To those who feel that the rise of UFC and Mixed Martial Arts is a ‘counter culture’ phenomenon that has little to do with sport as they know it, things are about to change even more.
One of the biggest global risers in terms of sports investment, engagement and player numbers is eSports, seen by some as being the product of games consoles that are taking kids away from ‘real’ sport.
Last week it emerged that at least one US college was to open up it’s first eGaming Arena in September, a 3,500 square foot facility with a stage for competitive gaming, 80 private spaces to participate in and a studio to facilitate live broadcasting of events.
“We hope to attract the best gamers from around the world, and our academic programs in computer gaming science, digital arts, computer science, engineering, anthropology, law, medicine, neuroscience and behavior create a strong foundation for research and inquiry related to gaming,” said a spokesperson for University College Irvine in Southern California speaking to SportTechie last week.
Scholarships for gaming are now common practice across a number of universities in the US and the far east where tournaments attracting as large a live audience as major soccer matches as already taking place.
There are no plans as yet public among Irish colleges for a similar approach but it is inevitable that this will happen in the very near future.
Last month the Finals of the FIFA Interactive World Cup were held in New York and broadcast live on Fox Sports TV network.
The final 32 had won through from an initial entry of 2.3 million players around the world and was won by Mohammed Al Bacha from Denmark.
Team sponsorships are already in place at significant level with major brands including Coca Cola and Red Bull.
Sport is constantly evolving. 150 years ago there was no such thing as organised Football, Rugby or Gaelic Games. A report last week by Sport Ireland showed that levels of physical activity among 16-24 year olds were declining and that the overall numbers participating in the ‘big sports’ was also in reverse.
Abraham Lincoln once famously said that the only way to know the future is to create it. Could it be that this is what we are starting to see now as new generations more comfortable with screens than pitches are reshaping the future of sport?
eSports will be a major theme of Sports & Tech 2016, a major new global event for those at the crossover of sport and technology taking place in Dublin on October 17th and 18th. Find out more here.
