Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Olympics

Esports Looking To Olympic Inclusion To Validate Gaming Throughout Sporting World

Booming esports "do not need the Olympics to maintain their explosive growth" but a link with the world's biggest multi-sports event would "validate gaming worldwide and give the Games a much-needed younger audience," industry leaders said, according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. Esports have an estimated 250 million players, "more than several of the traditional Olympic sports federations combined." The market is also worth about $1B a year "and growing." Logitech CEO Bracken Darren, whose company has been making computer and gaming equipment for decades and is now "riding the wave" of esports, said, "This will be the biggest sport in the world within 20 years." Logitech's gaming division has "enjoyed" 25-35% growth annually in the past four years alone, Darrell said, adding that the company was an equipment maker "just like Nike is for athletes." He said, "What has happened surprises us as much as it does everyone. Esports will probably be as big or bigger than football. The earlier the Olympics gets in the mix the better." The IOC last month recognized esports as a sport, the "first clear indication to the growing industry that it wants to link up." With the IOC's traditional audience aging and several Olympic sports past their int'l sell-by date, "it is desperate to attract younger people even if it means breaking with tradition." ESL Dir of Team & Federation Relations Jan Pommer said, "We consider esports as entertainment with competitive and sports characteristics. We fully recognize, though, the reservations of the traditional sports world" (REUTERS, 12/5).

For more coverage of the business of esports, visit our partners, esportsobserver.com.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/12/06/Olympics/Esports-Olympics.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/12/06/Olympics/Esports-Olympics.aspx

CLOSE