For a bit of context, this post was born out of a discussion I had with Izlain on the podcast Couch Podtatoes. We disagreed fundamentally on the definition of the word ‘sport’, whether esports are truly sports, and on the importance of physicality to qualify as a true sport. Realizing his reservations echoed some of the same I had years ago when I first pondered whether Nascar was a sport or not, I decided to do a little research into the word.

In an instant, my Twitter feed transitioned seamlessly from the World Cup to the Evo Championship Series and The International. Even if public consciousness hasn’t shifted entirely on the idea of videogames as sports and professional gamers as athletes, a sincere movement to a broader acceptance seems right around the corner. Still, for anyone with a more restrictive definition of the word sport, I thought it would be a good time to discuss the history of the term with esports firmly in mind.

There are two prominent, separate, but related definitions of the word sport that we still use in modern English. The one with the most capital (literally-speaking since sports generate an incredible amount of revenue worldwide) typically refers to ‘athletic competition’. This interpretation of the word is arguably the least compatible with esports being sports since it relies on the concept of athleticism.

Here’s the tricky part: athlete comes from a romanized Greek word. It’s meaning changed slightly in the shift from Greek to Latin. For the earlier Greek word, it meant ‘prize fighter’. The Latin reinterpretation used it for ‘wrestlers’, but more broadly for a ‘combatant in public games’. Over time, a strong correlation with physical sports and the Olympic tradition have more narrowly defined the word athlete to our modern definition: a person trained to compete in a sport involving physical strength.

In other words, there’s definitely an argument on the basis of the word and its popular usage that professional gamers are not athletes. Esports, after all, do not test any significant degree of physical strength. In other words, you can’t really make the claim that esports are sports since they are not athletic sports.

That’s well and good, but I don’t think most people care as much about the athleticism of a participant in a particular sport. While your average sports enthusiast is quick to acknowledge the physicality of a favorite player, its that players performance within the strict boundaries of the sport that matter most. I am sure we could discern which football player is the absolute strongest and the fastest, but does that matter if neither factor translates it a clear difference in stats versus a less strong, less fast player?

This is where our other definition of the word sport comes in to play. The earliest definition for the word sport meant a ‘matter or incident providing entertainment, diversion, or amusement.’ If you have ever done something simply ‘for the sport of it’, then this is the type of sport you meant. In fact, sport literally comes from the shortening of another word, now infrequently used in English, disport, which is a verb meaning ‘to divert or amuse’.

Now, I must admit: it’s difficult to argue against the multimillion dollar marketing campaigns that tell us sports are important parts of everyday life. In the United States especially, it can be a challenge to grow up unscathed by the incessant attempts of a local population of sports fans to drill into you ideals of ‘school spirit’ or pride in your city/state/country and the athletes/teams that represent them. There’s a prevailing culture that embraces sporting events as a type of civilized warfare in which disparate groups can safely engage in a reasonable competition with bragging rights and a hometown parade on the line.

Yet, the social stigmas of avoiding sports as a kid or all the attempts your dad made to make you into ‘more of a man’ through sports, I disagree that they are anything more than simple, frivolous entertainment. To me, sports are most definitely an amusement and diversion for large groups of people. Many fans may take them more (or too) seriously than that, but they are literally just a game and that’s a major reason why I can enjoy sports without throwing punches at my team’s rival fans.

Therein lies my argument lies my argument for esports as sports. To me, it isn’t so much the strength of the individual or their speed (assuming we aren’t talking about someone competing in track or weight-lifting), but the way in which that individual can flourish within the framework of a game. By understanding the rules, the goals, and utilizing their natural and well-trained talents, participants in sports continue to amaze us as representatives of human excellence and human flourishing. More importantly, esports have been and will continue to be sources of entertainments for players and fans alike, worldwide, for many years to come. The numbers are increasing, not decreasing.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating an professional gamer skilled in a fighting or MOBA game. Their hard work and effort have put them head-and-shoulders above a much wider group of players. These individuals, like other athletes, represent aspects of human greatness that everyone can aspire to emulate. Training to become an expert at something and triumphing over others are not contingent on the size of biceps and calves. Instead, they are the human spirit lit ablaze for all to enjoy.

We can argue if professional gamers are truly athletes. I take a broader understanding of the term as simply someone who has trained to participate in an organized competition. I personally believe that racecar drivers, golfers, and even bowlers can be athletes. I think professional gamers can be too. But when it comes to the question of esports as sports, I no longer believe there is any debate worth having. Esports are most definitely in line with sports as both amusement and diversion. Even if we sometimes use the word to specifically mean ‘athletic sports’, that is not enough to discount an entirely new category of sports that is moving gaming culture in a direction it was likely always going to go.

#Esports #Sports #Moba