Skip to main content

The Rise of eSports and Online Competitive Gaming

As the physical sporting world remains eerily quiet, the virtual one is stretching its legs and coming to life.

For the record, esports have been a big deal for quite a while. It’s a giant industry estimated to be worth somewhere in the ballpark of $1.8 billion by 2022. It’s attracting the largest audience on the planet, already over 600 million people. Forbes reports that esport pro athletes have been growing more than 40% annually every year since 1998. The LA Times says eight million people log on every day to take part. And yet, for some of us, it still feels somewhat foreign, an underground culture even.

Related Videos
The Rise of eSports
adamkaz/Getty Images

Well, with the public health crisis in full swing, we’ve already seen athletes and celebrities hunkered in their living rooms with controllers in hand, engaging in video games like NBA 2K20 or FIFA 20. Those are video games mostly played recreationally, although when the stakes rise and pros and money get involved, they essentially become esports. It’s a galaxy comprised of lucrative tournaments and headset-wearing teams partaking in things like Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Fortnite.

Other popular esports games include League of Legends, Overwatch, and Hearthstone. The most played right now is Dota 2, with prize money well into the nine-figure mark and attracting thousands of participants and related tournaments. Esports were rising meteorically before the global lockdown occurred, to be fair. With quarantines all over the world, the industry is looking poised to finally cement its place in the foreground of pop culture.

Esports, of course, aren’t immune to the crisis (nothing is). Many of the largest tournaments bank on large gatherings of people. Events like the Pokemon Championship Series — the North American event planned for June in Ohio and the World Championship set for London in August — have been canceled. Others have been postponed. Most of us have at least caught wind of these events, fit with packed theaters or stadiums and teams of headset-adorned players, many of whom train vehemently. Just like traditional sports, esports has its share of major sponsors, endorsements, stars, rivalries, and dynasties.

The Rise of eSports
BJI / Blue Jean Images/Getty Images

Its main advantage right now is its ability to go remote. The internet is proving to be a refuge for this realm and many major tournaments have embraced an online-only format. Countless people are watching gamers play live through outlets like Twitch. Moreover, folks hungry for sports are crossing over because it’s basically the only option left for real-time competition. One can only watch so many old YouTube videos of past NBA championships before they thirst for some live competition. 

Team Liquid embodies the rise of esports over the last couple of decades. Founded in 2000, the Netherlands-based outfit is widely regarded as the most successful esports franchise ever. It has earned well over $30 million, boasts teams that play in a whole family of games, and has attracted partners from Honda to Monster Energy. The collective is like the Real Madrid of esports, boasting some of the best players and a large and full trophy cabinet. 

Time will tell just what our current cultural hiatus does to esports. For now, as basketballs remain deflated and stadiums empty, the internet is filling up with gamers. And with major leagues trying to access things with a longterm perspective, some crossover has already taken place. NASCAR has embraced an esports adaptation of itself and many other organizations are looking to emulate the move. Will the NFL follow suit? Major League Baseball?

The Rise of eSports
mikkelwilliam/Getty Images

We can’t help but speculate how various seasons would have ended up. Was King James going to get a title with the Lakers? Were the Astros going to get booed out of every stadium in the country in the wake of the cheating scandal? How might Tom Brady do in Tampa? If sports are delayed through the year, we may be able to rely on esports to fill some of the void. Technology can virtually finish the seasons for us, pretty accurately thanks to scores of stat-based algorithms, all while drawing in viewers online or via television.

Even if you’re a nonbeliever in the exploding realm of esports, you can find a certain element of entertainment in highlight clips online. It’s glorious to hear animated commentators covering live video game battles. Even if you have no idea what’s going on, it’s hard not to appreciate the commitment and battle verbiage. And if you do get a taste for it, you soon realize just how much strategy and preparation is at play. Sure, it’s pixels on the screen and not real people, but the main ingredients of sport are all mostly there.

Editors' Recommendations

Watch MLB: San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants Live Stream
watch mlb padres vs giants online live stream san diego francisco

Today, the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants are facing off again at the beginning of a three-game series that marks the third meeting between the two teams for the 2021 MLB season and the first to take place on the Giants' home turf at Oracle Park. The games will air on ESPN, but if you're looking for a streaming option and want to watch MLB: Padres vs. Giants online, here's what you need to know.

How to Watch MLB: Padres vs. Giants Online in the U.S.

Read more
Watch MFC 14: Live Stream Kickboxing and MMA Today
MFC 14 Time 2 Shine Kickboxing MMA

Looking for some mixed martial arts action to tide you over until UFC 260 on March 27? MMAX Fighting Championship has your fix ready with MFC 14: Time 2 Shine coming tonight to the River Valley Combat Academy in Fort Smith, Ark. You don't need to be a local to watch the battles live, however; you can stream MFC 14 online right from the comfort of home with FITE.tv, and we're here to show you how.

How to Watch the MFC 14 Live Stream Online in the U.S.
If you can't get enough boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and wrestling, then FITE.tv is a must-have service to have in your streaming toolkit. Whereas ESPN+ is the go-to place to live stream UFC fights (and UFC pay-per-view events in particular, as ESPN+ holds exclusive broadcasting rights for these), FITE.tv is one of the top platforms for those who also follow other MMA promotions and amateur leagues where you can see lesser-known, up-and-coming talent duke it out. Who knows? You could be watching the next big UFC star rising in the ranks.

Read more
All the Reasons to Catch an MLB Spring Training Game in Clearwater, Florida
Philadelphia Phillies Spectrum Field

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn is a nostalgic literary examination of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the team's historic victory in 1955. The World Series is often referred to as “The Fall Classic,” and while it is true that baseball season spans largely over summer and fall, it is perhaps in the spring — in the sweet center of March — that building a weekend getaway (or even a spring break vacation) around America’s favorite pastime might be your best getaway idea yet.

Every year, before the official first pitch of the season, baseball teams gather in some of the country’s most desirable vacation destinations to partake in spring training games. These games, designed to figure out the rotations, try out new players,and clean up the kinks, etc., are arguably some of the most fun games to attend the entire year (and are far more casual and far less expensive than regular season games).

Read more