Is drone racing the next big sport? Fresh off striking a multi-year, international media distribution deal with ESPN last week, Dr. Scot Refsland came to [a]list summit at the W Hotel in Seattle on Wednesday thinking it will be.
Refsland, chairman of the International Drone Racing Association who was instrumental in signing the deal, has caught lightning in a bottle in what may be the next newest sport—a mixed, multi-reality one that combines pilots competing head-to-head with small flying drones while wearing first-person-view goggles.
“Drone racing is the fastest sport and technology I’ve ever seen,” Refsland said. “It’s an intense activity. You have to (be there mentally), or else you’re going to crash. … Anybody can fly a drone, and be a superhero. You don’t have to be six-feet tall. I’m curious to see where the next celebrity will come out of.”
The fast-growing extreme sport has been around as a semi-professional one for the last two years—it’s currently on a quest to become America’s next big sport. Having celebrity backers like Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and his $1 million investment into the space doesn’t hurt, either. Drone racing’s perception has largely been shaped by social media, as it went from backyard to major broadcast. In short order, however, ESPN quickly bought in and is ready to unleash it a wider audience. The IDRA will be producing the content for ESPN, which will debut on ESPN with the U.S. National Drone Racing Championships beginning August 5 in New York.
Refsland’s believes he’s landed at a new threshold of what a sport can do and also sees a future in the sport where the audience can impact the race. As for his goals, when he first dived into the space, he had two of them: Getting a deal done with ESPN, and Red Bull. His work is halfway done on that front.
“It leverages all of the new technologies really well,” said Refsland. “We’re at a new threshold of what a sport can do.”
