Since the start of online gaming,
many people have considered if professional players would go to major events and
win thousands of dollars. Would it be considered a sport to watch and enjoy? Who
says it is a sport and what is the requirements to be one? And what are some
examples of ‘real’ sports which doesn’t make any sense for it to be a sport.
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The two marked events are eSports. These two games have drawn the attention of millions of people around the world and the views of watching it is shown here in this chart. Comparing itself to other ‘real’ sports, League and DOTA are on the same view range as the Masters and the NBA Finals.
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eSports or electronic sports started around the early 2000’s with Value,
a gaming company, release Defense of the Ancients or DOTA. Originally DOTA was
meant to be for small tournaments and just to make some money for a game which hundreds
of people later turns into a multiple million-dollar industry, but what defines
a sport and are the ‘rules’ for anything to become a sport.
1: Viewers
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League of Legends, a popular eSport, has every year holds world championships where teams from around the world come and play each other. They also rent out or use places which houses over hundreds of thousands of people who cheer and boo at stuff in game and on stage.
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For any sport, viewers or people who are willing to pay money in order to view the event or game live, would be considered to be a sport. Like League of Legends, every year they receive about 27 million people who attend the championship of the year. This is similar to the NBA during their finals and the Masters. Using that as a base, eSports like League would really fit in to society's definition of sports and how much they could mean to fans and people around the world. The picture above happened in 2013 where Riot Games who owns League, rented out a football stadium for their finals. That event sold out in fifteenth minutes and rivals other major events in 'real' sports.
2: Interest
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People like fans above shows how eSports fans could get into the game and news around it. Reactions like this could be people watching football during the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals. The energy and the silent rooms when there is a stressful part of the games creates the need to watch it to the very end instead of only half way. |
Even most of the news we hear about is in North American, eSports has been accepted around the globe. An example would be how Asia and Europe handles eSports and how much it means to them. According to Jung, there has been people who are able to make a living off of playing eSports and there were more than 400 players come to the League's World Championship from 40 different countries (Jung. 2014). Interest like that creates pressure or gives the thought that eSports is already on the same playing field as major sports like Baseball or American Football.
3: Salaries
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Like anyone they live in homes which creates the feeling that they should fit in to our society by living in houses with 15+ people
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Like all people, even eSports professionals need to get paid, but the major difference is how close their pay is to 'real' sport professionals. An example is a League of Legends player, Bjergsen who gets paid about $41.82 million per year (eSport Earning 2016) and comparing that to Tom Brady who earns about $28.8 million per year (spotrac 2016). Any professional player also the same idea like most sport with teamwork. They all come out as emergent leaders, discussing their roles, and examining team performance. (Robinson 178.)
4: Differences to Other Sports
To those who believe that eSports shouldn’t be considered a “real
sport” due to the lack of physical activity involved, there is one major
counterpoint: Motorsports. Highly celebrated worldwide, this is a sport in
which participants spend the entire duration sitting down, yet there is a large
amount of mental focus required in place of physical exertion, which can be
just as impressive and strenuous. As a matter of fact, Motorsports were an
exhibition sport in the Olympics in the year 1900.
5: Public Reactions
One of such people who refuses to consider eSports to be “true
sports” is ESPN’s president John Skipper has been quoted by PC Gamer as saying
that “It’s not a sport, it’s a competition. [...] Chess is a competition.
Checkers is a competition. Mostly, I’m interested in doing real sports” (Phil
Savage). Skipper’s views on eSports reflect those of the general public: if it
does not involve strenuous physical activity, it is not a sport, regardless of
how much mental activity or hand-eye coordination it involves.
Unfortunately for those sharing Skipper’s view on judging whether
an activity is a sport or not based on physical activity alone, Chess is a sport, at least as far the
International Olympic Committee is concerned. Not only were they an exhibition
sport in the Olympics like Motorsports were, being played in Sydney in the year
2000, but according to the Telegraph, “Chess and Bridge are among 26 sports
that have applied for inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo” (Malcolm
Pein). They are considered “mind sports” by the IOC, which goes to show that
something can be a sport without requiring athletic abilities. It is not a
stretch to say that the strategy and quick thinking required in professional
video gaming should also result in eSports being considered mind sports.
While it is unknown if John
Skipper has changed his personal opinion on eSports, his company has most
definitely embraced what the president has deemed not “real sports”. ESPN now
has dedicated coverage of the eSports scene, in sharp contrast with their
previous stance on the medium. This just goes to show that eSports are quickly
becoming more accepted by the general public. If this trend of greater
acceptance continues, eSports will surely be accepted alongside Motorsports and
chess as a type of sport that relies on brain rather than brawn, but being just
as valid as baseball or basketball.
E-Sports Earning. 2016. http://www.esportsearnings.com/players/3556-bjergsen-soren-bjerg
Malcolm Pein. Chess at the Olympics? June 16, 2015. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/11677916/Chess-at-the-Olympics.html
Phil Savage. ESPN boss claims e-sports are "not a sport". September 08, 2014. http://www.pcgamer.com/espn-boss-claims-e-sports-are-not-a-sport/
Robinson, Joy. Look Before You Lead: Seeing Virtual Teams Through the Lens of Games. May 6, 2016. http://www.tandfonline.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/doi/full/10.1080/10572252.2016.1185159?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Spotrac. 2016. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/tom-brady-4619/cash-earnings/
Robinson, Joy. Look Before You Lead: Seeing Virtual Teams Through the Lens of Games. May 6, 2016. http://www.tandfonline.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/doi/full/10.1080/10572252.2016.1185159?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Spotrac. 2016. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-england-patriots/tom-brady-4619/cash-earnings/
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