Opinion – Sandro Macedo: So, is eSport a sport or not?

Until very recently, one of the channels that devotes 100% of its programming to sports asked a question during commercial breaks. “But is eSport a sport or not?”, or something like that. The answer, at the end of the commercial, was yes. After all, it called for some kind of programming to be shown.

However, even in a relaxed tone, if the channel itself that would broadcast promoted the topic in the form of a question, it means that the answer might not be so obvious. Even for an audience that follows the eclecticism of sports attractions.

eAssunto came to the fore at the beginning of the year after a declaration by Ana Moser, the new Minister of Sports, to UOL —in time, a joy to have the ministry back and run by a former athlete (not a politician) who knows of the perrengues of the class.

Reloaded. Back to the subject. The minister classified eSports as entertainment and, probably because she is not political, she was not very subtle in setting an example. “The eSports athlete trains, but Ivete Sangalo also trains to put on a show and she is not an athlete, she is an artist who works with entertainment.”

Comparing the digital game to a simple arerê was like a Will Smith slap in the face of the category. It didn’t go well with the group and criticism rained down — mostly from practitioners, amateurs and professionals.

This scribe understands the mental exhaustion and strong psychological preparation necessary for eSports competitions, which require training and disposition far beyond just playing a video game on the couch.

But I agree with Ana Moser, at least for now, on the exclusion of electronic game players when transferring funds to help high-performance athletes in the so-called Olympic sports, which are increasingly numerous —I am still working on self-acceptance for competitions breakdancing and climbing, but I get there.

Much of the confusion regarding eSports comes from the fact that they are always being compared to other entertainment industries. Nobody says that eSports move more or less money than the Premier League (the English league) or La Liga (the Spanish one).

Typically, reports on the subject use the film industry or the music industry as a parallel —and both lose out on the water. While the games industry, in which eSports are part, moves almost US$ 200 billion, the film and music industry do not reach US$ 100 billion together.

FIFA earned US$ 40 billion with the Qatar Cup, but the next one will only be in four years. Legend has it that, except for the Cup, one of the main sources of annual income for the federation chaired by Gianni Infantino (who has red hair) comes precisely from the sale of copyrights to the games industry.

It is also possible that a professional eSports player at a high level earns much more than a judoka, gymnast or swimmer.

Players and the eSports industry today need recognition more than money. On the other hand, the Olympics have prestige (only every four years) and seek more investment.

Perhaps Ana Moser will be able to make this bridge in the future. Prestige in exchange for sponsorship from some electronics giant, who knows? But the discussion is interesting and needs more debate.

Ah, I just remembered that the same channel that showed eSports also broadcast poker competitions. And now, is poker just a card game or is it a sport?