Basketball, Events, Football

eSports: The Rise of an Empire

A recent study from Limelight Networks shows that men aged 18-25 prefer to watch eSports over other, more conventional sports.

In the last few decades, eSports have become a major industry competing with traditional sports such as basketball or football. The Season 3 World Championship of League of Legends in 2014 gathered 32 million viewers, exceedingly more than the World Series or NCAA Final Four that year. The winners of The International (a tournament for Dota 2) won a combined $11 million this summer, whereas Tom Brady made a mere $183,000 for winning the Super Bowl. The International Olympic Committee even flirted with the idea of including eSports as an event in the Olympic Games to increase their appeal to millennials.

Events

eSports Are Sports Too

In a world that idolizes traditional sports centered around robustness and brute strength, eSports are often overlooked.

Last week, Seattle hosted the largest eSports tournament in the world. The 7th iteration of The International featured teams of nerds from all over the world competing for a prize of $11 million. To put this into perspective, Tom Brady earned $183,000 for winning this past Super Bowl, only a fraction of what team members that win the International earn.