If there was one thing that looked certain in 2019, it was that the Summer of 2020 was going to be a big one for sports. The Olympics were set to take place, alongside many of the traditional summer spectacles – the NBA Finals, Wimbledon, the end to the Premier League season, and much more.
But the COVID-19 truly put pays to that idea, and sports viewers across the world have had to content themselves with replays of old events. But interestingly, something has risen up to replace traditional sports, or in some cases, add to them: that was esports.
Here we take a look at how esports became some of the most important aspects of entertainment for sports fans through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rise of esports
There can be no doubt that esports were already seeing a huge increase in popularity long before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic led many people to join this competitive market and see their favourite gamers compete. Esports had a boom during this time and it is predicted that the market will continue to grow during the upcoming years. If you want to get more info about this competitive industry, you can explore stats on the tremendous growth of esports, as well as check professional esports websites and reports. The esports stats show that during the pandemic, more and more professional gamers have started to gain huge amounts of money. One of the most notable examples came in 2019, when headlines were made by Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf – a 16-year-old native of Pennsylvania, who won $3 million for his victory in the Fortnite World Cup.
But nevertheless, esports are considered a niche interest – so it is interesting that they have become important through COVID-19. Indeed, it is most often the esports that actually simulate real-life sports that have been typically used in place of the sports that were not able to be played due to the pandemic.
Footballers playing FIFA
One interesting example was the ePremier League Invitational in which Premier League sides put forward a member of their team (or in some cases, a celebrity fan) to represent them on the video game FIFA 20. With no Premier League football to watch, many fans tuned in to the see the results of their video game tournament.
Diogo Jota of Wolves won the first tournament, while James Maddison of Leicester won the second. The tournament left many wondering where their fantastic talents found the time to be excellent FIFA players as well as professional footballers.
Stadium noise
Interestingly, even though official Premier League football has returned, and there will an end to the season, the video game FIFA 20 is still playing a role. It was revealed that the remaining Premier League fixtures would be played in empty stadiums to reduce the risk of the COVID-19 virus spreading.
Fans would be able to watch on TV, however. But some were worried that the empty stadiums would make the matches feel devoid of atmosphere. As such, broadcasters have been using what has been termed ‘Atmospheric Audio’. This is effectively the crowd noise that is used on the FIFA 20 video game.
Using simulators for practice
It’s not just computer games that fans can watch on TV that have been gaining popularity through the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, many players of real-life sports have been turning to simulators and electronic alternatives. “We’re seeing a much greater demand for golf simulators over the lockdown,” says Steven Joy of Golf Swing Systems, a specialist supplier of high-quality golf simulators “a good player knows that the only way to maintain your game is through practice – and golf simulators are so advanced now that they can truly replicate many different aspects of the course”.
It may be the case that professional athletes and other people who want to maintain the standards of their play may need to use simulators to ensure that they are able to get something like the real experience.
Virtual Grand National
Another interesting example of esports technology being utilised in place of real-world sports is that of the 2020 Grand National. This legendary British horse race was cancelled due to COVID-19. However, the broadcaster ITV instead had a virtual Grand National carried out, which included all of the horses and jockeys due to take part in the real race.
The £2.6m generated by the betting on the race was donated to the National Health Service.
The Adria Tour
And if ever there was something to show the world why it was unwise to put on genuine sporting events, it came in the form of the Adria Tour. This was an exhibition tennis tournament put together by world number one Novak Djokovic.
Originally set to run through to July, the Tour had to be cancelled after one week due to a number of the players being diagnosed with COVID-19. This was after the tour had come under criticism for its lack of social distancing and for that the fact that it was played in front of live crowds.
