What do you think of when you think of a “gamer?” The typical picture of a gamer is fat, basement dweller, eats Doritos, and drinks Mountain Dew. Gaming is also seen as something nerdy people do but this narrative is changing very rapidly. The fastest growing form of entertainment worldwide is, believe it or not, professional gaming (also known as “eSports”). I know that may be hard to believe but it is the truth. eSports have only been mainstream since about 2010 but its rapid growth is unprecedented in the field of entertainment. According to the market research firm Newzoo, eSports revenue was $493 million in 2016. By 2020 that number is projected to hit $1.5 billion (not a typo). That kind of growth is insane and it will only continue to grow. I would not be surprised if in twenty or thirty years eSports becomes the most popular form of entertainment. What does this mean for traditional sports? Could eSports take over traditional sports? In short, yes it can but it may take some time.

When you look at the history of eSports the best place to start is 1980. 1980 marked the first video game competition, a Space Invaders tournament. The tournament had ten thousand participants across the United States and was the foundation for all of the eSports tournaments that would follow. By the 1990s came, companies like Nintendo and Blockbuster were actually sponsoring tournaments. The 1990s also saw the rise of PC gaming, the first “true” eSports tournaments. “1997’s Red Annihilation tournament for the first person shooter (FPS) “Quake” is widely considered to have been the first real instance of eSports, drawing over 2,000 participants. The winner received a Ferrari previously owned by John Carmack, lead developer for “Quake” (http://adanai.com/esports/). After Red Annihilation finished the CPL, or Cyberathlete Professional League was started. Then the year 2000 came and this is when eSports started to grow to what it is today. The World Cyber Games and the Electronic Sports World Cup were launched in the year 2000. “Major League Gaming (MLG) launched in 2002 and is now the largest and most successful of the eSports leagues. MLG was also the first tournament to be televised in North America, with a 2006 “Halo 2” series being shown on the USA Network” (http://adanai.com/esports/). The tournament, however, was not very successful. Today, eSports are huge and are still growing. In 2013, the League of Legends finals sold out the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Imagine what eSports will become when it becomes fully engrained in the mainstream media.

“Why are eSports popular?” That is a common question asked by people. The answer is simple. Just like every other sport, eSports fans enjoy seeing video games played at the highest level. “In other words, it’s the same reason that baseball fans love to see Clayton Kershaw blow fastballs by hitters or Chris Davis launch home runs; it’s fun seeing the top players in the world do what they do best” (sportingnews.com). While some people get ingrained into their favorite football or basketball teams, eSports fans are following their favorite eSports teams. Players can move from team to team like free agency in the other sports leagues. There is always drama, heroes, and villains in the eSports world just like “regular” sports. This is what is attracting the huge and growing fanbase. Teams and players of eSports are marketable just like any other team or athlete. If one wants to know the answer to the question “why are eSports popular?” all one has to do is get rid of the “e” in eSports and answer that question.

As in other sports, certain countries and regions do better than everybody else. “44 percent of the esports audience in 2016 is expected to come from the Asia-Pacific region” (venturebeat.com). The top three countries for eSports right now are South Korea, the United States, and China. These three countries have brought in more prize money than anyone else and fourth place is not even close. China has been awarded $49,021,767 in prize money, The United States has been awarded $44,621,007 in prize money, and South Korea has been awarded $42,839,412 in prize money. Fourth place is not even close to those three. Sweden is fourth and they have been awarded $17,602,655 in prize money. After that the gap gets even bigger. Canada is fifth and they have been awarded $9,726,756 in prize money (esportsearnings.com). Clearly the numbers show the top three countries dominate the eSports world. What separates the Untied States from China and South Korea is the sheer number of people playing eSports. China has 1814 professional players and South Korea has 1825 professional players. The United States currently has 7356 professional players in eSports. This shows that there is an interest for eSports in the United States and it is rapidly growing every year. It also shows that the United States might be behind in pure skill. The United States has four times as many people playing eSports as China and South Korea but still has been awarded less prize money than China and has only been awarded two million dollars more in prize money than South Korea. If one is interested in looking for up and coming eSports players, China and South Korea are probably the best options.

