Virtual reality headsets, AR glasses and 90-foot LED screens: Sports enters 2026 in midst of tech revolution

Sports entertainment is entering 2026 in a far different place than Hollywood, where Netflix’s controversial acquisition of Warner Bros. has sparked existential fears for cinemas.

Streaming services have been encroaching on both film and sports for years, but unlike theaters, stadium ticket sales are trending upward with few exceptions. Even MLB’s miserable Colorado Rockies sold 2.4 million tickets in 2025 despite ranking among the worst teams in baseball history.

But there are parallels between film audiences and sports fans, both of whom are growing fond of customized experiences like streaming media at convenient times or listening in one’s chosen language. A 2023 Deloitte survey of 3,000 US sports fans found younger generations want greater control over everything from content to delivery, the latter of which is now taking shape right before our eyes.

For instance, the year-old Cosm Los Angeles offers fans the chance to watch televised sports on a 90-foot LED dome, giving audiences a ‘shared reality’ experience alongside the hospitality and concessions we’ve come to expect at stadiums.

At the other end of the spectrum are the rising number of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices, offering fans immersive viewing from the comfort of their couch or just about anywhere the internet is available.

And it’s within these growing number of options that the future of sports viewership is taking place, although perhaps slower than tech companies had hoped.

Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, launched the Oculus Rift CV1 in 2016, signaling the first wave of modern VR headsets. But it wasn’t until 2020 that the company found a true league partner in the NBA and still, it took another three years for basketball fans to get their first taste of live virtual reality.

Now fans can purchase Oculus headsets for anywhere between $250 to $649 for a 180-degree courtside experience across 52 NBA games on the Xtadium app. Separately, the Los Angeles Lakers partnered with Apple and Spectrum SportsNet to stream a handful of games on the tech giant’s $3,499 Apple Vision Pro headset.

There are social ingredients, giving users the chance to commiserate with other fans’ avatars, as well as gambling applications that can quickly prove more expensive than any Apple headset.

Of course, these apps are all optional. And for that matter, so too is the technology, which is hardly for everyone. Aside from being prohibitively expensive for many, the VR headsets can be bulky and cut viewers off from their physical surroundings.

It’s unclear how many fans currently view sports in VR, but the 2023 Deloitte survey put that figure at just 5 percent.

‘Watching anything with a headset on just doesn’t feel like sports,’ Matt Stagg, an advisor to companies on digital and fan engagement, told The Athletic in November. ‘You want to be able to interact with other people. You can’t do that if you’re sitting there with an Oculus on. You’re cut off.’

Cheaper than Apple’s headset and far less cumbersome, AR glasses have the look and feel of a pair of shades. The experience isn’t as immersive as VR, but AR glasses effectively give users a pocket-sized big-screen television available at a moment’s notice.

And it’s this aspect that could appeal most to sports fans, as the Daily Mail learned during a recent trial of the XREAL One Pro, a $650 pair with similar models going as low as $299.

Conveniently, the glasses do not need to be charged; they easily plug in to a phone, computer or XREAL’s $199 mini tablet; and best of all, they allow users to get perfectly comfortable.

A three-hour flight and an overnight stay in a hospital sleeper chair (long story) are typically painful experiences. But with a pair of AR glasses, this reporter leaned back, found a relaxing position to lay his head, and watched a life-sized Arch Manning lead No. 13 Texas to a blowout win against overmatched Arkansas.

Diminished eyesight isn’t an issue because XREAL offers custom inserts with users’ exact lens prescriptions. Other accessors include a $99 fisheye camera lens that allows users to record video, take pictures, and anchor the virtual screen in a physical space, like the holographic projections of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars films.

Some AR glasses are intended to be worn on the street, allowing for a virtual experience laid over a physical universe, but for customers of a certain age (this reporter included), that’s a bit advanced.

Regardless, the fact that such an option is possible speaks to AR’s unique blending of the real and virtual. Now, when one partner wants to watch the latest Bronte-sister knockoff on Netflix or HBO Max, the other can still be physically by their side while enjoying an NBA matchup from the West Coast.

‘That’s why the smart glasses are better — they keep that community vibe,’ Stagg told The Athletic. ‘They will eventually take off. They’ll be like AirPods. Everyone thought they were weird a few years ago, but nobody notices now. They augment your experience, not replace it.’

As with everything else, artificial intelligence promises to become increasingly important in sports media, but that path is still being charted. 

A study published by IBM in August found more than half of sports fans surveyed wanted ‘AI-driven sports commentary and insights for past, current and future events’ — and not just for home viewing, but for in-person attendance as well.

Increasingly, fans paying for tickets are also looking for unique, customized experiences and stadiums are eager to accommodate.

Some ideas are strikingly practical, like using digital signage around the stadium to inform fans about the wait times for concessions or restrooms, etc.

Other ideas are a bit more invasive, like location-based engagement. For instance, if a fan wanders into a team’s apparel store within a stadium, they might automatically receive a coupon offer on their phone.

One subtle, yet intriguing development in sports viewing has little to do with technology.

Rather, as Axios reported in September, younger fans are increasingly buying individual tickets to games rather than going in groups. This year, roughly 13.3 percent of ticket sales were for single attendees — a 3-percent rise from 2022.

A clear explanation isn’t immediately obvious, but there is speculation that the rising cost of tickets coupled with new premium viewing experiences has some fans spoiling themselves in a VIP suite rather than slumming it in the bleachers with friends.

In any case, the fact that fans are more willing to attend games by themselves follows the same main theme as VR headsets, AR glasses, and panoramic dome-shaped LED theaters like Cosm LA: Viewers want to customize their experiences and it’s up to retailers to offer the right tools.