MLB VR Product
"StrikeZone"

Research and Development

Background

A concern for Major League baseball is that, overall,younger people are generally less interested in watching and playing baseball than previous generations. While baseball remains a popular sport in the UnitedStates, with a large and dedicated fan base, surveys and studies have shown that younger audiences are less likely to be engaged with the sport. 

The problem we have at hand is finding an innovative way of using VR to raise the level of interest and engagement in baseball for young people with no interest in baseball. The problem is compounded when research shows young people with no interest in baseball are unwilling to even try the existing baseball VR on market.

Baseball game attendance has been on a decline for several years now. According to data from Statista, the average attendance at MLB games in 2019 was 28,198, down from a peak of 32,785 in 2007. And this is particularly true for young people, who have a decline in interest in Major League Baseball in recent years. According to a survey conducted by Gallup in 2020, only 9% of adults aged 18-34 identified baseball as their favorite sport to watch. Another survey conducted by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in 2019 found that participation in baseball among children aged 6-12 had decreased by 20% over the previous five years.