As a New Englander, I have participated in my fair share of Boston Celtics games. I was in the stands for Paul Pierce’s “The Wheelchair Game”. I was watching when LeBron James burned them for 21 points in the first quarter during the 2010 playoffs. And I was there a few months later when the Celtics stunned LeBron in his first game as a member of the Miami Heat.
But none of those memorable moments can truly compare to Sunday’s match. As millions of people were watching the Celtics wipe out the Philadelphia 76ers in this first round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday afternoon, I was lucky enough to be in the stands to cheer them on. OK, I wasn’t actually there, but if you were watching the game, you might have seen me.
There are no virtual matrices, but I have a virtual ticket to enter the game.
I got a virtual seat to watch the game with a group of fans on Microsoft Teams. As the COVID-19 pandemic has rejected any chance of fans gathering in giant arenas to watch live sports, Microsoft, Michelob, 1Iota and the NBA have teamed up to give fans around the world a chance to sit on board. field during matches and cheer for their favorite team as if they were in the arena.
BYO laptop and webcam
The whole process is very simple. I received my virtual ticket on Friday night asking me to download the Microsoft Teams app on my Mac or PC before Sunday morning. As Microsoft has repeatedly told lucky fans who have been chosen, neither the web version nor the mobile version of the Play Store supports virtual live viewing, so even Android tablets and Chromebooks are not ideal. I was also told to find a seat in my home with a plain wall and we were encouraged to wear fan clothing, but to refrain from bright colors that weren’t related to our team and that showed signs. And wearing a costume would get you high.
IDGIt’s just like a Teams meeting, except no one is dressed casually.
I received an login link at around 11:30 am on match day and went through a short registration process which mainly consisted of uploading a copy of my driver’s license for verification purposes. Then I waited for further instructions. About an hour later, I received a unique login and password for Microsoft Teams, launched the app, attended the meeting, tested my camera, and waited to be taken to my seat.
While I was waiting, an NBA moderator muted the room and showed us the rules. We were told to keep our energy high while playing and warned that we could be removed if we weren’t enjoying ourselves properly. We were also told to refrain from cursing or insulting players and avoid turning the person in front of the camera. Dogs and cats were fine, but only one person was allowed at a time. And if we had to leave, the NBA pointed out that we should have left our camera on, as turning it off is like giving up your seat.
IDGif you have a small laptop like mine, you will be squinting to see yourself.
Next, a Microsoft Teams representative came to help us set up. We were told how to get both the game feed and audience view on our screens and suddenly we were transported to a virtual seat as if we were sitting right in the arena. Since the TV broadcast is 10 seconds late, we were told to watch the match within Teams, so we would react to the appropriate plays. Despite my pitchside seat, I wasn’t rubbing elbows with celebrities (they get their login), but I was in a room with about 30 other people, mostly Celtics fans, even though it was technically a Philly home game .
We listened to the same speech two more times for additional groups, so the excitement built up in the room wasn’t quite what it is in an arena when the lights go out and the starting lineups are announced. Even once the game started and we were reactivated, it was more of a chat room than a cheering section. There was the usual applause for baskets made, groans for lost ones and complaints for fouls, but it never reached the level of excitement one feels in a real arena, even before the game turned into a kind of outbreak.
IDGWhen the game is over, people gradually come out.
There was a chat feature that should have been limited to tech support, but fans inevitably filled it with junk talk and in-game commentary. However, he was surprisingly friendly and loyal. I was asked to give up my seat during half-time for someone else to sit, but I managed to find a seat in the fourth quarter. Even as the clock was getting close to sweeping, my mostly Celtics fan room was happy with the win but reserved, and I wonder what it would be like during a tense match like the Clippers-Mavericks later that afternoon when Luka Doncic got hit a game winner overtime.
When the game was over, some fans stayed to chat and others left immediately. I stayed a while to see if I was going to be kicked out, but even if the feed stopped, we were able to stick around and chat.
Virtual excitement
While the game was relatively boring, the experience was definitely fun. Family and friends saw me on the TV show, I got to hang out and chat with some super fans, and most importantly, I felt like I was part of the action in a whole new way, even though I was watching the same feed as if you were on my TV.
It hasn’t lived up to the excitement of being in the arena, but it’s a great way to engage fans and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it continue even after fans can reunite. I might even pay $ 5 or $ 10 for this if I had an exclusive feed that mimicked what it would be like to see the game from where I was “sitting”. Or maybe if you were guaranteed to be in front of the camera.
IDGIt’s me on TV!
Every professional sport has its social distancing gimmick, but the NBA is the only one that has truly created an experience for fans. The MLB clippings are cute but ultimately silly, the NHL’s pre-recorded video is somewhat impersonal, and the fake crowd noise – which the NBA also uses – is more for players than fans. But being able to sit on the sidelines and cheer for my favorite team was really fantastic. Even though I wasn’t actually there.
