How Drones Offer a Unique View at Sporting Events

sporting-dronesOut with the blimp, in with the drone.  Remember when viewers were awed by aerial shots of football games from a big floating blimp? Back then, the bird’s eye view gave the audience a feel for how grand the sporting event was. Nowadays, drones have the ability to provide stunning overall vistas and much more. The Olympic Games at Sochi was one of the first events where drones were used to film competing athletes. Below are some reasons why drones are great for capturing live sporting events.

View from Different Angles

Drones are very agile and have the ability to get close and personal with athletes on the move.

Makes Very Little Sound

Drones are relatively quiet, so they tend not to distract the athlete from the competition.

Low Cost

Drones are far cheaper than a helicopter or blimp.

No Fuel Needed

Drones operate on batteries, so there is no additional fuel costs.

Unrestricted Range

Cable-suspended camera system have limited range of movement. With drones, the range is unrestricted.


With multiple drones capturing footage at a sporting event, viewers have the ability to watch split TV screens offering different drone POVs.


Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, the AirDog gives a drone the ability to automatically follow an athlete while keeping him or her in focus. The AirDog mechanism is a simple bracelet that creates a WiFi connection with the drone, communicating to the drone to follow a preset distance. In essence, the AirDog is a drone autopilot.

Instant Replay

Can you imagine instant replay from drone footage? With the drone’s ability to get close to plays, there will be little argument over whether or not the receiver’s foot went out of bounds or if the football crossed the goal line.

The drone’s ability to maneuver deftly, quietly, and with unrestricted range make its crossover into sporting event coverage a no brainer. Take into account the low cost and fuel-less operation, make drones a more attractive option than blimps and helicopters. With exciting new technology that offers multiple POVs, tracking, and instant replay option, drones are sure to make viewing sports that much more exciting.