Former NBAer Rick Fox has become one of the people who has "managed to legitimize esports both for its existing fans ... and for his peers" in America, according to Andrew Leonard of ROLLING STONE. Fox owns e-sports franchise Echo Fox, and what he and gamers know is what corporate America is "fast realizing" -- that the first generation to be "raised in an era where wi-fi and smartphones are ubiquitous is no longer wedded to the entertainment options of the past." Fox said that he agrees that the "hubbub over esports and the decline in NFL ratings are connected." Echo Fox CEO Jace Hall said that the "rise of esports ... is a natural consequence of technological change." Hall said, "Technology comes in and makes live streaming available to everyone. And lo and behold, what happens is that everybody starts watching again -- which they've always wanted to do -- but now on top of that we have way more games and different tastes and different things available for people to watch, so it's just exponentially more interesting to a wider group of people." Fox said, "Everyone is trying to figure it out, but the best way to do that is be on the ground and in the fire" (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 12/12).
