Drone racing is making the jump from competitive pastime to broadcast sport, as the International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) is partnering up with ESPN to show the heart-pumping action this summer.
The sports network will begin its coverage on August 5, livestreaming the IDRA's US National Drone Racing Championships on ESPN3, with the 2016 World Drone Racing Championships following suit in October.
The championships will take place on Governors Island in New York City, offering drone racers and enthusiasts an aerial view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as the unmanned aircraft duck, dodge, and dash for the title on national television.
Next-gen sports entertainment
Drone racing gained major popularity in a relatively short amount of time, with organizations like IDRA and the Drone Racing League bringing the sport to the forefront.
It certainly didn't hurt that the action is sometimes presented in a first-person perspective, which is enthralling to watch and begs to be made for VR - as long as you're not too prone to motion sickness.
This isn't the first time ESPN has reached outside the conventional stable of sports for content. The network also began covering competitive gaming this January, bringing eSports fans the latest in professionally played titles like League of Legends, DotA 2 and Hearthstone.
Time will tell if the general public latches onto drone racing with the same fervor as Formula 1 or NASCAR, but hey, anything that looks like real-life F-ZERO is sure to catch our attention the next time we're at our local pub.
