Are players of eSports successful? Some of them, yes, very. Are they talented? Absolutely. Have they spent hours and hours practicing? Yup.
But they’re not athletes.
Calling eSports sports doesn’t make any sense. The only reasons we’re drawing comparisons is because eSports have mass audiences, and players can receive a lot of money in competition. That doesn’t make them sports.
You might think that it’s an arbitrary distinction to define sports as an activity that involves physical exertion, but it isn’t. It’s exactly what differentiates sports from any other activity. Both athletes and gamers have talent and the potential to make bank; it’s not about who’s better, it’s about semantics. Where does it stop if we say eSports are sports?
Let’s look at the arguments:
1. eSports involves training.
So does writing an essay. So does waitressing. Doesn't mean they're sports.
2. eSports involves training AND it can make you a lot of money.
So does getting an engineering degree. Does cramming for that final make you an athlete? Nope.
3. eSports involves training AND it can make you a lot of money AND it’s competitive.
So does America’s Next Top Model. So does running for president. Neither are sports.
It’s difficult to argue that your training for a gaming competition is the same as training for, say, a marathon or a basketball tournament. The way you train for a sport makes you healthy, fit, and gives you an endorphin rush. In 2014, Novak Djokovic spent around 20 hours on court when winning the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. Spending that amount of time in front of a console sounds like a typical hangover day for many people.
Just because the top players earn big money, this doesn’t make gaming a sport – and packing out stadiums also don’t make it a sport. It costs millions to hire Jay Z for a concert, and the stadium is packed out to bursting. But is Jay Z an athlete? No, of course not. He is putting on a show, a performance. This is the same entertainment a eSport tournament gives.
Not a sport, but definitely a competition. Jamming the games into the label and showing them on traditional sporting platforms such as ESPN are simply inviting comparisons.
Emma Partridge is a fourth-year English major and News Editor at The Ubyssey.
Olivia Law is a third-year English major and Culture Editor at The Ubyssey.