Esports in the Olympics?

You think Wheaties Will Sponsor an Esports Player?

This is a decisive topic that may draw as many cheers as face palms, but soon this thought will become a reality. Is it that surprising or even disgraceful though? The Olympics was built on showing the world the greatest in all forms. And whose to say the reaction time and coordination between a team of players isn't a worthy display of prowess? There are may sports already in the the Olympics that put our hand-eye coordination to the test.

Sports such as shooting, archery, and horseshoes all take patience, tactics, and a sharp eye. So is it so hard to believe that video games, which involve the same level of skill can be considered an Olympic sport? Well, some may have trouble watching something they see their 10 year old kid doing every afternoon as challenging, or they simply don't know enough about it to support it.

It's true,video games can be played by kids, but anyone who has watched an esport competition will tell you that comparison is similar to comparing little league to the major leagues. But there are still those who simply don't understand the draw behind gaming and therefore they find it hard to support it, and I respect that. If it were up to me, curling wouldn't be an Olympic sport, but it is and it has created a huge fan base.

This brings me to my final point, which is the constantly growing fan base. Gamers have grown, and the age range is a wide spread that attracts the attention of nearly all ages.

Stadiums such as the one pictured above, which was the DOTA 2 Championships, shows how the community is growing behind this. Esports is becoming nearly impossible to ignore as team of young kids are winning large sums of money by doing what most deem as entertainment. Stadiums are being packed, but why is that important?

Look at the Olympics like a product. The only way to sell your product is to cater to the changing landscape of the marketplace, and what I see in the image above is an enormous untapped market. So, this is why we'll be seeing esports receive medal status by 2022.


But what do you think? Should esports be part of the Olympics, and if so, what game should they choose?