NBA player Jonas Jerebko's investment in esports team Renegades last year was "a way to follow his passion for gaming," but the possibility that esports might be included in the Olympics means it also "made sound business sense," according to Philip O'Connor of REUTERS. Along with the likes of former NBA players Shaquille O'Neal and Magic Johnson, Jerebko is "one of many athletes from more traditional sports who are investing in the fast-growing world" of esports. Thanks to its "appeal to a young demographic," it is now attracting the interest of the Olympic movement, "which will increase awareness even further." Jerebko said, "They're talking about including it for the Olympics in Paris, I've heard rumors about that. It would be fantastic for esport." He said that his own interest in esports "stems from playing NBA console games as a teenager in Sweden, and it has grown ever since." When Jerebko discovered the pace of growth in esports and the potential it had as an investment, he "started to look more closely at it." Jerebko: "I researched it for six to eight months and decided that it might be something for the future. I was in the right place at the right time. I met a person who works for me now that had a contact, Renegades had to sell at exactly the time that I was really interested. I had seen the team play, so we went ahead and bought the team" (REUTERS, 12/5).
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