Are Esports Sports?

The debate has raged on for years now about the idea of esports being synonymous with traditional sports, but is this a debate we even need to have? I owe who I am today to playing sports when I was younger. I know that without participating in Powerchair Football (Powersoccer), I likely would have become depressed and isolated in a world that was far too scary for a kid with a physical disability. Now that I’m an adult, I could say the same about esports. My friends and opportunities have been directly linked to my passion for esports as of late, and I find it to be an irreplaceable part of who I am now. With that said, I’d like to talk about some of the arguments that we see in the debate about sports and esports.

Firstly the Oxford Dictionary defines a sport as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” This is the root of the argument around the silly idea that sports have to be about physical attributes like strength or agility. I don’t see it say anywhere that you have to play outdoors or be physically fit. The two determining factors are “physical exertion” and “skill,” but what is “physical exertion”? Oxford Dictionary defines physical as “relating to the body as opposed to the mind” and exertion as “physical or mental effort.” In other words, you’re using your body and putting an effort into what you’re doing. I suppose that it’s a bit implied that you should feel tired after performing this activity since you’re putting a great deal of effort into it. With that said, esports definitely falls within this definition because of the physical energy necessary to have high APMs at a competitive level. It may be less physical than football or hockey but that isn’t what defines a sport. If level of physicality was the determining factor of what is a sport then the sport that changed my life, Powerchair Football, isn’t a sport by those standards.

The next argument that really bothers me is the notion of an esports athletes being “nerds.” I’m sure most that say this don’t really mean it like this, but this type of discrimination is no different than being sexist or racist. We live in a world where our social culture is changing constantly, and as such, we always have subgroups that feel the brunt of discrimination and persecution. In our day and age, we’ve tried to change our ways and huge steps forward have been made with regards to equality, but we still aren’t there yet. Even our greatest global event, the Olympics, has been surrounded by controversy about Russia’s laws towards gays and lesbians. This type of global dilemma is no different than esports being shunned because it’s a bunch of “nerds.” Everytime I hear this comment made it outrages me because it reminds me that we still live in a world where women are considered inferior and people with disabilities are invalids. The fact that people don’t take the time to learn and understand one another is the reason that when I go outside in public people stare. It’s the fact that the glass ceiling for women still exists, and it’s the fact that esports is ridiculed by mainstream personality.

With those pet peeves of mine aside, I’d like to tell you my definition of what a sport is and how esports fits into my definition.

Sport: an activity involving physical or mental exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

I added two words to act as clarification, but those two words are so incredibly powerful. By allowing for the competition to occur on a mental level then we’re removing the shackles that lead to discrimination and inequality. The notion of sports should be more aligned with the ideals of the Olympic movement which states:

The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play (http://www.olympic.org/Documents/olympic_charter_en.pdf).

Sports are about friendship, community, fairplay, and equality. They are not about who can kick the hardests or throw the furthest. Those activities come secondary to the spirit of competition and sportsmanship, which esports has in spades.

Esports and Equality: Gamers giving the world a real lesson in how to behave

In a world still filled with injustices and inequalities, I believe that, like traditional sports, esports bridges the barriers of race, sex and physical abilities that still plague the world. I realize that this is quite a bold statement to make given the behaviour of an average internet user can be quite unpleasant, but I believe that esports is heading in the right direction to help improve online communities. The basis of my opinion is centered primarily in two events, my online fundraising and a Las Vegas trip, that I've been involved in.

Last year, a few friends of mine made comments about how it would be cool for people to see how I play because of how unique it is. They were of the opinion that I could get quite a lot of viewers if I did it, and so, I decided that I would try it out. I decided that instead of streaming for myself, I would try to do an online fundraiser to help Muscular Dystrophy Canada provide support for kids and adults who have neuromuscular conditions. Additionally, I wanted to raise awareness for disabled gamers since I knew quite a few. While I knew this fundraiser was going to be successful no matter what, I was astonished by the publicity and support I received from the online communities. In fact, a number of big named professional players from many games promoted my stream, and in part, it was so successful thanks to the support from the esports community. The second event that helps form my opinion is from meeting people involved in esports.

Thanks to my fundraising and streaming, I've been able to meet a number of awesome gamers, and my recent trip to Las Vegas, firmly instilled my faith in esports as a tool for bringing people together. I went to Las Vegas for IPL6, but unfortunately, the event was cancelled. Due to a number of factors, I decided that I would still go on the trip and enjoy myself. A big part of my trip was getting to meet and hang with Optimus Tom, MissTeak, and Glyceroll. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I met up with them because as a guy with a disability, I've seen people reaction or handle it quite differently. Most people at first are a bit careful and stand off-ish till they get used to the wheelchair and such, but this wasn't the case when I met up with these 3. Honestly, I was shocked by how normal they acted around me from the very start. Typically, a person is only this comfortable from the start if they have prior experience with wheelchairs and such, so I was pleasantly surprised. To be quite honest, their acceptance and understanding is what made the weekend just that much more enjoyable. This kind of reaction is exactly the kind of bridging barriers that I'm talking about, and I believe that esports is a huge part of why this is possible.