The world of the "metaverse" has begun to penetrate the realm of football and sports, providing fans of the game an opportunity to watch matches and meet stars virtually. Amid the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, football is not stagnant in its traditional setting but is attempting to engage in digitization to present itself in a modern and profitable form within the commercial and entertainment sphere.
**Clubs Engaging in the Metaverse**
Major European league clubs have decided to join the virtual world experience, with the English club Manchester City leading this initiative. The club has announced its investment in this realm and plans to build a stadium for its fans. In January 2023, the club announced a contract with "Sony" to create a gathering space for fans to watch matches of the "Citizens," allowing friends to come together in a world populated by avatars of each individual or for a tour of the "Etihad" stadium. Popular clubs like the Spanish teams Real Madrid and Barcelona have also entered the metaverse, collaborating to release a special cryptocurrency for trading, alongside virtual clothing, sports kits, and equipment.
**Brands Keeping Up with Technological Revolution: Who's Historically Better?**
The sportswear company "Nike" has joined the virtual world to showcase sports clothing and kits and to sponsor virtual sports clubs as well. In a distinctive announcement made about three months ago titled "FootballVerse," Nike captivated football fans, especially with the launch during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The advertisement featured French player Kylian Mbappé facing off against Brazilian players Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, along with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. The competition takes place through each player's avatar in a digital matchup of football legends from the past and present against each other, possibly resolving the ongoing debate about who is the best player in the history of football.
**Serie A Broadcasts the First Match in the Metaverse**
Serie A was able to broadcast the first football match in the metaverse between AC Milan and Fiorentina, which took place at the San Siro stadium last season. This was done through a dedicated room for Serie A within the "The Nemesis" platform, a significant entry point into the metaverse and digital games expected to carry this virtual trend prominently in the coming years. The Italian league granted 10,000 fans in the Middle East and North Africa access to its virtual room on the metaverse, equipped with features like chatting to interact with other users, a gaming competition, and a television screen to watch the game. CEO Luigi De Servio stated: "We chose to be the first to broadcast a football match in the metaverse because we believe that technological innovation is very important for a developed league like Serie A."
**From Fantasy to the Metaverse**
Football fans have been accustomed to selecting a special lineup of their favorite players through "football fantasy," where anyone can choose 11 players from different clubs to form a single team competing throughout the year based on each player's performance. Now, "the football club Metaverse" is transferring "fantasy" into the metaverse, allowing you to choose your lineup through the avatars of football players who have officially joined the metaverse, with the number of players reaching 1,000. You can bet on their real-life performance, enabling you to earn cryptocurrencies.
**Will the Metaverse Become a Hub for Sports Journalism?**
As sports sectors move into the virtual world, sports media will need to cover events happening in this realm, especially since the metaverse will enhance profits and financial gains for players and clubs, in addition to the virtual sports matches that will be held. Will this revolution threaten the role of sports journalism? It is still uncertain, as the metaverse technology remains a widely debated topic currently in planning. While it is difficult to assert whether sports journalism will operate from within the metaverse in the future, there is a necessity to cover news about digital personalities (avatars) that could reach billions and to report on the massive data generated by those characters. There is a strong likelihood that the metaverse could have a future as a workspace, but the available jobs within it will probably be entirely different from those in the real world.
