Why traditional sports figures are investing in cybersport
By: Silvester Johnson
Tags: Sports, Esport, NFL, Jordan, Cybersport

Over the past 2 years, one hears more and more about sports figures moving into the cybersport, whether it be by founding a cybersport team, buying existing teams or investing in cybersport technology.

But why is this the case? Are computer games a secret passion of sports figures? Do these people want to support the development of the industry? For some personalities, this may be the case, but there are many other factors as well.

The most cynical answer to this question is that athletes do it for the same reason that anyone invests in anything — they see an opportunity for financial gain. Cybersport has experienced a decade of explosive growth, going from interest from the wider gaming community to a fully formed industry. What’s more, it shows no signs of stopping: in 2024, global market revenues for the industry are projected to grow to $1.6 billion.

The viewership of cyber sports is also growing. The current audience is somewhere between 400–500 million, split evenly between ‘casual’ viewers and dedicated fans.

For several years now, there have been news and articles about how cybersports have surpassed traditional sports. So it’s no surprise that the stars of the NFL, NBA and various football clubs around the world are keeping an eye on where people’s gazes are headed — and where many analysts predict they will stay.

As the audience for cybersport grows among younger viewers and the audience for traditional sports declines among the same demographic, an argument can be made that athletes and figures are actually investing in the future of ‘sports’ in general.

The second reason why esports seems particularly attractive to investors immersed in the world of sports is the experience. Despite some persistent misconceptions about cyber sports stemming from outdated stereotypes about gaming, anyone with even a slight interest in the field will tell you that cyber sports are in most aspects the same as any other sport.

As in traditional sports, success in cyber sports depends not only on the superficial skills needed to play successfully, such as motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Cybersport tends to rely on the same basic principles of teamwork, training, self-discipline, talent and skill progress. In any team discipline, coordination is key. Players cannot rely solely on individual flair or “interest in games”. As it happens, cyber sport is accessible to people who may be less traditionally ‘sporty’.

Training, team building, coaching, organisation and a host of other non-gaming skills occupy sport stars throughout their lives. Thus, the ability to transfer these skills to cybersport can greatly enhance the position of players in this field.

This can also be applied to cybersport organisations: sports stars are uniquely suited to supporting competitive gaming on its way to becoming a sport in its own right. We saw this recently with Jesse Lingard, who led the Rainbow Six Siege team (now JLINGZ esports). In an interview for the BBC, Jesse stressed that “the overlap and similarities with football are crazy. But it doesn’t have to be just those with a sports background, just look at investors such as Drake, Snoop Dogg, IAMMIND and Will Smith.

The fact that Michael Jordan owns a $26 million stake in aXiomatic Gaming (the organisation behind Team Liquid) may not matter much to current eSports fans, but it makes people who may not even know about eSports take notice.

Who better than current and former sports champions to know the ins and outs of the cybersports industry? However, despite its scale, cybersport has not generated the massive cultural discussion and media attention that traditional sports have. Nor has it produced the kind of superstars that traditional sports have produced. There is not a single person in cybersport who has transcended the sport and become its own brand.

If cybersport continues to develop at its current pace, the idea that its champions will reach this level of fame does not seem so far-fetched.