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The International 6 (TI6), the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament and undoubtedly one of the biggest events on the annual esports calendar, is nearing its conclusion this week before a sold-out KeyArena in Seattle. Though it boasts a prize pool in excess of $20 million, double that of golfs Masters, the ramifications of TI6 will go far beyond making millionaires out of the five teenagers and twenty-somethings who win the grand finals. This event is also a watershed moment for virtual reality (VR) in sports.As a new feature for TI6, Valve added the Dota VR Hub, which allows fans to watch every game in three unique VR modes: in a theater surrounded by other fans; above the map as if flying around on the Goodyear Blimp; and in the thick of the action at true scale. I tried out the various modes for myself, and while the technology isnt quite there yet -- it is still a little clunky and can be harder to follow the action on than by simply watching the stream -- there can be little doubt that this is a major step toward something big for fans of esports -- and sports all over the world.VR is going to revolutionize how we watch sports, and esports is going to be at the forefront of that movement.Its often taken for granted how much augmented reality (AR) technology has changed sports viewership as we know it. Try watching football without the projected first-down line, hockey without puck tracking or Olympic swimming without the moving world-record meter. In nearly every sport, AR enhances our ability to follow the game in real time and better understand what we saw on replay.VR is the next frontier for improving sports viewership. It can virtually deposit the viewer right into the stadium or even in the game itself. And its already being applied to traditional sports. Certain programming at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games can be viewed in VR. This years Home Run Derby also dabbled in VR viewing opportunities. NextVR, the market leader in live virtual reality broadcast technology with a wide array of sports applications, just closed an $80 million series B. But the current traditional sports VR experiences pale in comparison to what is happening at TI6 this week, and for good reason.Live action sports are limited by the nature of VR technology. To give a viewer the experience of being in a seat at Madison Square Garden, there need to be special VR cameras placed throughout the stadium in order to capture the action. But for esports, those barriers are considerably smaller. An esports match necessarily exists in a more digitally translatable format (either on PC or console). This means that VR efforts will focus less on how to capture the game and more on how to create uniquely immersive viewer experiences from the comfort of your living room couch.The marriage of VR and esports is also crucial given the more global nature of the esports industry. Unlike traditional sports, esports teams arent defined by a geographic nexus. I grew up a fan of the Seahawks, SuperSonics (may they rest in peace) and University of Washington, because thats where Im from. It also came with the added bonus of being able to drive only 10 minutes to watch these teams play throughout the year.In stark contrast, the fans of any given esports team are spread out throughout their home country and even all over the world. This means that the fan of a team can literally go their entire life without ever having an easy opportunity to watch that team play in person.Enter VR.While it might never be exactly the same as going to the event in person, the evolution of VR technology will create the opportunity for a fan to have a truly immersive experience when they are either unwilling or unable to travel to the venue. Someday, a sports fan will be able to put on a pair of goggles and be transported into a stadium to watch their favorite team play alongside thousands of fans, all without the hassle of traffic, lines and overpriced beer.No one knows exactly when that day will come, but it is undoubtedly a question of when, not if. Weve already started down that path, and TI6 was a giant leap forward.So whether you tuned into TI6 or not, this was a big week for you as a sports fan. VR is going to continue to evolve, and it will ultimately revolutionize the way sports are consumed all over the globe. Esports will be a driving force behind that transformation. To the rest of the world, youre welcome. Custom Orlando Magic Jerseys . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Aaron Gordon Magic Jersey . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-grant-hill-magic-jersey/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Melvin Frazier Jersey . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Jerian Grant Magic Jersey . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Ohio State and Louisville moved up behind No. 1 Alabama in The Associated Press college football poll after the most surprising Saturday of the season gave the rankings a major makeover.Three of the top four (Michigan, Clemson and Washington), five of the top 10 and seven teams overall in last weeks rankings lost to unranked opponents.On Sunday, Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 for the first time this season, receiving all 61 votes. Ohio State is No. 2, a season best for the Buckeyes, and Louisville is No. 3, matching its best ranking ever.No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson each dropped two spots and No. 7 Washington fell three after losing for the first time. Wisconsin moved up a spot to No. 6.---POLL POINTSThe only teams that held onto the spots in the Top 25 that they had last week were the only unbeatens left in the FBS: the top-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 14 Western Michigan. The Crimson Tide have been No. 1 since the preseason.The Crimson Tide is the first unanimous No. 1 since Ohio State on Sept. 8, 2015.UPNo. 12 Colorado and No. 13 Oklahoma State each moved up four spots.- Colorado has its highest ranking since it was No. 12 on Dec. 1, 2002.No. 9 Penn State, No. 16 LSU, No. 17 Florida State and No. 20 Washington State all moved up three spots.- Washington State has its best ranking since the Cougars finished the 2003 season at No. 9.DOWNA couple of Southeastern Conference teams took the biggest falls.- No. 23 Texas A&M fell 13 spots after the Aggies lost for the second straight week. A&M started 6-0 but has now lost three of four and three consecuutive SEC games.dddddddddddd- No. 18 Auburn dropped 10 spots after losing 13-7 at Georgia. The Tigers loss eliminated them from the SEC West race and helped Alabama clinch.IN- No. 15 Southern California is back in the rankings for the first time since the preseason after handing Washington its first loss. The Trojans started the season 1/3 but have won six straight behind redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold.- No. 24 San Diego State is in the rankings for the second time this season.- No. 25 Troy is ranked for the first time in school history. The Trojans (8-1) won a matchup of unbeaten Sun Belt Conference teams on Saturday against Appalachian State and their only loss was by six points at Clemson.OUT- Virginia Tech and North Carolina dropped out after losing to unranked Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.- Baylor is out of the rankings for the first time this season.CONFERENCE CALLSEC -- 55Big Ten -- 5Pac-12 -- 5ACC -- 3Big 12 -- 3Mountain West -- 22MAC -- 1Sun Belt -- 1RANKED VS. RANKEDNo. 8 Oklahoma at No. 10 West Virginia. Big 12 championship implications.No. 20 Washington State at No. 12 Colorado. First-place in the Pac-12 North vs. first-place in the Pac-12 South. Who would have guessed that?No. 21 Florida at No. 15 LSU. The Gators can clinch the SEC East with a victory.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '