Esports as a legitimate sport: an analytical examination

Introduction
When new sports are introduced to the global market, they are frequently met with disdain, ridicule, or mistrust. Even when those sports become popular, stalwarts of the old guard cling to their notion of what differentiates a “real” sport from a “mere” game or hobby. Some sports that are now entrenched in the Olympic games, such as snowboarding, were once derided. On the other hand, many sports that have been mainstays in the Olympics still do not meet all the typical definitions of what constitutes a sport. Synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics are physically challenging but are not sports in the way that rugby or soccer are. Yet the latter two are not included in the Olympics and the former two are. The most recent sport to command a considerable amount of media attention and controversy regarding its status is gaming—or eSports. eSports have taken the world by storm in recent years, with fans filling stadiums that hold 91,000 people (Stewart, 2017). Based on their proven spectator appeal and growing popularity worldwide, the advertising and marketing potential of eSports is even greater than it is for many traditional sports. Most eSports also demand both physical and psychological training, good sportsmanship practices, teamwork, and game strategy. Because they resemble traditional sports from the player perspective and the perspective of spectators and marketers, eSports can and should be considered “real sports.”
Literature Review
The recent literature on the status of eSports has been supportive of this growing industry. One of the first themes in a review of literature on eSports is whether they involve enough physical activity to be considered sports at all. According to Hallmann & Giel (2018), several professional sports organizations list physical activity as a “core element of sport,” (p. 2). Because gaming has been long associated with sedentary lifestyle, it has been unfairly assumed that eSports do not require physical activity and therefore cannot be classified as real sports. The research on eSports, and contributions from sports medicine, are dispelling the misperception that eSports are not physically demanding. In an article published in a British Medical Journal publication, Pereira, Brito, Figueiredo, et al. (2019) argue that eSports are real in the sense that they are physically demanding.
Each sport will present unique physical challenges to its players. Esports require intensive training and the development of specialized fine motor skills, which often lead to sports injuries such as repetitive stress and strain (Pereira, Brito, Figueiredo, et al., 2019) or broken fingers (Rosen, 2017). Playing eSports requires excessive screen time, which can cause eyestrain. Hand-eye coordination needs to be skillfully honed in eSports (Rosen, 2017). The fine motor skills used in rifle shooting or dressage—which are Olympic sports--are rarely called into question, which is another reason why eSports should be taken more seriously (Moosa, 2017). An overview of the literature therefore confirms that eSports involve every bit as much in the way of physical demands as other competitive sports.
Another theme in the literature is related to the psychological and social dimensions of eSports. Factors like sportsmanship, teamwork, composure, and commitment are all factors mentioned in the literature. As Rosen (2017) points out, competitive eSports players “need to be extremely competitive against the opposing team along with being a team player in your own,” (p. 1). Strategy and tactics are essential for eSports, perhaps even more so than other traditional sports (Hallman & Giel, 2018). Keiper, Manning, Jenny, et al. (2017) add a unique perspective to the discussion on the validity of eSports by pointing out that more than any other sport, eSports have the potential to break down barriers related to gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic class. The “ethical values” and “organizational structure” dimensions of traditional sports are also present in eSports, according to Hallman & Giel (2018, p. 2). On both individual and team levels, eSports require similar levels of discipline and training as does any other competitive event.
Finally, the literature also shows that the legitimacy of most sports can be assessed according to the value they create in the marketplace. By some accounts, the global audience for eSports is around 300 million and climbing, with revenues already far above $450 million (Moosa, 2017). Individual prize pools in eSports championships are also in the millions (Rosen, 2017). Because of how lucrative they have become, eSports are attracting big time corporate sponsors, which is why the Olympics may consider accepting eSports in the 2024 games (Stewart, 2017). To be sure, market penetration and valuation alone do not qualify a game, hobby, or activity as a “real sport,” with an abundance of examples of relatively low-profile Olympic events that do not yield nearly the viewership nor the sponsorship money that eSports derive. Economic considerations are important, though, in how a sport is defined. Keiper, Manning, Jenny, et al. (2017) note that the NCAA has recently been toying with the idea of adding eSports to intercollegiate athletic departments as a means of revenue generation and to diversify their athletic departments. Therefore, the literature generally supports eSports as being “real” on the grounds that eSports can bring in new sources of revenue for schools and also because eSports can teach students the essential qualities of good sportsmanship and discipline.
Marketing, spectator appeal, a specialized set of mental, social, and physical skills, strategy, and training are all dimensions of eSports. Both scholarly and popular texts focusing on the global phenomenon of eSports tend to support the idea that eSports are “real,” with opposing views gradually fading as eSports become increasingly popular around the world.
References
Hallmann, K. & Giel, T. (2018). eSports--Competitive sports or recreational activity? Sport Management Review 21(1): 14-20.
Keiper, M. C., Manning, R. D., Jenny, S., Olrich, T., & Croft, C. (2017). No reason to LoL at LoL: the addition of esports to intercollegiate athletic departments. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 11(2), 143–160. doi:10.1080/19357397.2017.1316001
Moosa, T. (2017). eSports are real sports. The Guardian. 11 Aug, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/11/esports-olympic-video-games-ioc-gaming
Pereira, A.M., Brito, J., Figueiredo, P., et al. (2019). Virtual sports deserve real sports medical attention. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 5(1): https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/5/1/e000606.abstract
Rosen, G. (2017). Should e-sports be considered real sports? The Telescope. Retrieved from https://www.palomar.edu/telescope/2017/11/14/should-e-sports-be-considered-real-sports-pro/
Stewart, J. (2017). Why esports ARE real sports: Video gamers' talents compare with those of athletes and their tournaments rival viewing figures of sport events. Mail Online. 24 Aug, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/esports/article-4812762/Why-esports-real-sports.html