The Boston Celtics may be playing games that count again safely ensconced at the Disney NBA campus entirely without fans, but there’s at least one way you can “attend” a game from the safety of your home.
You may have already seen or heard about the wall of virtual fans peppering the periphery of the court in the absence of flesh and blood attendees, one of several ideas the league has been using to make the resumed season as entertaining and unique as possible for fans watching the games from home.
But how to be chosen as one of the included virtual fans?
The initiative, a partnership between the NBA, Microsoft and Michelob ULTRA beer, is best explained by this excerpt from a blog post by Microsoft:
“In partnership with the NBA, we are announcing a reimagined fan experience powered by a new feature in Microsoft Teams called Together mode. Together mode uses AI segmentation technology to bring people together into a shared background like a conference room, coffee shop, or arena.
Using scientific principles of cognition and social perception, Together mode is more than a virtual background — it makes being together virtually actually feel like being together in-person. It’s easy to maintain natural eye contact, for instance, or register fellow participants’ emotions as they react to what’s happening — whether it’s a meeting announcement, a class presentation, or the sight of a favorite NBA player about to score a 3-pointer.”
The @NBA Season is here! Who’s going to the Finals? Possibly you. Reply with #ULTRACourtside and #Sweepstakes for a chance to win 2 virtual courtside seats to the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/VnxKoROaav
— Michelob ULTRA (@MichelobULTRA) July 30, 2020
This ‘Together Mode’ will be used to populate the 17-foot courtside video boards with the live video reaction of fans chosen to participate, with fans getting their own live feed of the game at home as well.
To have a chance at being included, fans must register at the Michelob ULTRA site UltraCourtside.com — Michelob is also offering giveaways on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube social media channels.
The odds may be long, but it’s always worth a shot to get “courtside” seats.
[lawrence-related id=39817,39818,39807,39801]