Are esports really a sport? That's a difficult one to answer, on the one hand, players who compete in the highest levels are genuinely skilled and spend years training to get where they are, but on the other hand, the Mountain Dew League doesn’t sound like a sports tournament at all. The real crux of the question lies in the difference between esports as a sport, and esports as a media product. No matter how much we argue or debate, the way fans interact with and consume esports content is very different from fans of traditional sports. There isn’t an Old Trafford or Ta’ Qali Stadium for specific teams and local fans. They train in closed facilities and broadcast from neutral arenas. You don’t need to live near an esports team to be a fan. The same can be said for anyone who wants to bet on esports. Some people still enjoy the ritual of heading to an in-person bookmaker and placing their bets. Since esports has such a decentralised fanbase, it follows the bookmakers and betting operators will have to adapt. Specialized esports sites, like BettingTips.gg, have popped up to provide help to users who don’t have the knowledge and know-how to place their bets online. Look at the...
