Why we Should Support Esports

If you have spent any amount of time on the ‘gaming side of the internet’, or even kept up with news outlets like The Washington Post or ESPN, you might have heard of the term ‘esports’.

Esports is a term used for the phenomenon of playing a video game at any competitive level (typically under an organization)- professionally, semi-professionally, or even in amateur leagues.

Some (primarily the older generation and parents) may not be thrilled of the idea of teenagers and young adults ‘wasting away’ in front of a screen for multiple hours out of the week. Some may even argue that video games are violent and rot your brain.

A commonly made point by people who oppose esports is the argument stating ‘esports and sports are nowhere near the same’. Fact of the matter is, they are — but not for the reason you may think.

The structure of esports and how it should be managed is monumentally different from traditional sports, but the positives and negatives are substantially similar.

Video games can be just as physically and mentally detrimental as any other sport, and you put in an incredible amount of practice and training in order to get good at either.

Just as a head injury could be to a football player, or the physical toll that requires gymnasts to retire after so many years, people in esports face similar challenges. Being at a screen for so long is hurtful on the eyes, and very common problems are injuries to the back from sitting and to the wrists from intense keyboard and mouse usage.

Like any dedicated MLB, NFL or NBA player, these precautions are risks dedicated esports players are willing to take. So, what’s the harm in not supporting it?

If you’ve ever watched a 30 for 30 on ESPN about an athlete who came from absolutely nothing, an interesting background, or had an outstanding career, you should know that esports players are one-in-the-same. They too, have players who come from nothing. They all have interesting backgrounds- it’s a worldwide phenomenon! Hundreds of different cultures and backgrounds of esports players wait behind the door of fame; maybe one day, 30 on 30 will be the one to open it.

Opportunities like these have only opened doors for the world of esports, further promoting their normalcy to modern society. Esports athletes such as Jay “Sinatraa” Won, Matthew “Super” DeLisi from the Overwatch League and Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf -who won the Fortnite World Cup in 2019- were interviewed on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ discussing esports and their successes, bringing even further positive attention to the phenomenon.

Even celebrities and professional athletes are getting in on the action, placing investments in organizations to obtain some ownership.

All of this promotion and investment into esports have allowed attention to the industry and its events to skyrocket. The majority of esports tournament/league viewership comes from a streaming platform called Twitch, which is dedicated to the livestreaming of video games for anyone who has the means to do so.

This data visualization showcases the total viewership for official esports events (not individual streamers) for games that host esports opportunities on Twitch for the entire year of 2019.

With all of the exposure to esports, which has enabled popular celebrities and athletes to buy into esports organizations, enhanced viewership and exclusive deals across platforms, organizations and leagues are able to secure brand deals and sponsorships with massive corporations.

With help from these sponsorships, no matter how big or small, esports organizations and leagues worldwide are able to put out incredible things — they are able to fund events, employee salaries and more.

With all of these advancements to esports and its exposure across recent years, professional players have been able to make more than adequate livings for themselves.

A majority of professional players also have a streaming personality, which they are able to also make a profit off of depending on their popularity. The average ways of earnings for professional players are: Player salary, plus Twitch channel earnings (which takes 50% of subscriptions), and YouTube ad revenue (if they have a channel).

Almost 7 million dollars by competing in video games professionally.

Anyone who has the dedication, passion and energy to put into a game they want to go further in could do that.

That being said, when someone says they would like to pursue a career in esports- either as a player, coach or any other position (just like in sports!), don’t shoot them down.

We should instead support them. Just like in sport, it takes a lot of dedication, practice and sacrifice to reach a professional level as a player. There will be sweat, there will be tears, but with the right support system and a strong sense of goal, those who truly want it can do it.

Esports is the future, and we should embrace it.

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