The thing that separates South Korea from China and the United States is the culture around eSports and gaming in general. Gaming is a way of life in South Korea and over the ten to fifteen years it has quickly grown to be a national past time. South Korea has been on the eSports train for a while and is the best place on planet Earth to find eSports talent. Agents and teams fly from around the world to recruit South Korean players. There are even stadiums specifically designed to hold eSports events in South Korea. That is not uncommon now a days but they were definitely the first ones to do it.

Some have questioned whether or not eSports are actually sports at all. A sport is defined as something that has a physical dimension, is structured and rule bound, and is competitive. While the physical dimension is debatable the other two aspects are not. After all, if poker can get on ESPN, then why can’t eSports? eSports may not have the physical aspect of other sports, it just requires different kind of skills. Instead of lifting weights, eSports players are working on hand and finger speed as well as hand-eye coordination. The mental aspect is huge just like in other “regular” sports. Sports psychologists are being hired by teams that can afford them. Think of eSports as a mental game that requires fast reflexes, quick decision-making, and great hand-eye coordination. It is almost like a fast paced version of chess.

People can question the validity of eSports all they want to but that does not change the fact that eSports is huge and is only getting bigger. According to Craig Keller, Digital Surgeons eSports Strategist, “The number of people who viewed eSports events had already doubled its total from all of 2014 in October” (said by Keller in December of 2015, from eSports marketing blog). The number of people who view eSports is projected to grow to even more staggering numbers. According to Newzoo, 427 million people will be watching eSports by 2019. Also by 2019, the global revenue generated from eSports is projected to be $1.5 billion dollars (also from Newzoo). One might ask “one billion dollars for video games!?” In 2015, league of legends championship doubled the viewership of the last game of the World Series. Thirty six million people watched the League of Legends championship while seventeen million people tuned in for the World Series. For another comparison, in 2015, the last game of the NBA Finals grabbed twenty-three million viewers (geekwire.com). The growth of eSports is almost unprecedented. Never in the history of the entertainment industry has something come so fast and so furious. It’s no wonder companies, entrepreneurs, and even some professional sports teams are investing a ton of money into eSports. Some notable companies have jumped into the world of eSports. Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, Nissan, as well as ESPN have all jumped on the eSports bandwagon. “Newzoo reports that eSports brand sponsorships are set to reach roughly $128.2 million at the end of 2016” (thedrum.com). So what does all of this growth mean for traditional sports and leagues?

There appears to be a trend of people turning away from some traditional sports, such as parents not letting their kids play contact football and the decreasing participation rates for baseball. There are definitely some valid reasons for this trend. Baseball is considered by many kids to be boring and uninteresting and ever since concussions were brought to the forefront, football participation rates are down. The MLB and NFL are not necessarily hurting right now but they definitely have some problems.

It is no secret that the NFL is losing viewers. Some common complaints about the NFL are that they take the fun out of football (the “No Fun League), they don’t let players celebrate, and they schedule terrible games for primetime. The election this year also has something to do with it. All of those reasons are very plausible and are contributing to the loss in viewership but what if something else was pulling away viewers. What if eSports has something to do with it? “A new survey conducted by market research company Newzoo found that 76% of eSports enthusiasts claim their interest in professional gaming interferes with the time they would have spent watching sports on television” (foxbusiness). The shift in attention from football to video games could be a reason ratings are down. On top of taking viewership and fans, eSports have the potential to take away sponsorships. eSports brand sponsorships are set to reach roughly $128.2 million at the end of 2016 (thedrum.com). Can the NFL really do anything about it? In short, no, but the NFL still brought in thirteen billion dollars in revenue last season. eSports won’t drastically affect the NFL right now but it could in the future.

The NFL is not the only major American sports league affected by the rise of eSports, the MLB and the NHL are also feeling the effects. The MLB and eSports couldn’t be futher apart on the spectrum. The reason for this is simple; baseball has an old school type of stereotype around it. Baseball is known for its unwritten rules and for living in the past. Baseball fans didn’t want replays until several years ago. This type of old school thinking is sure to drive off the younger audience, which is exactly what eSports teams want. The age group that watches eSports is teens to people in their mid thirties. eSports are seen as more modern than baseball and the MLB. This factor could potentially drive away fans and viewers from baseball. On the other hand, eSports could potentially force the MLB to “modernize” itself. While this likely won’t happen there is always a possibility.

