The Forever Changing Definition of ‘Sport’

The Rise of eSports

Source: Dezeen

Sports have been around since the dawn of time since man could find ways to compete with one another in vigorously active and challenging ways. Sport has been evolving for thousands of years along with society itself and is now reaching its next point of evolution: esport.

In March 2021, media company OverActive Media announced the plans for the development of a 7,000 seat capacity arena/stadium in downtown Toronto, ON specifically built for spectating professional video game tournaments and leagues, otherwise known as eSports.

OverActive Media owns two famous Canadian franchises: Toronto Ultra (Call of Duty League) and Toronto Defiant (Overwatch), both teams that currently compete internationally at the highest level of competition.

Over a decade ago, eSports were practically non-existent. Fast Forward to 2021 and a giant stadium is being built with its main purpose being spectating eSports games. In 2021, Danish Dota 2 player Johan Sundstein made $6,983,817.80 just from league play alone. Hundreds of eSports athletes are making millions of dollars per year for their gaming capabilities. Compared to other sports, eSports athletes are making much larger annual figures. Even large traditional teams and brands like Manchester City are getting involved in eSports (FaZe Clan collab) and Red Bull. How large will this thing get?

eSports is forever evolving, whether it’s new stadiums being built, new sponsorships from international corporations, or new games and technology being developed. It’s an open door for opportunities not only from a sports enthusiast perspective but from a marketers perspective as well.

Will eSports events fill larger stadiums than traditional sports?

Will more people in the coming years recognize more esports athletes than traditional?

How much money will these athletes make in the near future?

Published: July 30th, 2021 - Issue 2 of The Sport Marketeer