Not too long ago, many considered esports and traditional sports to be two separate things entirely. This view was not held by just fans alone; business markets, marketing departments, and brands also shared this sentiment. Fast forward to today, and many recognize the line between them has blurred.
Nowadays, online gaming consists of all kinds of genres. The proliferation of the sector has led to a multitude of pastimes: today we can find battle royale games like Fortnite, play poker with friends or even seek out pastimes against unknown opponents in chess. The gaming will continue to grow and with it, many opportunities across all platforms of gaming.
Blurring the Lines Between Sports and eSports
With technology, 4G and 5G, augmented reality and virtual reality, things have moved on apace, and so have opportunities. Whereas traditional sports continue to utilize routine methods of monetization. Online gaming has seem something of an explosion of monetization models, including sponsorships for esports similar to traditional sports.
When looking at just how far the line has blurred, two examples come to mind. First, betting. Gambling has been around for centuries and is nothing new to traditional sports. With esports joining the fray, many have flocked to similar betting methods on esports as they would traditional sports, with some sites even specializing in that type of betting.
The second example is a little bit more obscure, but is worth mentioning. The databases for Electronic Arts’ FIFA series are so accurate, so in-depth and cover such a huge array of clubs from almost every country, every league, that football clubs pay for that data. Instead of sending their own men and women into the field, they would rely on what is basically a computer game as the initial step to signing a player.
Pro teams embracing eSports
Arguably the largest blending of lines comes in the form of the NBA 2K League and Madden Championship Series with the later being a near identical format to its traditional sports and league. Across the NBA 2K League, several NBA teams are sponsoring their own esports equivalent to take part in seasons. And it does not stop with basketball. In terms of soccer, Manchester City have a team that competes in the FIFAe. They are certainly not the only club who are going down that route. It makes perfect sense as well. The average age difference between a fan of a Premier League club and an eSports fan is stark: 42 and 26 respectively. While traditional sports are still widely popular and will likely be so for centuries to comes, engaging in the fanbases across esports is a good way to ensure a very prosperous future.
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