Are eSports real Sports? Pro

Electronic sports is a gaming trend on the rise. It may not be as well known as the NBA, MLB or NFL, but it is recognized by governments around the world as well as corporate sponsors and the gaming community as a professional sport.

Esports is a professional sport dedicated to video games that features some of the best players in the world, competing for million-dollar prizes, as well as the right to call themselves world champions. Video games that are commonly played in esports are multiplayer online battle  arenas, such as “Dota,” “Smite,” “Counter Strike” and “League of Legends.”

Esports is a sport because their players are recognized as professional athletes, as esports promotes . In 2013, the U.S. government recognized esport players as professional athletes with the same privileges that olympic athletes get. The law grants visas to athletes from foreign countries who come to participate in esport international tournaments with corporate sponsorships and living and traveling expenses covered.  

Esports started to earn sport recognition with ESPN covering their league championship tournaments. In 2013, ESPN aired a preview to the 2013 DOTA world championship on ESPN 2 and later aired the event live on ESPN3.

Saying that esports is not a sport because it’s not physical is untrue. If physicality determines what a sport is, than golf, one of the world’s oldest sports, would never be one. There is a physical element in esports that one may not consider: players play up to 12 hours a day, practicing by improving their hand-eye coordination and increasing their key typing speed almost to the point of injury.

From a corporate standpoint, there is money to be made in esports. Similar to traditional sports, their revenue is earned through sponsors. Like the San Francisco 49ers is sponsored by Nike, Levi’s jeans, Budweiser and Campbell’s, professional gaming team Cloud 9 is sponsored by Alienware, Logitech and Nvidia, who ensure that each team has the best equipment they need to win.

It also shows in their tournament events. The 2016 League of Legends world championships sold out the Staples Center in Los Angeles and had a prize pool of $5 million.

At the end of the day, every sport is a form of entertainment. It’s a pastime that brings people together to root for something that is bigger than them themselves. It’s a way of making a connection with their audience, introducing them to the world of gaming while providing the easy accessibility that traditional sports already has.