Drones might still have a long way to go before the little quadcopters are fully accepted in mainstream society, but one aspect that has seen an unprecedented rise over the last while, is drone racing.

In March we wrote about the World Drone Prix , but the biggest announcement to date regarding drone racing came overnight when ESPN announced that it would be the broadcaster for the sport.

ESPN will broadcast various racing events in partnership with the International Drone Racing Association (IDRA), with the hope that it will one day become as big of a spectator sports as Nascar or F1.

“Drone racing gives anyone the ability to fly like a superhero. Because everyone can experience the thrill of racing as if they were sitting in the drone cockpit, the sport is skyrocketing. To go from a first-ever US national drone race to partnering with ESPN for international distribution in eight months is truly a sign of great things ahead,” said Dr. Scot Refsland, Chairman of the IDRA in a press statement.

The first event that will be broadcast by the sport channel will be the 2016 U.S. National Drone Racing Championships on Governors Island in New York City in August.

“We look forward to providing drone racing fans a larger platform to access this exciting world. Drone racing is an opportunity to reach and connect with a growing and passionate audience,” said Matthew Volk, ESPN Director, Programming & Acquisitions.

Just in case you need to get exited for the Governors Island event, have a look at the video below, which should be enough to up the heart beat quite significantly.

We can only hope that drone racing in South Africa will also get some attention from television broadcasters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4flD2dClWbs