By Allie Clare
Special for BaseballParks.com
Technology and sports have always had a close relationship. Sportskeeda details how technology has transformed how players train, how fans watch games live, and how they watch them on a television screen.
Now a new wave of technology is changing sport with the implementation of virtual reality (VR). VR has had a huge impact on sports and in particular on the fan experience. In Major League Baseball (MLB), VR is being used to stream one game every Tuesday. MLB teams are also embracing VR for the purpose of their fans. Some of them now use the technology for stadium tours, and in doing so give fans an in-depth, interactive, and immersive look at their ballparks.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the best of these VR tours. The following four stood out:
Yankee Stadium – New York Yankees
IMAGE CREDIT: Wikipedia
Baseball’s most storied franchise offers Virtual Venue, and it’s a great experience. For starters it offers a bird’s eye view of Yankee Stadium, with clickable sections. Clicking on one area lets fans access that section’s pricing information, as well as the benefits of sitting there. It also gives fans a 360-degree view from that particular section so they will know what they’ll see when sitting there. Virtual Venue also offers Premium Club Views for those who might be interested in the stadium’s various first-class lounges. There’s also something for fans who prefer the outdoor suites. What’s more, fans can buy tickets right then and there using Virtual Venue.
SunTrust Park – Atlanta Braves
IMAGE CREDIT: Wikipedia
In 2017 the Braves moved to the state of the art SunTrust Park, and the venue has lived up to the hype. Backed by Cisco, SunTrust Park boasts impressive Wi-Fi connectivity, and offers digital and interactive fan experiences. Naturally it also has stadium tours in VR that takes fans around the park. Then there is the off-stadium Virtual Venue that is similar to the service offered by the Yankees.
Rogers Centre – Toronto Blue Jays
IMAGE CREDIT FOR PHOTO AT TOP OF PAGE: Facebook
The Blue Jays’ VR tour of Rogers Centre
takes fans all across the stadium, including the premium areas. There’s also a way to check out the Jays’ clubhouse. The clubhouse tour also gives fans the chance to find out trivia about their favorite players, including Josh Donaldson and Jason Grilli. All fans need to do is click on a player’s photo. A video of the player talking about a range of baseball related subjects will then play. The video lets fans discover things about the Blue Jays that they likely didn’t know, adding an extra layer to this fascinating tour.
Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox
IMAGE CREDIT: Wikipedia
MLB’s oldest ballpark offers a great VR experience for their fans. USA Today reports that the Red Sox installed VR booths in Fenway back in 2016. Reason being, they wanted fans to get an up close and personal look at the team and the park itself. Initially only three dugout-theme booths (each with several VR headsets) were installed, but that number has since increased. In the booths, fans can take a virtual tour around Fenway, and see its rich history. Fans also get access to exclusive videos, like David Price throwing a bullpen session, or Mookie Betts taking batting practice. The Red Sox continue to update these videos, so fans get to see fresh content on a regular basis.
These VR tours show how baseball is truly evolving to cater to a new generation of fans. And with more parks opening in 2019 we expect to see the technology expand its reach in the coming years.