• Loading stock data...
Monday, July 28, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot
exclusive
Leagues

MLB Develops Virtual Ballpark In Latest Attempt to Increase Engagement

  • Test initiative draws from elements seen in the metaverse, virtual reality
  • League looks to recreate elements of in-ballpark attendance in digital realm
MLB

MLB is taking another swing at trying to recreate in a digital setting the in-person fan connection common at a stadium.

The league during the July 8 All-Star Celebrity Softball Game in Seattle, Washington, will introduce the MLB Virtual Ballpark. The interactive digital social space — influenced in part by existing technologies such as the metaverse and virtual reality — will allow fans to build avatars, explore the simulated stadium, attend a digital watch party of the softball game, and participate in trivial games and a virtual scavenger hunt. 

Despite accelerating development across digital and social media, fully replicating in-person fan engagement digitally has remained a challenge for many sports properties. League officials said they were particularly enthused by the spatial audio component of this latest endeavor, which allows fans to hear various conversations and ambient sound as if they were physically present at a game. The volume of various sounds in Virtual Ballpark will depend on the relative location of each user’s avatar.

“When you hear the crowd roar, it’s not a canned thing. It’ll actually be the other people present,” said Kenny Gersh, MLB executive vice president of media and business development, to Front Office Sports. “More broadly, this takes the experience of being at a stadium and opens it up to a global audience in a way we haven’t been able to do before. Doing experiments like this is really important for us.”

The MLB Virtual Ballpark was developed with London-based metaverse technology company Improbable. Development costs were not disclosed, but the initial deployment at the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game was designed as a low-stakes test in advance of a potentially broader rollout.  

The All-Star Celebrity Softball Game, a fixture of MLB’s annual All-Star Weekend, will feature actors Joel McHale and Adam Devine, Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim and Jennie Finch, NBA players Donovan Mitchell and Zach LaVine, and former MLB stars Félix Hernández and Ryan Howard, among many others.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Harper-Manfred Clubhouse Clash Foreshadows MLB Labor Battle

MLB’s commissioner clashes with the two-time NL Most Valuable Player.
Jun 21, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the ninth inning at Sutter Health Park.

Guardians Star Closer Put on Paid Leave Amid Gambling Probe

Emmanuel Clase joins fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on paid leave.

The Fastball and the Furious: Bristol MLB Game Will Set Attendance Record

The league makes history with the special-event game in Tennessee.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.

Featured Today

Limited Hype

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.
HAPPY GILMORE 2. BTS - (L to R) Adam Sandler as Happy Gilmore and Rory McIlroy as himself on the set of Happy Gilmore2.
July 26, 2025

‘Cool As Hell’: How ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Hooked Golf’s Top Stars

The process was “cool as hell,” Adam Sandler tells FOS.
Ryan Field Construction
exclusive
July 19, 2025

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.

NFL Fines 100 Players, Dozens of Team Employees for Super Bowl Ticket..

No individuals have been named in the ongoing investigation yet.
July 25, 2025

MLS Suspends Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba for Skipping All-Star Game

The league enforces its existing policy on its biggest star.
CJ McCollum
July 25, 2025

CJ McCollum Calls NBA CBA He Helped Negotiate ‘Not Perfect’ 

McCollum was the NBA players’ union president from 2021 until June 2025. 
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Jan 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson (33) and goaltender Carter Hart (79) watch from the bench against the Ottawa Senators during the third period at Wells Fargo Center.
July 25, 2025

NHL, NHLPA at Odds Over Five Acquitted Players From Hockey Canada Trial

The league is indefinitely barring the players despite the judge’s acquittal.
Michael Johnson
exclusive
July 24, 2025

Michael Johnson Says Investor Pulling Out Caused Grand Slam Track’s ‘Major, Major..

The investor walked away from an eight-figure term sheet, a source says.
July 24, 2025

Sophie Cunningham Fined $500 for Criticizing WNBA Refs on TikTok

The Indiana Fever star has more than 1.5 million followers on TikTok.
Nov 30, 2024; London, England; United states midfielder Lindsey Horan (10) with an overhead kick to shoot on gaol under pressure from England substitute Nikita Parris England defender Leah Williamson (5) and England defender Lucy Bronze (2) in the first half of an International friendly at Wembley Stadium.
July 24, 2025

WSL Extends Test of Alcohol in Stands Through Next Season

Attendance was up during the trial.