Written by: Spencer Mitchell

Are esports really capable of challenging mainstream, "actual" sporting competitions? A lot of people have shrugged off that idea, or have insisted on classifying esports and regular sports in different categories. But going strictly by the numbers, comparing some of the biggest competitive gaming events to major sports contests, the answer is pretty clear: damn right, esports is mounting a serious challenge! That's not to say the two are actually in opposition in any way, but it has become increasingly apparent that those dismissing esports as a fad, or something that only appeals to a certain subset of society, are being proven wrong. And it's actually not really a new phenomenon. Bryce Blum, a pioneering lawyer for the esports industry, answered some questions last year about the growth of that industry in general, and in his interview he made some interesting points about the longevity esports have already established. "Starcraft used to be big in Korea, and there was Magic: The Gathering on ESPN, and CounterStrike on MTV. The viewership has always been high, but now, monetization is finally catching up, which makes the viewership more stable..." Those are fair points that a lot of people analyzing the modern growth of esports sometimes tend to forget. But the more striking indications of just how popular the industry is becoming are the comparisons to specific sporting events known to draw humongous audiences.  

Esports vs. NBA Finals

The NBA Finals are typically among the most popular major sporting events in the U.S. if not the world, and in 2014 the match-up could not have been much more high profile. On the one side, the Miami Heat were at the peak of their powers and going for a third championship in the "big three" era during which the team was led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. On the other side, the San Antonio Spurs were back once again, continuing their unprecedented run of consistency and vying for what many believed was Tim Duncan's last shot at a title. They were two genuinely terrific teams with plenty of stars to capture the public's imagination, meaning even among NBA Finals it was a marquee series. Yet according to the same interview with Bryce Blum, even that match-up couldn't hold up to the growing popularity of esports. Blum claimed that in 2014 more people watched the League Of Legends final than that NBA series. And wouldn't you know it, the numbers back up Blum's statement. 27 million people tuned in to stream the League Of Legends final online, compared to 15.5 million for the NBA Finals (and, as it happened, 15.8 million for the baseball World Series' average game the same year).

Esports vs. The Final Four

Moving away from professional sports, the Final Four of NCAA basketball is also considered one of the biggest events out there. The National Championship in particular tends to be a huge draw no matter who's playing, and once again we had a particularly compelling match-up to draw big numbers in 2015. The Wisconsin Badgers were on one side, seeking the first championship for one of the better coaches in the game after dispatching the Kentucky Wildcats, who were vying for the first undefeated season since the '70s. The Duke Blue Devils were the opposition, boasting a lineup full of future NBA talent and always one of the bigger draws in college basketball. Viewing numbers were pretty high for that NCAA final, but according to one analysis of esports' rise to prominence in mainstream entertainment, they still didn't overcome that same League Of Legends final that outshines the NBA and MLB finals. According to the analysis, that League Of Legends final had viewership "roughly the same as the number of people who tuned in for (2015's) basketball final."

Esports vs. The Champions League

Getting away from U.S. sports altogether, Champions League soccer may be the best representation out there (excluding the Olympics and World Cup) of a sporting event that captures universal attention. And as with some of the other sports contests we've discussed, the 2016 Champions League is, for many, particularly intriguing. Here's why: Barcelona entered the competition as one of the most talented club teams of all time; Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid was viewed as a legitimate challenger; and there were some who believed Bayern Munich might wind up better than both Spanish clubs. Throw in a handful of representatives from the popular English Premier League, and the Champions League was in good shape for viewership. The League is still ongoing, and we can't fully analyze viewership just yet, but the idea has been raised that the betting habits of fans are indicating that esports can match soccer's popularity regardless of actual viewing numbers. Specifically, it's estimated that betting turnover related to League Of Legends would be equal to 160% of the turnover related to the Champions League winner. That's as compared to just 39% in 2015, which indicates not only the popularity of major esports compared to ordinary sporting events, but the steep growth we've continued to see even in the last year.

Even Numbers

Considering numbers and indications like all of these, the argument that esports is catching up to traditional sporting events has some legs. It's actually difficult to build a full comparison given the variety of events on both sides of the debate. However, pairing up some of the biggest occasions in esports and traditional sports, it's clear that the numbers are evening out in a lot of cases. Now, this doesn't mean we'll soon be hearing about the next League Of Legends final the same way we hear about the Super Bowl every year. However, it might mean that just as many people are interested (if not more!)

Spencer Mitchell is a tech and gaming enthusiast. An aspiring game designer, he spends much of his free time contributing to blogs on all topics related to the gaming industry.