The esports industry has been booming for the past two decades with it also making massive strides in the US market now as the viewership grows leaps and bounds
The scale of esports has grown to be a huge source of entertainment throughout the world. It is no different from the people in the United States. Kids, teenagers, and even young adults look up to esports players and influencers like celebrities, just like they view athletes like LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo.
This shows the reality we live in now, as esports in the US have the potential to pull in a larger audience than traditional sports! Let’s figure out why esports may overtake something as huge as soccer.
Why Will Esports In The US Become More Popular Than Soccer As The Market And Viewership Grows
The Generation Z kids are lazier
As time passes, things in the world gradually begin to change, and generational differences are no exception. It is undeniable that there are significant differences between the current generation, Generation Z, and previous generations.
The most noticeable difference is that Gen Z kids have become lazier due to technological advancements in gadgets. Though people enjoy the benefits of phones and computers in current times, we can all agree that people are becoming lazier as devices do tasks for us more quickly and straightforwardly.
Since kids in Generation Z are growing up with access to gadgets, they become more and more attached to their devices, where they could quickly become addicted. This addiction results in more kids playing video games and fewer playing outside. Online video games provide kids with entertainment and allow them to connect with their friends with a button click.
This simple reason is why traditional sports such as soccer have become less popular, as millions of kids have not played soccer since growing up. Why would they watch something that they don’t know about or play?
Another critical factor is that esports is inclusive to everybody. Every player has an even shot at becoming the best, as physical traits required in sports such as height and stamina will not result in anyone getting weeded out. Not requiring physical attributes makes esports an equal playing field compared to needing different physical capabilities that you would need to excel at soccer.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has attracted sports fans to try out esports
Though the pandemic was an unfortunate occurrence that has negatively impacted the entire world, COVID-19 has benefited the esports world by pulling in sports players to try video games out. The most significant difference between sports and esports is that players have to be in the same place to play the sport physically, and COVID-19 completely prevented players from meeting each other.
Due to the pandemic, tournament organizers canceled sports events, and sports players couldn’t even play sports with each other during the time. Meanwhile, esports was still operating normally.
The virus allowed esports to become a leading source of entertainment. Esports tournaments could still occur online, so professional matches were still going smoothly. People were still able to enjoy and place their esports bet on different games.
Since sports players could not play their usual sports, many sought esports as an excellent way to pass the time and enjoy playing with friends. The pandemic introduced millions of new players in the US to esports and its competitive scene. The influx of new players resulted in esports being increasingly popular as a spectator sport. Soon enough, further growth on the best esports betting sites in the US started. More and more soccer fans started shifting to placing esports bets while COVID-19 put on many soccer events on halt.
Improvements in streaming and broadcasting make watching esports more convenient than soccer and sports
With video games themselves seeing rapid growth as a source of entertainment, the supporting cast continues to improve. Streaming services and esports gambling sites in the USA have followed the footsteps of video games and have begun to enhance their services. Twitch.tv, arguably the most popular streaming platform, is used by millions of people in the United States every day.
Now, watching esports matches will only take a few quick clicks, and these games are free to watch. Fans won’t need to look through hundreds of channels on their television and won’t have to subscribe to watch sports matches such as soccer events. The fact that people can open up their phones and be able to watch esports matches conveniently makes video games an incredibly viable source of entertainment.
The potential of esports is being recognized by soccer sponsors and enormous organizations
With streaming and broadcasting services getting more refined, a larger audience is attracted to watching esports. With more viewers come more sponsors. Major sponsors that are seen in soccer, such as Etihad Airways, have made their entrance to the esports world by sponsoring esports organization Nigma Galaxy. Etihad has realized the potential of esports and has invested in the high chance that esports can overtake the popularity of soccer.
Courtesy Dota 2 AniMajor
Large North American esports organizations have also started to become more active in investing in professional teams. Examples of esports scenes such as the Valorant scene in the US are massive. They have more than 15 colossal organizations battling it out in the North American region. Big names including Sentinels, FaZe Clan, Cloud9, 100Thieves, and OpTic Gaming are seeing a bright future for esports, especially in the United States.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the rapid development in the esports industry is actual. It plans to continue its growth in the coming years. A significant contributor to the increase in players comes from the trends and characteristics of the current generation, Generation Z. The factors include laziness and disparity of physical capabilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced more people in the United States to try out esports and the many esports betting sites US offers. With the esports market starting to get more active and convenient, massive companies that are also involved in soccer see the potential that esports can soon become more popular than soccer. These companies have made their moves by investing serious money into the scene.