The rise of the Metaverse has begun reshaping various aspects of our lives, including sports. This research project on virtual sports shares some interesting results on what they call “Meta-sports” — highly immersive, avatar-based virtual competitions replicating real-world physical sports. Meta sports are, according to the authors, emerging as a significant trend with substantial implications for athletes, organizers, and spectators alike. In their recent study published in the Journal of Management Information Systems (included in the Financial Times FT50 list), Daniel Westmattelmann, Benedikt Stoffers, Julian Märtins (all University of Münster), and Xiao Xiao (Copenhagen Business School) explored athletes’ perceptions of fairness within meta-sports platforms, specifically examining the input-output principle - how are physical performances translated into virtual rankings by platform algorithms? - at the heart of these virtual competitions.

The researchers conducted a comprehensive mixed-methods study during the German Virtual Cycling Bundesliga 2020 and 2021 hosted on the Zwift platform, analysing performance data alongside participant surveys and interviews. Their findings indicate a crucial “transparency gap”. Although athletes’ physical performance largely predicts virtual competition outcomes, unexplained variances remain due to algorithmic complexities and strategic interactions.

Athletes initially prioritized accuracy—trusting that the system accurately measures and translates physical effort into virtual performance. Over time, however, clarity became increasingly important as participants sought to better understand how precisely their inputs influenced competition outcomes. Interestingly, the perception of fairness, or distributive justice, directly influenced athletes’ perceptions of the competition’s relevance, which subsequently shaped their intention to continue participating in meta-sports events.

These insights underscore the critical importance of transparency in algorithmic design for future meta-sports platforms. The study proposes several high-level design principles, advocating clear, accurate communication of competition mechanics and real-time performance data. For practitioners, enhancing transparency not only improves fairness but also sustains athlete engagement.

As virtual sports continue to grow, embracing these principles can support broader adoption and sustained participation. Ultimately, ensuring fairness and transparency will be central to unlocking the full potential of the Metaverse as the next evolution in sports management and athlete experience.

The open access article is available under: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07421222.2025.2455774