It makes up most of the name but sport has in some ways been on the outside of the eSports revolution. The biggest tournaments, the most bankable players and teams have generally come from games that owe more to guns and strategy than replicas of what we know as sport.
In one review of the number of tournaments and the amount of prize money being played for the highest ranking sports game was FIFA 17 in 26th place. The Top 5 were names with whom a sporting audience may be familiar but not in the context of balls or bats. Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Starcraft and Halo put the big guns of sport into the shade.
But sport is fighting back.
This week to mark the launch of Madden 18, the NFL game which has sold well over 100 million units, it was announced that the NFL itself was promoting a tournament featuring all 32 teams in the league.
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There will be online tournaments to determine the players who will represent each club and a real world tournament that will come to a conclusion in Minneapolis on the eve of Superbowl 52 next February.
There will be prize money of over $1 million so if you know your fake pump or your blitz defence but fancy the couch more than the line of scrimmage it’s worth taking a look.
“The NFL has done that. “Competitive gaming and eSports are one of the most exciting ways to engage a larger, younger and digitally savvy NFL audience,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“Collaborating with EA to create the Madden NFL Club Championship presents a unique opportunity to capture the excitement of NFL action and the passion of our fans with competitions that anyone can compete in.”
With eSports already taking hold in Premier League teams way of thinking, and across Europe, and the Olympics looking to include it as a potential exhibition sport in 2024 in Paris this is a wave which will only get bigger.
Major sports have long held it to be a sideshow to the real events. It may remain so but for now it looks like one that is very engaging and which can generate substantial engagement as well as cash.
