The newest form of non-traditional sports entertainment to hit the ESPN airwaves locked in its first major partnership with Bud Light earlier this week.
The Drone Racing League, which is in the midst of Season 1 as part of its current broadcast deal with the Worldwide Leader, will see Bud Light sponsor the 2017 Bud Light DRL Tryouts.
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According to Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Nicholas Horbaczewski, partnering with a blue-chip brand like Bud Light will help the DRL along its journey to building “the sport of the future.”
“Since launching DRL in January, we’ve worked to bring the thrill of (first person view) drone racing to audiences around the globe,” added Horbaczewski in a statement. “Partnering with Bud Light to launch the DRL racing simulator is incredibly special for the league.”
Drone racing pilots who are 21+ can test their skills through the DRL Racing Simulator and its online tryout campaign across four maps from previous DRL races. The top 24 participants will then be invited to a live tournament in January for a chance to win a $75,000 DRL contract to compete next season as the featured Bud Light Pilot.
“We’re excited to partner with the world’s leading drone racing league,” Jesse Wofford, Digital Brand Manager at Bud Light, said in a statement. “Bud Light is committed to giving fans better ways to connect with the sports they love, and we’re excited to work with DRL to deliver their FPV racing to new fans at home.”
The announcement even got the attention of Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer, who is a drone enthusiast and joked on Twitter that he may have to check out the simulator. As you may remember, Bauer’s hobby received heightened publicity last month during the MLB playoffs after he suffered a pinky injury from repairing his quadcopter.
Luckily for Bauer it’s the offseason, so if any mishaps happen again during his tryout, he won’t have to miss a scheduled start.
@DroneRaceLeague would love to try out! Day job makes it kinda tough haha Anyway, I’ll check out the sim! Thanks! pic.twitter.com/eOnBf5HhCR
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) November 10, 2016