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Esports: Are they sports? Doesn't Matter

Updated: Mar 30, 2020

Close your eyes and picture an athlete. Who did you think of? Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe Serena Williams?

How about a gamer?

Whether you agree with the terminology or not, gaming has solidified its place in the sporting community. Gamers are now being recognized as professional athletes for the first time, and when you see the ludicrous numbers behind the industry it's easy to see why companies are racing to get involved (Tassi, 2013).


A recent League of Legends Midseason event saw over 60 million fans tune in worldwide and that wasn't even a championship (De La Navarre, 2019). With viewership already rivaling those of football, basketball, etc. its potential is monumental. As for any sport, viewership means money; 2019's Dota 2 International boasted a prize pool of over $34M (Dota 2, 2019), so just how rich are these 'Athletes'?

In 2019, Danish veteran Johan Sundstein accumulated $6.8M in prize money, landing him the title of esports top-earner (Nordmark, 2019). A pretty decent wage for someone playing games all day, but it's not until other endorsements are considered that the true extent of the money pool is visible. With YouTube and sponsorship earnings considered, Swedish gamer 'Pewdiepie' amassed a reported $70M in 2019 (Tietjen, 2019). If he was to be considered an athlete that would be enough to land him in Forbes Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes of 2019, ahead of stars including Tiger Woods, Lewis Hamilton and Rafa Nadal (Badenhausen, 2019).


Streaming platforms such as YouTube or Twitch are driving the growth of esports, broadcasting them to millions of viewers worldwide; the brilliance is that it gives any gamer the tools to achieve stardom from their own homes without the massive investments that some sports require.


If by any chance someone reading this is seeking an investment opportunity - esports. Everything about esports suggests that it could be the next big spectator sport:


  • The fanbase is young, providing the potential for long-term success

  • It attracts massive viewers, in both online and offline tournaments

  • The sport already has a host of established superstars for fans to follow

If that's not enough to convince you, hear it from the experts. Esports rise to fame was fast and furious, already surpassing the billion-dollar valuation and if the experts are correct, it shows no signs of slowing (Reyes, 2019):

What's next for the esports industry is to be contested, however, you can be fairly certain its going to be big. With over two billion mobile gamers across the globe esports is one of the most inclusive and accessible sport in existence and who's to say its not for you. Why not give it a go, we'll keep an eye out for you at the next Dota International.


 
 
 

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