Of the four major American sport leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and the NHL), the NHL is last in viewership and brings in the least amount of revenue. Rick Fox, an eSports owner and former Los Angeles Laker player, declared that eSports would take over the NHL as the fourth major American sport in just a few years. While this may be a biased opinion, it would not be completely shocking. The NHL regular season does not get much attention or coverage as most people only watch the NHL around playoff time while eSports are growing at such an incredible rate the NHL could very likely be dethroned as a major American sport. Could eSports lead to the decline of the NHL? Of the four major American sports leagues that could be dethroned by eSports, the NHL is the most likely to have that happen.

The one major American sports league that might not be negatively affected by eSports is the NBA. In fact, the NBA might be the greatest ally to eSports. The Philadelphia 76ers became the first North American professional sports team to purchase an esports team. Since then, several more teams have followed in their footsteps. Rick Fox and Shaquille O’Neal, both retired NBA players, as well as a current NBA player, Jonas Jerekbo, have bought their own eSports teams. Jeremy Lin of the Brooklyn Nets launched his own eSports team and Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz is the first NBA player to sign an eSports endorsement deal. The NBA and eSports both have the power to help each other out. First, with the two intertwined, sports games (especially NBA 2K) have a chance to break onto the mainstream in eSports. NBA 2K just hosted its first eSports tournament with the grand prize being $250,000 and a trip to the 2017 NBA finals. Second, the partnership between the NBA and eSports provides an opportunity for more fans. NBA fans watching eSports and vice-versa. Third, the partnership also has the ability to increase international popularity for both sports. Fourth, the NBA can give eSports mainstream credibility. If kids see their favorite NBA players watching and supporting eSports, they will be more likely to watch and support too. Lastly, the NBA can help eSports with its governing body. The World Esports Association (WESA) does exist but it is still young and could use some guidance. The NBA could help it grow and function better as well as help with setting up bigger events and creating rules.

This is a perfect situation for the gaming industry and eSports. As more people turn away from traditional sports, the door opens for more people to become eSports fans. “A new survey conducted by market research company Newzoo found that 76% of eSports enthusiasts claim their interest in professional gaming interferes with the time they would have spent watching sports on television” (foxbusiness). On top of taking viewership and fans, eSports have the potential to take away sponsorships. eSports brand sponsorships are set to reach roughly $128.2 million at the end of 2016 (thedrum.com). Since a lot of younger fans are turning away from baseball, eSports could be the new form of entertainment those fans pick up (The age group that watches eSports the most is teens and people in their mid thirties). With baseball and football fans declining, along with having help from the NBA, the potential for eSports is limitless.

Professional gaming has a lot of great things about it but like anything it isn’t perfect. Health effects plague professional eSports players but since professional gaming is relatively new, there is not a ton of data on how to help these players. The most obvious injuries are with hands, fingers, and backs. Professional gamers are using their hands and fingers so much it begins to take a toll. Also, since they sit in a chair for most of the day, the players tend to have back and posture problems. Teams are trying to combat this with mandatory gym time everyday for at least an hour. One of the biggest health concerns in the gaming community is gaming addiction. A 2014 study conducted at the Unversity of Bergen in Norway concluded that video game addiction “…is associated with depression, decreased academic achievement, and with conduct problems.” The same areas of the brain that are activated by a craving for alcohol or other drugs light up in the presence of videogame addiction. Sometimes the problem progresses to the point of fatality. This spring, Wu Tai, a 24 year-old gamer from China, died in an internet café in Shanghai after playing World of Warcraft nonstop for 19 hours straight (mentaltitan.com). Obviously, that is an extreme example but shows gaming addiction is a real thing. Like traditional sports, eSports has a performance enhancing drug problem. Adderall is almost always the culprit when players get caught. Counter Strike player Kory “Semphis” Friesen admitted on the record that he and the rest of his teammates regularly take Adderall to stay focused during gameplay (mentaltitan.com). Once a stable centralized governing body for eSports is established, I believe some of these problems will either be fixed or positively dealt with.

As a fan of gaming, I could have never guessed eSports would be a thing, much less a worldwide phenomenon. eSports is the future of entertainment and at this point it is hard to deny that. With hundreds of millions of dollars in it and just as many fans worldwide, it is only a matter of time before eSports take over traditional sports.
