September 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 66

ESPORTS

The one sport that I have scarcely
heard anyone cite is esports (electronic sports), which, incidentally, is
the fastest-growing sport genre nationally and globally. eGaming is a
generic term to describe amusement
or recreation using a standalone video game, desktop computer or the
internet with one or more players,
while esports comprises organized,
multiplayer gaming events played in
a competitive environment, often by
professional gamers. What's more,
spectators watch esports in person
or via online channels, such as YouTube and Twitch.

Esports by the Numbers
In 2019, global annual esports revenues crossed $1 billion - a steep
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rise from $130 million just seven
years ago, according to Newzoo:
Esports Insider. A report from
Goldman Sachs, titled " Esports:
From Wild West to Mainstream, "
projects total esports monetization
will reach $3 billion by 2022. To
put that in perspective, the NBA's
30 teams combined generated $7.4
billion in 2017. Recognizing the
potential of this genre, that same
year, the NBA, in a joint venture
with Take-Two Interactive, introduced its own esports league, titled NBA 2K League, and the Wall
Street Journal estimates this sponsorship to be valued at $1.1 billion
over seven years.
Along with that, Newzoo's 2018
Global ESports Market Report proj-

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ects an estimated audience of more
than 550 million viewers by 2021,
which translates into a 200 percent
growth in viewership in merely five
years since 2016. This is a vast market with different genres, including,
but not limited to:
* Fighting games (e.g., Street
Fighter, Mortal Combat, etc.)
* First-person shooter (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive;
HALO; Call of Duty)
* Multiplayer Online Battle Arena
(MOBA) (e.g., League of Legends,
Defense of the Ancients 2 - DOTA)
* Racing (e.g., Kart Racing Games,
such as Mario Cart, Need for
Speed Series)
* Real-time strategy (e.g., StarCraft II)
* Sport games (EA Sports FIFA;
Madden)
The MOBA format is among the
most popular since it allows for a
high number of participants and
viewers alike. Overall, some of the
most popular games include League
of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnite,
Defense of the Ancient (DOTA) 2,
Starcraft2, NBA 2K, Madden, etc.
At the collegiate level, in 2018,
more than 300 varsity programs and
college clubs competed in the League
of Legends collegiate division. More
than 30 colleges and universities offer substantial scholarships for their
varsity athletes. These colleges range
from Boise State, Idaho, to the University of Akron, Ohio, and from
the University of California, Berkeley, to Hawaii Pacific University.
The Peach Belt Conference became
the first NCAA conference to sponsor esports tournaments and other
conferences, including the Horizon
League, have already followed suit.
The NCAA Board of Governors is
also looking into this, as is the International Olympic Committee, which
is weighing the potential of esports
as an Olympic Sport.

September 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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