Whether they wanted to or not, the audience became part of a digital production on Friday evening. The innovation department of the FC Bayern basketball team came up with a nice idea for the start of the season in their own hall against the always pretty mediocre Central German team BC. Rather, it was computer-generated fireworks that she set off down there on the floor. Or better: on the former parquet floor. That evening, the basketball players played on an LED glass floor decorated in gray, blue and white. They had announced the new surface as a “world premiere”, which was true in that the video glass floor was used for the first time in a first league game.
And so it was flashing and shining everywhere down there, white rings glowed after free throws, the cheerleaders’ choreographies were digitally enhanced. The lines were drawn digitally, as were the sponsor logos, which the players praised before kick-off – as there was no longer any risk of slipping on the logos stuck to the parquet. The possibilities of this technology are enormous; statistics, advertising, razor-sharp images and videos, all sorts of graphic games are conceivable.
The boundaries between music videos and analogue halftime shows seem to be blurring
And the audience melted into the work of art; they had been given LED bracelets by the sponsor before the game, which flashed and flickered with every spectacular action. All that was missing was a remote control to guide world champions Isaac Bonga and Andreas Obst and their Munich colleagues to basket success. During the half-time break – Bayern were now leading 50:40 after a bumpy start – the ground unfolded its full splendor, DJ, violinist and rapper performed Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio, the glass below them showed clouds, balls and abstract shapes. The line between music video and analog performance seemed to blur.
Open detailed view
Tough duel: Bayern’s Carsen Edwards (r.) tries to keep the ball against Ralph Hounnou.
(Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa)
In terms of sport, the evening offered much less spectacle. The recently signed 1071 NBA game player Serge Ibaka came on the field as a substitute in the first quarter, scored after 31 seconds in the second quarter to make it 24:22 for Bayern – and then found himself on the bench for a long time. The 34-year-old probably still needs a little time to get used to it; in the end, he had six points on the digital scoreboard. But Andreas Obst and Isaac Bonga radiated a bit of world championship glory: Obst hit his threes, Bonga blocked as if they were in the World Cup semi-final against the USA. Like Bonga, Obst ultimately scored 15 points. However, Bayern’s top scorer was Argentinian signing Leandro Bolmaro with 16 points. The title favorites won the game against MBC 96:87, with a minute and a half to go it got really tight again. Ultimately, it was a classic labor victory against an outsider who had been unpleasant for a long time.
Representatives of the NBA professional league also inspect the spectacle
What’s left of this evening? Representatives of the US professional league NBA came in person to watch the LED spectacle, and the company in Chiemsee that produces the floor is now hoping to conquer the basketball world with its not entirely inexpensive innovation. The problem is, on the one hand, the costs, which are said to be in the low seven-figure range per floor, and it also takes days to install it. Another drawback: Such a surface is not permitted on the international stage, such as in the Euroleague, i.e. the Champions League of basketball, and also in the NBA. The Basketball Bundesliga, on the other hand, has included the use of digital glass floors in its statutes.
Bayern are toying with installing the new floor in their arena under construction in the Olympic Park from the 2024/25 season onwards – should the digital playground prevail. But the players, according to reports, remain flesh and blood.
