eSports is not a sport

I think FIDE classes chess as a sport but as an avid chess player I wouldn't classify it as a sport myself. ESPN's president is correct in my opinion but and it's a bit but... it's such a huge market that ESPN is losing out on! I'd love to watch esport on tv and I'm sure millions of other people would too.
 
Think they should of grabbed the chance to play eSports games. There are millions of people who would watch it.
 
crashdan said:
Think they should of grabbed the chance to play eSports games. There are millions of people who would watch it.
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And more people that wouldn't. I am a gamer but I have to admit I don't enjoy watching esports at all.
 
Tsar said:
And more people that wouldn't. I am a gamer but I have to admit I don't enjoy watching esports at all.
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Thats true not everyone will watch it but there are alot of people that do. Check the amount of people watching games on Twitch or even in game..
 
Solitude said:
I think FIDE classes chess as a sport but as an avid chess player I wouldn't classify it as a sport myself. ESPN's president is correct in my opinion but and it's a bit but... it's such a huge market that ESPN is losing out on! I'd love to watch esport on tv and I'm sure millions of other people would too.
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crashdan said:
Think they should of grabbed the chance to play eSports games. There are millions of people who would watch it.
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Tsar said:
And more people that wouldn't. I am a gamer but I have to admit I don't enjoy watching esports at all.
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crashdan said:
Thats true not everyone will watch it but there are alot of people that do. Check the amount of people watching games on Twitch or even in game..
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Him not classing it as a sport is not him saying they won't capitalize on a potential viewership. They already show a few things they wouldn't classify as a sport but more a competition (synonymous but not necessarily the same). They'll (ESPN) probably delve deeper into eSports because the viewership is there, and they've already been broadcasting eSports related things.

From a viewer's perspective, I couldn't be bothered about trying to get eSports validated as a 'real sport', that classification from a viewer's perspective is neither here nor there because it is a competitive discipline. Though I do understand why the scene itself (the guys actively involved), especially the guys who compete because I think there's a legal aspect they're considering (Sports visas and the like). One thing is for sure, eSports is an ever growing entity that'll keep growing as time goes. I only have to mention The International or the League Championship Series.
 
bradbear117 said:
Im inclined to agree. I don't see it as a sport at all but thats my opinion. Its pretty much exactly as he says; Chess is not a sport or is it?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sport?s=t
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I agree. If I had to pen a definition for sport, it would be something like this: a competitive activity of both a physical and mental nature. If the activity is just mental in nature, it is a game. If it is just physical, it's exercise.

So if you can break a leg doing it and it is part of a competition, it's sport. If you can get a headache doing it and it's part of a competition, it's a game. If you can break a leg doing it and nobody is cheering, it's exercise.
 
Guys, guys, why argue when there's a decent rule of thumb to follow when asking if such-and-such is a sport: "Unless you can take drugs to enhance your performance in it - it's not a sport."




/jokes
 
DarthMol said:
Guys, guys, why argue when there's a decent rule of thumb to follow when asking if such-and-such is a sport: "Unless you can take drugs to enhance your performance in it - it's not a sport."




/jokes
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Caffeine OD by Red bull? :p

Also agree with that numbered Mister ^
The intensity of say a football or basketball match is just not there in esport... at least not for me.
 
Here's a random idea.

Maybe the esport is not a sport comment is carefully planned comment meant to stir debate on the Internet and by doing so allows espn to gauge the interest in an esport channel or show. Can't get better research than gamers trying to prove espn wrong.
 
chan0o said:
Caffeine OD by Red bull? :p

Also agree with that numbered Mister ^
The intensity of say a football or basketball match is just not there in esport... at least not for me.
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Is eSports a sports? I couldn't be bothered, that's neither here nor there for me as I mentioned in a previous post. But the topic of which sports is more intense? That's another thing entirely, something that is completely dependent on your definition of intense (hell, I'd even say it also boils down to each match). I say this because, as a spectator both football and Dota 2, I've seen some pretty intense matches in Dota 2 that could easily rival the most intense matches I've seen in football. Then again, I follow both sports, and perhaps my barometer for intensity is different from the next person. The measure of intensity among the disciplines is a completely subjective thing, I'd say.

EDIT: I don't know if you follow or play Dota 2 but you can't watch this video and tell the intensity isn't there.

 
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sport - NOUN

1 An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

What he mentioned in regards to Chess and Checkers being competitions more than sport I will agree with; they are both purely mental games. However no one can ever tell me that competitive eSports don't require some form of physicality. From RTS players whom require at least 280 actions per minute; to FPS players whom need to have their reaction times within the sub 230ms region. These are not skills that are just present in the gamers; they need to practice to the point where these skills are second nature (as in real sport); and they still have to account for the mental aspect of the game.

With regards to the point that Mister44 made; people do actually get injuries apart from just headaches. (The most recent case that comes to mind being Fear from the Evil Geniuses Dota2 squad whom was sidelined for the better part of 5 months with a hand injury that resulted from the game). So whilst eSports may not necessarily be the most physically demanding in relation to other sports; the fact remains that some level of physical effort is required to truly succeed within this arena. It's a new form of skillset that doesn't conform to traditional standards of a sportsman's skills but is no less valid just because it is new.
 
If they don't think it classifies as a sport, then fair enough I guess, BUT doesn't ESPN cover poker? I'm not sure how that would classify more as a sport than eSports or chess....
 
matt said:
If they don't think it classifies as a sport, then fair enough I guess, BUT doesn't ESPN cover poker? I'm not sure how that would classify more as a sport than eSports or chess....
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Absolutely, but it's probably because poker has more money to throw at ESPN to ensure they have coverage.
 
e-sport IS a sport in my opinion as has been stated by earlier posted. It requires physical dexterity and not just mental exertion. I mean archery is as much a sport as is playing compettive games such as DOTA.
 
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