The Drone Racing League is "far from the only company that’s seen an opportunity to make drone racing professional, but by most measures it’s the furthest ahead," according to James Vincent of THE VERGE. Along with multimillion-dollar venture funding, it has "secured partnerships with household names like Amazon and BMW, while its races are broadcast by the likes of ESPN2 and Sky Sports." More significantly, the DRL has "put a lot of effort into injecting drone racing with a splash of drama." It "personalizes its pilots, and turns each race into a spectacle." DRL tracks are "basically a series of neon-lit gates for drones to fly through, with smoke machines and strobe lighting for ambiance." They "brand the tracks with names like Miami Nights, Mardis Gras World, and the Boston Foundry and hire excitable commentators to narrate the races." DRL Founder & CEO Nick Horbaczewski said that the league has "put in a lot of technical work to standardize the sport." They have "developed their own drones that every pilot uses to create a 'level playing field' for each race, and improved the technology that broadcasts live video streams to racers." DRL has also "embraced digital media as a way to engage with fans and tell stories." The TV broadcasts "don't just focus on races, but include daytime TV-like vignettes about the personal journey of each pilot." Racers "emphatically" feel that they do not "care that their hobby is being taken up for by for-profit companies." Racer Paul Nurkkala said, "No one likes to say this, but, you know, we need to find ways of making a little money doing this." Nurkkala "compares it to skateboarding, which made a similar journey in the '60s and '70s" (THEVERGE.com, 6/20).
