Saint_Dee
The Phantom Poet
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.
One of the better arguments for eSports as a sport. The other possible reason why the validation is being sought after apart from the legalities (Sports Visas and the like), is for the discipline to be taken seriously beyond the 'just playing games' dismissal. Sports are derived from games (irl games, but games nonetheless), so eSports should be taken seriously, whether or not it gets the Sports moniker.