The Future of Sports Broadcasts is Here with AR

Monday night’s matchup between Golden State and New Orleans looked a little different on TV than people are used to seeing. ESPN partnered with Marvel to take sports broadcasting to new heights. Marvel implemented augmented reality where images appeared on the screen in real-time. There were superheroes around the arena, animations when a basket was made, and name tags following players around at times, amongst other things.

INTERESTING FACTS

Draymond Green became the 1st ever #ArenaOfHeroes champion with 48 Hero Points
Green has the best team record (28-1) during games when he records a triple-double in NBA history (Min. 10 triple-doubles)
Steph Curry has 58 career GP with 8+ 3PM, as many as the next 3 players COMBINED (Lillard 21, Harden 21, JR Smith 14)

Odds vs. NOP: GSW +120 (Spread +2.5)

MAIN TAKEAWAY

THE FUTURE OF SPORTS BROADCASTS IS HERE WITH AR

COLORS KEY | FULL WARRIORS OUTLOOK

This was the first time something of this nature had been done in the NBA, and it was very interesting to see. There was even the first-ever “Arena Of Heroes” champion, which was awarded to Draymond Green (slightly different than the NVP which was solely based on fan votes). Green obtained this by accumulating the most “Hero Points”, which is a combination of all-around production like points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Missing a shot, free throw, or turning the ball over leads to a deduction of hero points.

AR can be implemented in more ways and build on what happened Monday night. For example, it could show how many points a player has at the time live over his head. Also, displaying statistics and trends like “Made last four threes” would be something that a viewer may be interested in or seeing the percentages of how likely a player will make each shot based on a variety of factors.

There is even the option to go down the fantasy route, and show how many fantasy points they’ve racked up so far or add a wagering element to the broadcast by showing how the spread is looking based on the current score or when the over cashes, add in some type of edit at the basket that shows money signs or something. The opportunities for AR are endless, and it will be exciting to see where it goes from here with this game laying the groundwork for a bright future ahead.

BEST HIGHLIGHTS

Marvel super heroes make an appearance

Black Panther, Iron Man & Captain Marvel dropped in for Marvel’s #ArenaOfHeroes! pic.twitter.com/de9MwDOL6i
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021

Steph’s 41 points with AR

Another 40+ point outing for Steph!
41 PTS | 8 3PM | 8 AST pic.twitter.com/9urFYBIDia
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021

Green’s 48 Hero Points, crowning him the first #ArenaOfHeroes champion

Draymond Green posts a triple-double in the @warriors win and becomes Marvel’s first #ArenaOfHeroes champion with a game-high 48 Hero Points! @Money23Green: 10 PTS, 13 REB, 15 AST pic.twitter.com/wBVUZNeLEw
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2021