On December 15th in 1891, teacher James Naismith sat down and wrote out the rules for a game that he never could have expected would become one of North America's top sporting exports.
Basketball is a simple game that’s easy to learn, playable indoors and more intimate than other big-league sports like baseball, football or hockey. Because players are seen up-close and don’t wear helmets, it’s easier for viewers to form connections with the team, which means they’re more eager to try the NBA’s virtual reality broadcasts that provide an even closer look from different angles.
A sport like football lives and dies on technical details played out over a large field, he writes, so television is its perfect medium. But basketball is played on a much smaller space. “Putting a camera in that courtside seat… could give fans a VR experience that far surpasses the current broadcast, drawing them tighter into the league’s web,” Eddie Guy for Wired.
Source:
Why Basketball Is The Perfect Sport for Virtual Reality | Smart News | Smithsonian