Acknowledging Esports as a Sport

#eSports #gaming When you hear the word "athlete," it is likely that the first thing that comes to mind is somebody who participates in more traditional sports such as basketball or soccer instead of a person who sits in front of a computer and plays video games. As eSports grow increasingly more popular, organizations have started to recognize it as a legitimate activity. However, there are still many groups of people who doubt the validity of eSports as an actual sport due to lack of certain qualities found in other sports.

Figure 1: A massive audience gathers to watch the 2019 League of Legends World Championship Finals

Before explaining why eSports should be considered a real sport, we must answer the following question: what even counts as a sport in the first place? Most people can agree that there are a few general traits that every sport must have: some form of physical exertion, skill, and competition. Most sports fit neatly in this definition, for example, volleyball or tennis. However, there are other sports that lie in a grey zone. In the case of archery and golf, both are recognized by the Olympics as official sports but aren’t as physically demanding as others. Instead of utilizing raw strength, archery and golf require the athlete to make use of devices such as a bow or golf club. In a sense, eSports are similar to both of these sports as competitors use keyboards instead of a bow/golf club.

This opinion article will explain why eSports fit into the definition of a real sport by looking at the similarities and differences between the two, mainly physical/mental exertion, skill, and competition.

The largest piece of criticism about eSports is the fact that it is not physically demanding. But as stated earlier, archery and golf aren’t particularly arduous activities yet they are internationally recognized as legitimate sports. In addition, evidence shows us that eSports do have physical activity. Ingo Froböse, a professor studying eSports at the German Sports University in Cologne, conducted a study on eSports competitors. The observations he made were remarkable. Froböse had noticed that the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) produced by eSports competitors is about the same level as that of a racecar driver. Furthermore, players would have pulses as high as 180 beats per minute, which is almost equivalent to the pulse of a marathon runner. He stated, “in my opinion, eSports are just as demanding as most other types of sports, if not more demanding" (Froböse, 2016)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se6vGhOt58g Figure 2: A video demonstrating the quick movement and execution needed for eSports

Not only are eSports more physical than you think, but they also require a large amount of skill at the top level. Being a professional player requires training and practice, just like traditional sports. It is almost required that players have precise execution as well as unwavering concentration. The fact that there are millions of different people competing often means that being just a few milliseconds faster than other contestants could make you a champion.

Figure 3: An infographic showing the viewership number of Esports and other major sports

Finally, for a sport to exist in the first place, it needs to have people who actually want to compete in it. When it comes to this, eSports greatly excel. There are many professional teams that exist that compete in large tournaments with cash prizes. According to Statistica, The International 2019 (a tournament for the game “Dota 2”) boasted a prize pool of over thirty-four million dollars. Furthermore, eSports don’t fall short of viewership either, as shown in the above infographic. In fact, eSports already have a larger audience than most major sports leagues.

When taking the resemblance between eSports and other sports, especially the physical and mental demands, the skill required, and competition into consideration, eSports can be loosely defined as a real sport.

In the coming years, eSports will only continue to develop in popularity, and participants may one day be praised as legitimate athletes.

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