How the Rise of Esports has Changed Live Sports Forever
Over the past decade or so, Esports has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity and influence. And it’s changing the way we consume all sports forever.
Though some still doubt Esports’ place in the pantheon of competition, their stance is outdated. The idea that global pandemic served as the catalyst for an artificial Esports boon has proven to be faulty. Popularity has not waned in the years since people returned to their previously, albeit forever altered, lives.
On the contrary, Esports is more of a force than ever. Look no further than the top online sportsbooks in the world as proof. Last year, Esports betting accounted for over $2.5 billion of the global revenue stream, according to data from Jillian Dingwell of Signa. That is over 2 percent of the global market sports betting revenue. And while that may not seem like much, it’s a massive share when you consider Esports was barely a blip on the radar 10 to 15 years ago.
As the industry grows, in fact, it is beginning to materially impact how we consume traditional live sporting events. We do not mean this as a replacement alternative, either. Although a handful of people maintain that Esports can eventually usurp traditional live sports, we continue to see evidence that shows the two can exist in tandem.
Nothing drives that point home harder than traditional sports leagues adopting changes that can be traced back to Esports production.
Pro Sports Leagues are Building Esports Spinoffs
This is the easiest, most obvious, and arguably, most important change Esports has brought to conventional sports.
Pretty much all of the major leagues in the world now have some version of an Esports spinoff. The NBA has its own 2K league. The NFL has a Madden Championship Series league. There is an Esports soccer league from the MLS, aptly called eMLS.
This list goes on. And on. And on.
It may continue to get even longer.
Up-and-coming in-person sports could take the virtual world by storm in due time. Pickleball video games are starting to crop up. The Pro Tour of Pickleball will almost assuredly have their own Esports variant at some point.
What’s more, as the years go by, we should all expect entrenched leagues to expand. An Esports NFL league, for instance, is not subject to the same expansion limitations as the NFL itself. It could broaden its tournament beyond the 32 teams that currently participate now.
Esports is Reinventing Aspects of Live Broadcasts
Here’s a change that flies under the radar, but is actually a pretty big deal.
Esports tournaments have popularized the use of different types of cameras and angles and even drone use. Most of the Esports leagues market the ability for fans to feel like they’re part of the action. Now, traditional leagues are doing the same.
Take Formula 1, for example. As the folks over at Groovy Gecko point out, F1 has modeled parts of its broadcast off Esports’ use of drones:
“A prime example of eSports-inspired innovation in traditional sports broadcasting is the use of the Red Bull drone to track Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 car at Silverstone. By integrating drone footage with live telemetry data, broadcasters were able to offer viewers a unique perspective on the race, capturing the intensity and excitement of the event from new angles. This groundbreaking approach underscores the synergies between eSports production techniques and traditional sports coverage.”
We have since started seeing similar types of coverage for pro golf. More intimate angles are also being used across team sports.
The NBA, in particular, has run specific alternative broadcasts that allow viewers to take in the action while tracking the movements of one player.