Is Esports a Sport?

Esports is becoming accepted as a sport, and the competitors are being identified as athletes. 

It has even been introduced in many colleges, including Fresno State, as an official sport.

But should it be considered a sport? This is one of the biggest arguments involving esports, and it is due to the rapid increase in popularity 

Those who consider it a sport say that there are some correlations between physical sports and esports. 

 “As far as a lot of traditional sports, the foundation of it, the rules that you teach,  the fundamentals that you teach, the team building that you learn give that same feeling of being on a team and a feeling of accomplishment,” said Josh Tolbert, Overwatch Head Coach. “There’s a lot of things that fall in line with traditional sports that a lot of people don’t understand and don’t realize. I have to teach the team so many team-building aspects, and it’s a lot more mental than, I would say, traditional sports.”

There are also those who say that it isn’t a sport but consider it in a league of its own.

“See, I would say, nah, it’s not a sport,” said Aden Avila, an Overwatch competitor for Fresno State. “I think sports are more like actual physical activities like cheerleading, football and basketball. This is more, I consider, not in the same league of those sports but it’s like something of its own aspect. It’s still team-oriented, communication-based and still has those fundamentals still within the team.”

But the one thing all players can agree on is that the argument for whether it should be considered a sport is not that important.

“I know it seems like we’re not really doing anything when we’re just sitting there on a mouse and keyboard but when people start playing, they realize it’s a lot harder than it looks,” said Sydnea Ruppert, an Overwatch competitor for Fresno State.

Before this varsity team was added to Fresno State, there was an intramural team, but now that they are backed by Fresno State, it has given them another route. For Avila, who doesn’t think esports is a sport, he’s happy to benefit from it being a sport.

“It’s a whole lot different,” Avila said. “So I think it can benefit us and we can earn scholarships through that. So, it’s not necessarily a waste of time if we use it wisely or find the right opportunities.”

The debate of whether esports should be considered a sport may never end but one thing is for sure, there are a lot of serious competitors.