What would you say is the most profitable entertainment sector? If you guessed sports, you’d be correct – in 2023, it had an estimated $512 billion market value according to the Sports Global Market report. Before you persuade your child into a life of Olympic agony, remember this: profitable doesn’t necessarily mean popular.
Video games have dominated entertainment media for years now. Looking back at 2023, the global revenue was worth more than $222 billion – more than the box office, books, and recorded music.
If traditional sports make the most money, but video games get the vote of confidence, what happens when you marry the two?
Esports might not be big (2023 numbers clock in at only $574 million), but they’re growing at an alarming rate. Could they be the next Super Bowl? Let’s find out.
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Is The Super Bowl Losing Popularity?
The Super Bowl is undoubtedly the most watched broadcast in the US year after year. According to the NFL, the highest Super Bowl viewership in NFL history was Super Bowl LVII in 2023, with 115 million views. The last time the NFL saw numbers like that was Super Bowl XLIX in 2015 with 114 million viewers.
However, it’s important to note that these numbers only account for television views in the US. Interestingly, an additional 21.81 million people streamed 2023’s big game.
The plot thickens even more. As Paul Ballew, NFL’s chief data and analytics officer, said:
The exact number of people watching the game has been challenging to pinpoint given the fact that people tend to gather in groups to watch the game
The NFL found a way around this. After a collaborative survey with Nielsen following the Super Bowl LVI, the final tally skyrocketed from 112 million to an estimated 208 million views. Add to this the international viewership, and the Super Bowl doesn’t appear to have lost any steam.
Still, as cable TV continues to plummet and TV becomes more obsolete with every passing year, a decline in ratings is inevitable. It’s likely the NFL will have to focus on streams if it wants to retain its standing.
What Are the Most Popular Esports Events?
There are different metrics to measure popularity when it comes to esports. We can look at viewership, in which case League of Legends Worlds is by far the most popular. It set a record in 2023 as viewership peaked at 6.4 million, surpassing the previous record held by the 2021 Free Fire World Series, at 5.41 million viewers.
You can also judge popularity based on the prize pool. Using this metric, Dota 2 The International is the most popular with a record setting $40 million prize pool. It easily passed the previous record set by PUBG Mobile Global Competition, with a $6.5 million prize.
If we look at fan engagement on forums, Twitch, and other message platforms, while not as exact as viewership and prize pools, we see that Overwatch League, Rocket League Champions Series, and the Valorant Champions Tour all have very active fanbases.
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Sports vs. Esports: What’s The Difference?
Some people fervently believe esports don’t count as real sports because they don’t require any physical activity. Others argue since esports require tremendous skill and are highly competitive, they definitely fit the bill.
Either way, esports are officially recognized as a sport in many countries, including the US, South Korea, South Africa, India, China, Nepal, Finland, and Ukraine. Why, then, is there such a rift between athleticism and gaming?
Is it because sports and gaming are two sides of the same coin, but they appeal to entirely different audiences? Here are a few things setting them apart:
Gameplay
The most obvious difference between traditional sports and esports is how they’re performed. Typical sports – be it weightlifting or sharp shooting — are physical. Players must be present to participate, and physical training is required.
Esports are virtual. Players regularly compete in arenas with live audiences, but it’s just as easy — maybe easier — for such tournaments to take place exclusively online. This means a lot of, if not most, esports players aren’t athletes in the traditional sense of the word, and they can choose to remain anonymous if they like.
Rules and Regulations
Both traditional sports and esports are regulated, but the latter is far less so. Almost all sports divide players by age, size and weight, or gender, whereas in esports this doesn’t apply. In 2005, Vincent De Leon III became the youngest signed esports player at age seven!
Though it may seem women are underrepresented in esports, no explicit rules prevent unisex teams from competing – a rare occurrence in traditional sport. Managers and sponsors are becoming more prominent in esports, but most teams are generally self-governed.
Skill
Esports may seem easier at a glance, but some studies suggest video games may be more complex than traditional sports. One investigation by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute concluded esports are more difficult to understand, and more competitive than physical sports.
It’s safe to assume most of us Ordinary Joes & Janes play video games in some form. Even though any player has a higher chance of becoming an esports pro than an MLB star, it doesn’t mean video games are simpler.
