One of the greatest debates of our era will be whether or not esports — professional video game playing — can be considered “a real sport.” As I witnessed at the Call Of Duty championship last year where teams played for a million pot, audiences are getting more and more interested in the watching pro gamers. More eyeballs + more competition = more money being allocated to eSports. ESPN is now covering eSports and TBS’s new eLeague show about Counter-Strike: Global Offensive show is a first of its kind for pro gaming.
I’ve hung out with a couple of competitive gamers and can attest to the fact that they’re savages at what they go. They “train,” constantly and even have ownership structures like traditional sports teams. But it’s weird that dudes who play Counter Strike are getting lumped into the same entertainment category as 6’3″ dudes who can drain clutch threes in remarkable feats of athleticism.
But hey! The world is changing. We’ll probably witness a Twitch star bring in $10 million in the next couple of years, more than many NFL careers.
Are you ready for the brave new world?