Ask any basketball fan, and they’ll tell you the game isn’t just a sport.
Basketball is a passion, a sense of belonging to a huge community with the same shared love. It’s about coming together in a fast-paced and electric environment, to cheer on the players and teams that have nurtured your appreciation of the game. Players and teams use the collective support and energy of their fans to transform their skills and deliver incredible moments.
Unfortunately, this year, the 2019-2020 basketball season didn’t restart with quite the same bang as usual. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that Orlando’s new season couldn’t pull together fans as it usually does. That’s why the NBA decided to take a new approach to the way that we collectively experience sporting events.
Understanding that today’s trying times require innovative solutions, the NBA turned to Microsoft and the Teams Together mode to connect players and fans in a virtual environment.
A New Era for Basketball Fans
The relationship between the NBA and Microsoft isn’t entirely new. The NBA has always had it’s foot in the door of the latest technology innovations. In April 2020, Microsoft and the NBA announced a multi-year collaboration. The two groups are working together to create fantastic next-generation experiences for basketball fans.
This combined commitment to sports fans starts with a new engagement platform for fans to enjoy, complete with personalized, on-demand and live broadcasts. The platform also includes vast historical video archives to explore, and unique analysis and insights from coaches, fans, and broadcasters alike.
In July 2020, Microsoft took its relationship with the NBA to the next level, announcing a new experience powered by Together mode on Microsoft Teams. This new experience accesses AI technology to connect people in a shared background. This background might be a coffee shop, a conference room – or in this case, a basketball arena.
The experience uses the principles of social perception and cognition to make it feel like you’re in the same room as countless other athletic fans. It’s not just about using a virtual background – Together mode really immerses people in a new environment.
A New Way to Share Experiences
With Together mode from Microsoft Teams, users can maintain eye contact with fellow participants, or check out the emotions of other people as they see what’s happening in front of them. The NBA isn’t the only group using Together mode. Companies and educators around the world have already discovered what this unique experience is all about.
However, as of July 30th, the NBA is going to be showing us what new virtual experiences are all about. Each game court will have its own 17-foot-tall LED screen that wraps around the arena. These stands will be packed full of more than 300 fans joining the experience in Microsoft Teams.
Participants can watch the live feed of the game within Teams, and players will be able to see their reactions too. Head of Next Gen Telecast for the NBA, Sara Zuckert, said that the group is thrilled to be partnering with Microsoft on this new experience.
The unique live, virtual events will ensure that fans can maintain a crucial sense of community as they watch their favourite players. This is the first new experience to go live as a result of the Microsoft and NBA partnership. Both groups believe that it will help participating fans feel like they’re part of the action while they’re safe at home.
At the same time, players will get to experience the support and energy of the crowds as they play. This will give the teams the motivation and inspiration they need to shine.
The Future of Sporting Events?
Responding to the new experience, Microsoft said that it admires the shared passions that connects NBA teams, fans, and coaches. Teams and Together mode can continue to provide the community with the tools they need to connect when they have to be physically apart.
Microsoft announced that it was so inspired by the innovative spirit of the NBA as the group leads the way towards a new style of professional sport season. Microsoft and the NBA are looking forward to working together going forward. Alongside the virtual fan boards, the NBA also announced a series of in-venue digital and broadcast enhancements to create more immersive experiences for fans.
