By Jake Vaccaro
A new form of sports entertainment is about to make the scene. An electronic form of sports betting known as Esports.
Sports. For several thousand years, mankind has loved playing them. And for just as long, mankind has loved watching others play sports. Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, this has been a pastime for many. Since that time, sports, alongside many other aspects of human life and culture, has grown and evolved. These days, not only are there more sports than ever for people to participate in, but the ways in which others can watch them has grown as well. Massive stadiums that can seat thousands of people stand at numerous spots all over the planet, and with the invention of television, millions more can watch their favorite sports live from the comfort of their own home.
For just as long as people have enjoyed playing and watching sports, so too have we enjoyed the art of gambling and betting. The prospect of gaining a large amount of money in a very short period of time has always been appealing. Attaching such things to games only adds to the appeal. Sports betting has been around for many years, with events such as fantasy football becoming increasingly common in recent years.
But even with all this advancement, one thing remains certain. Evolution stops for no one. And in the technological age of advancement otherwise known as the 21st century, the next evolution of sports enjoyment and sports betting is about to see the light of day. And once it does, it will soon make its way into numerous sports arenas across America, if not the world. After that, it will make its way into the American education system so that the next generation can potentially make a career of it. Soon, the world will say hello to the next innovation in the world of sports betting: esports.
Like many of the sports that the world enjoys, esports got its start in Europe, with two companies called European Esports Gaming and Esports Entertainment Group. Both recently made the jump to the United States as public companies and are in the process of contacting sports teams across the country with the prospect of doing tournaments in their venues. Also involved in the growing market of esports is another company known as the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). AEG already has a handful of stadiums to their name and are looking to make a global partnership.
Sports venues are far from the only place that the esports program will soon be seen. Within a few years, it is hoped that the program will be seen in high schools, community colleges, and perhaps a few universities across the country. One of the biggest issues at the moment is that several of these educational facilities lack the funding to undertake such an endeavor. Another problem that the esports industry faces is the fact that out of the hundreds of colleges and universities across the country, only 34 of them offer scholarships related to esports. However, the fine people behind the esports pod have a potential solution to these problems.
Much like how the racers in NASCAR have sponsors that support the drivers and have their logos placed all over their cars, the solution to how to put the esports pod in educational facilities across America will involve sponsors. If a sponsor, Coca-Cola, for example, were to invest in the esports pod, they would generate funding for the school or university that is hosting the esports pod and have their name all over the lounge that will be hosting the pod. It’s a win-win for both sides. With popular brands like that investing in esports, the program could potentially generate enough funding to allow countless more colleges universities to not only fund the program for themselves, but offer their students scholarships related to the field as well.
Once the esports program is up and running, it will allow for the field of competitive sports betting to tread new ground and do things that have never been done before. Such as having it made fair, having it be based on pure skill rather than just luck and a stable internet connection, and having it done at any convenient location across the globe. With the fairness of the esports program as opposed to other methods of sports betting, it is believed that scholarships for the program will be offered to high school kids across all of America once the program makes its way into the American educational system.
As is, things like the Madden and the NBA 2k video games are currently the biggest esports games in the world, as are the games played by all the branches of the military. Be that as it may, there is much room for expansion beyond sports related video games and games only played by those who protect and serve in the armed forces. With the ever-growing popularity of the video game industry, there is much room for expansion to other sports related video games and, as mentioned before, into the realm of professional sporting events. Even so, video game companies only make so many copies of these games, and they typically only use American athletes and sports, thus they only appeal to American audiences. The goal of the current program is to reach audiences beyond the average gamer and get people worldwide to participate in the booming industry that is esports.
It is the hopes of those who are currently backing the esports program that one day, hundreds, if not thousands, of people will soon be using the global esports betting system. If a global tournament can be set up, it is hoped that somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people will enter the tournament. Those who get further into the tournament than others will have the potential to win a great sum of money. Not only that, but much like how professional sports teams often scout young and new talent for their teams, the winners of these tournaments will be traded to the teams that the NFL and NBA owners have and make even more money than before.
As mentioned, the current leaders in the realm of esports are sports-based video games. With the extraordinarily large number of young gamers out in the world at the moment, organizing a tournament for these individuals to compete in should not be much of an issue. The issue lies in offering them actual money and getting it to them once they’ve earned it. In the meantime, non-monetary prizes can be offered for the participants can bet against each other. Things such as coins or credits that can be exchanged for actual prizes are a potential offering for those who wish to play the game. Prizes like that are popular on a number of social media games, which could potentially draw in some of the near endless number of people who spend a disproportionate amount of time on social media sites on a daily basis.
This esports program was spearheaded by a domain known as Sports.net, alongside a handful of other companies such as the aforementioned European Esports Gaming and AEG. With all these companies working toward the same goal, it was only a matter of time until a breakthrough was made in the realm of esports. Said breakthrough has come to be known as the esports pod. The esports pod, created by the domain Sports.net, is a self-containing unit built to suit all a person’s esports needs. While using the pod, one could keep up with several sports statistics and place bets on them. All that is needed is a stable internet connection and a decent amount of luck and skill, all of which is easy to obtain. The pod is designed to contain everything a person might need in terms of esports. In addition, the entire thing is able to be branded. This means that with sponsors backing it up, the world may soon see the pod in every high school, college, and university across America sometime in the future. After that, who knows, the world may be next.
The end goal of this entire esports program is to turn it into a global sports betting pool on par with the kinds of betting pools one might see in a Las Vegas casino. To do that, the program will require a plan with a fair amount of competition, education, and agency. A plan that hits all the major integral parts of esports. Once this plan is in place, I have no doubt that the esports program will take the world by storm.
Most of the data related to the esports program is being handled by the previously mentioned Sports.net, which is currently building an experimental venue that will handle all esports/sports betting and create tournaments across the globe. It is hoped that the data gathered will consist mostly, if not entirely, of skill and that it will be huge because no NBA/NFL/MLB agent will have the kind of data that Sports.net will have once this program is up and running. Assisting Sports.net in this venue not only includes the aforementioned Esports Entertainment Group and AEG, but also other domains known as Fanz.gg and Fanz.net, both of which are helping to build a fanbase around the betting program that Sports.net offers, which will help generate interest in the esports program. Fanz.gg and Fanz.net are both owned by a company known as Dakdan Worldwide. Dakdan is the true mastermind behind this whole esports program, and has partnered with the likes of Sports.net and AEG, among others, to breathe life into the program. With Dakdan at the helm, there is little doubt in my mind that esports will soon be a force that will be known and celebrated all over the world.
