Why eSports Will be Bigger Than Football
We live in a digital era. With the advancement of modern technologies, every sport out there is constantly evolving.
In most cases, the implementation of cutting-edge technologies has improved the overall fan experience.
For instance, fans of Juventus –the leading football team from Italy, are now capable of being a part of the subsequent virtual tours through the facilities and stadiums of the team.
However, the overall rise of technology is known to have an effect on the number of people getting engaged in Football’s digital versions.
This is because eSports has become increasingly popular. With professional teams all around the world creating dedicated eSports teams, the primary question that comes in the mind of the players is whether or not eSports is going to become bigger than football.
Why eSports Will be Bigger Than Football
There are several reasons that could be attributed to the overall success of eSports. Here is an insight into some of them:
Massive Amounts of Money Put into the Industry
One of the major reasons for e-sports and its overall popularity it holds the potential to take over physical sports through the massive amounts of money that has been put in the given industry.
In 2019, the Fortnite gave away the most prize money of any other game. They gave over 64 Million dollars away in prize money.
This turns out to be significantly higher than the prize money of the US Open (at around $12 million), Daytona 500 (at around $15.5 million), and the Tour de France (at around $2.7 million). While these amounts are not even close to the prize money that could be earned in Football, it is not impossible to foresee the same in the future.
Increasing Viewership
The overall popularity of eSports is soaring in the modern era. It is also evidence due to peak viewership of the League Legends recently –peaking at around 106.2 million viewership across the world.
There is no denying the fact that both real-life and virtual worlds of football have been successful in finding their intersection in eSports. There is the FIFA eWorld Cup catching the attention of the target spectators.
It is the eSports equivalent of the highly reputed and sought-after World Cup in the football domain.
Moreover, the digital version of the World Cup is organized every year –in comparison to the 4-year gap in physical football World Cup tournaments.
Football leagues from all corners of the world have considered joining the eSports craze. As per a recent report, it was revealed that La Liga had recently launched its dedicated eSports division. In this division, the teams will be competing in competitions of Pro Evolution Soccer. The main aim of the division is to satisfy the respective demands of the sponsors of La Liga –most of whom are highly interested in eSports investments.
Increasing Fan Access
There is no denying the fact that watching live games –either at a PPV channel or at the stadium, can turn out to be an expensive affair.
This leads to the creation of a disconnection between fans and the respective teams. Fans who are used to watching eSports never have to pay money if they don’t want to.
Streaming companies like Twitch and YouTube live broadcast to millions everyday.
More People Turning to Competitive Video Games
It was recently observed that over 27 million people browsed the League of Legends world championships on ESPN3 and Twitch.. A major reason for the overall growth of eSports than conventional gaming is that people tend to spend more time playing video games nowadays than the past era.
People who are used to playing online video games are more competitive and create a natural audience for the pro gamers.
Cross Platform Battle Royals Allow for Easy Entry
Most of the cross-platform gaming platforms are delivering the overall ease of access and entry into becoming a pro eSports player. The concept of cross-platform allows the players to access the multi-platform gaming functionality to enhance the overall gaming experience. One of the most known games, Fortnite, is a prime example of this type of gameplay.
Wrapping Up
Esports is on the rise and we are going to see it continue to rise over the coming years.
The gaming landscape along with eSports is still in its early years. We have no idea where it will be in the next five years, but i wouldn’t be surprised that in those next five years you see more people tuning into an eSports match rather than a Football Match.
Banner goes here