Beyond gaming and shopping, the metaverse is poised to reshape the fan experience, giving sports enthusiasts new and immersive ways to connect with their favourite athletes and teams.
New research by Edith Cowan University (ECU) has examined how virtual and augmented realities are blurring the lines between physical and digital participation, offering new opportunities for inclusion, innovation, and engagement in the sporting world of the future.
"The beauty of fandom is that when you go to an event, you have a collective identity. You are supporting and cheering a team. By bringing this fandom into the metaverse, you are able to do that from anywhere in the world," Dr Anthony Kerr said.
"The metaverse can give you access to any stadium, any player and any sport. You can be a part of the opening ceremony at the Olympics or experience the FIFA World Cup final up close."
Dr Ashlee Morgan said that given the deep loyalty and emotional connection that characterises sport fandom, this sector is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the metaverse's potential to transform their experiences and sport consumption.
However, while the metaverse promises exciting opportunities to bring society closer together and also monetise this connection, Dr Morgan said that this new platform was not without considerable legal and ethical risks.
"As with many emerging technologies, and increasingly evident with social media use, concerns over privacy, security, and user safety have become central to debates about the metaverse's future. Despite this, regulatory frameworks continue to lag technological innovation, particularly in areas such as data privacy and cybersecurity."
Dr Morgan noted that government oversight would be required to regulate the virtual environment, while sports teams and metaverse companies would need to take ownership and responsibility for user experience.
Goggles On, Game On
The metaverse fandom might be closer than we think, Dr Morgan said, pointing out that all the individual pieces of technology already exist to create this experience.
"The technology to augment reality already exists, but the metaverse will simply give a platform for these technologies to converge. It will be a full sensory experience, where the user will be able to catch a rogue ball, or interact with fans next to you," she said.
Dr Kerr added that as these technologies become more affordable, they would become more widely used, opening the platform to more users.
"We are already seeing elements of this augmented or virtual reality in our spaces. You have exercise bikes that allow you to race against other people around the world, along the path of the Tour de France.
"As the technology becomes cheaper, and more wearable, more people will be adopting this technology."
