Hello, everyone! Luke here, with Jacob, and this is a new series called You Decide. We will have a small debate, and then ask for your answer. Our first You Decide is about whether if eSports should be considered a “real sport.”
When you think of sports, what do you think of? Tennis? Basketball? Soccer? Well today, Jacob and I will show you a new type of competition: eSports. eSports are, long story short, competitive video gaming. In this article, we will debate whether eSports should be considered a real sport. At the end, we will ask your opinion, and you can drop it in the comments section below. So let’s get started.
So… Jacob will be arguing for conventional sports and I will be arguing for eSports although we both enjoy eSports.
Luke: So let’s start with a question: What is a sport? Technically, according to Dictionary.com, a sport is “an activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of competitive nature.” While eSports may not require physical strength, they definitely require skill. Gamers “train” daily for as much as 10-12 hours a day.
Jacob: But most people would think of sport as physical exercise, not clicking a mouse for 10 hours.
Luke: Objection! eSport players have to do more than spam the spacebar. Being a eSport player requires hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and focus.
Jacob: So does catching a ball. And conventional sports players can receive college scholarships and become professional to make millions of dollars.
Luke: eSport players can become just as professional. Many universities will provide scholarships for eSport players, and high-ranking “eSporters” in South Korea are treated no less than pop idols.
Jacob: However, it takes a lot more skill to play conventional sports. It requires training for hours a day and takes a lot of physical work.
Luke: So eSports are easier to play. Is that necessarily a bad thing? In fact, Gong “Miro” Jin Hyuk was still in high school when he lead Team South Korea to win the Overwatch World Cup and become the MVP.
Okay, so now we will ask various staff members on their opinion.
Calvin Mustokoff ‘22: I think that a lot of people, especially adults, have, like, unnecessary biases on video games, and I think people’s opinion on eSports reflect that.
Vote: Yes for eSports
Charlie Szwartz ‘21: eSports are good, but not all of them should be considered real sports. Only games based off of “real sports” should be considered sports (Madden, Fifa, etc.)
Vote: Not sure
Anonymous Opinion: Not really, as eSports are more of moving your thumbs around.
Vote: No for eSports
Riley Roche ‘22: I think eSports, on some level, can take more skill than “regular sports.” To become an eSport athlete, it requires fast reaction time, a steady hand, and an incredible mind.
Vote: Yes for eSports
Will Bozman ‘21: I think that eSports, while not the most athletic of sports should still be considered a sport, because even though they are virtual, you still go through the same motions as “real sports.”
Vote: Yes for eSports
Kyle Brady ‘23: eSports shouldn’t be a real sport. I feel like sports are athletics, like when they say, “Come on, let’s go to athletics” they mean sports and everything. They don’t say, “Come on, let’s go play video games.”
Vote: No for eSports
Now it’s time for you to decide. Should eSports be a “real sport” or should sports be only athletics? Please leave your opinion in the comments box below.
I vote Yes for eSports. Sports are activities that require practice and time devotion. And the abilities are used in a competition against other players.