Motorsports have an advantage in esports as games increasingly replicate the experience of real carsFORMULA 1 GAME
McLaren Racing, as "one of the first sports organizations to build an esports team," has had time to "learn about the industry, embed itself in the ecosystem, and strike commercial deals," according to Seb Joseph of DIGIDAY. During the pandemic, McLaren has had "all these resources to leverage to grow in the burgeoning esports ecosystem." Its esports team "now has major sponsors" in Logitech and Huami and an "established presence in well-known tournaments." Advertisers "non-endemic to esports" often strike "sponsorship deals or fund branded content with McLaren’s esports team." They see McLaren "not only as an opportunity to start reaching esports audiences," but also to "reach those who are outside of it." This played out recently when virtual GPs "flourished in the absence of real races." Motorsports have an "advantage over other sports organizations in esports" in that the games "increasingly replicate the set-up and experience in the real cars." McLaren’s recent conversations with potential partners are a testament to how this "closes the gap between live and virtual racing." Esports also is a "cheaper entry point into a sport usually reserved for the largest advertisers." A sports media exec said that deals to be a lead sponsor with esports teams are "usually around" $100,000. In comparison, Vodafone paid $75M per year to sponsor McLaren's F1 team from '07-13 (DIGIDAY.com, 10/19).
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