Can drone racing draw a large enough crowd to make it a popular (and profitable) sport? Billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross thinks it might.
The Drone Racing League, a New York startup, wants to turn drone racing into organized sporting enterprise. The company wants to attract gamers and technology enthusiasts who are already packing arenas like Madison Square Garden for live video game contests.
There are typically five to seven participants per race. Competitors wear virtual-reality goggles that make it feel as if they are piloting the drone. Spectators will see that footage, possibly through a handheld device.
“It’s a completely immersive experience that’ll make you feel like you’re flying,” League founder Nick Horbaczewski told the Verge.
Hobbyists have been been racing drones in fields, forests and abandoned warehouses. Using “first-person view” cameras hooked up to drones that give pilots and spectators the sense that they are inside the drone. Videos from informal racing leagues have popped up on YouTube garnering thousands, even millions of views.
Drone technology has become faster — clocking speeds up to 70 miles per hour — and the prices have dropped, making hobby racing more exciting and practical.
Will underground drone racing translate into mainstream events? The Drone Racing League believes it can make money through sponsorships, media and ticket sales.
Many new spectator sports fizzled after the audiences began to dwindle. It’s unclear whether a local competition in a large city will fill seats when hobbyists can put races on Twitch.tv an fans can watch the action live from home.
Ross said to have a current net worth of $6.5 billion and partner Matt Higgins invested money through a sports and entertainment venture capital company, RSE Ventures, the pair founded in 2012.
“I saw the opportunity to construct a platform of companies that could create new opportunities and dynamic experiences across sports, entertainment and technology,” Ross said in a written statement, according to Wall Street Journal.
Ross may be grabbing an opportunity to diversify into sports and entertainment for audiences traditional sports never reach.
