.
In Association Football, the Premier League’s Manchester City Football Club recently partnered with Sony on the digital recreation of their Etihad Stadium home as part of their digital masterplan.
Finally, The city’s NBA team, the Atlanta Hawks are launching NFTS.
As time goes on, we can expect more franchises in sports worldwide to make their entrance into the Metaverse, and soon you may be living a fantastic experience on your favorite teams’ metaverse clubhouse.
