If you don’t follow ESPN on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media, you haven’t noticed the influx of eSports highlights dominating their pages. From Rocket League goals to League of Legend kills, video games have taken over the sports-focused websites’ content. And while many think this venture into the gaming world is an ill-advised move by ESPN, the people in charge are reminded of another successful investment that made “sports purists” a little upset. With the obvious success of the World Series of Poker and the memory of huge viewership numbers when televised poker first came out, ESPN thought a big investment in this new form of entertainment would be a good move. After all, nearly 250 million people sat back and enjoyed an eSporting event at some time during 2015 and those numbers are only going up. When it comes to watching these events, there is no doubt there is something intriguing about the experience. Much like poker’s combination of innovative technologies and the so-called “human element,” eSports events are engaging for viewers, exciting for participants and lucrative for everyone involved. Plus, much like real sports, there is serious skill on display at every event. Photo: Flickr / K putt