Where traditional sports generally build on athletic prowess and peak fitness, video games emphasize quick reflexes, hand-eye coordination, not to mention a knack for strategy and problem-solving. Comparing the skill of an athlete to that of a gamer would be like comparing musicians to painters.
Food for thought: If esports aren’t real sports because they don’t require exertion, does it mean non-physical games like Chess and Poker are also eliminated?
Demographics
Contrary to popular belief, the esports vs sports viewership debate is not a war between the generations. Indeed, Statista shows 94% of people over the age of 65 aren’t fans of esports, but the average age of avid fans is 29 — not exactly Gen Z.
As for traditional sports, people of all ages are casual fans. Those aged 34 to 45 have the highest ratio of avid fans, while more senior citizens aren’t fans at all – similar to esports.
Another thing they have in common is their target market. For traditional sports, a Statista study showed 83% of men enjoy and follow sports, and 75% of esports fans are male.
A 2019 study by Live Football Tickets named the US the most sports-crazed country in the world, with Russia and China not far behind. By comparison, most esports fans are Asian or Scandinavian, with the US ranking 36th in interest.
Funding and Resources
Perhaps the biggest difference between sports and esports is finance. Traditional sports are decades ahead of esports in terms of funding and revenue, likely because of their infrastructure.
Official sports teams typically have sponsors, home stadiums or courts, and backing from advertisers, media outlets, and even the government – when it comes to international tournaments.
Esports have only just joined the Olympics, and aren’t even included in the Summer games — they’re getting their very own division, scheduled for June 2023 in Singapore. As esports grow in popularity, more businesses are willing to invest in it, but as of yet, it’s unlikely live LoL matches will make their way onto TV.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, ESPN’s short-lived esports division was the first to get cut in the wake of its lay-offs. Imagine if it stopped covering basketball, baseball, soccer, or hockey. There’d be riots!
Ultimately, sports have had enough time to claim their place in culture. Esports are rapidly rising in popularity, but still have a way to go until they’re as untouchable and significant as traditional games.
Super Bowl Viewership vs. League of Legends Viewership
| 🏈 | 🎮 |
| Attendance | |
| Super Bowl XIV in 1980 holds the record for the highest attendance, with 103,985 spectators. | Worlds 2016 had 47,268 live spectators. It’s not the world record, but it is the highest attendance for an LoL tournament. |
| Views | |
| Super Bowl XLIX set a record of 114 million views recorded in the US. | Worlds 2023 set a new record for LoL with 6.4 million views. |
| Prize Pool | |
| In 2023, each member of the winning team received $157,000. | League of Legends Worlds 2023 had a prize pool of more than $2.23 million, with a total of $445,000 paid to winners. |
| Revenue | |
| Most reports estimate the Super Bowl’s average revenue at $14 billion. | It’s unclear how much Worlds 2022 generated, but League of Legends as a franchise pulled in $1.8 billion in 2022. |
Will Esports Become More Popular Than Traditional Sports?
Currently, esports are nowhere near as prominent as their traditional counterparts, but this doesn’t mean they won’t stand on a level playing field in the future.
Sports may have stood the test of time, but the things that kept them front and center — like television and traditional advertising — are on the decline. Opposition to tournaments is growing (as we saw with the Qatar FIFA World Cup), and the excessive capital going into sports is also losing favor.
Esports don’t have to transition into the new world, it only has to keep up with it. Video games aren’t as taboo or marginal as they were back in the day, and more people are invested in virtual games than they are in other forms of entertainment. A growing market and constant innovations in technology, streaming, and gameplay keep video games relevant.
Still, until physical sports begin to lose support (which is almost unfathomable considering how ingrained they are in global culture) virtual sports won’t easily dethrone them. It’s not impossible – just extremely unlikely games will win the Esports vs Sports popularity contest.
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It’s Only a Game
Super Bowl viewership and League of Legends viewership boils down to tradition vs. modernity. Times are changing, so don’t be surprised if the kids of today prefer Madden to the real deal. For now, esports aren’t taken as seriously as traditional sports, but with ample time to catch up, who knows what the future holds?
Sometimes sports culture gets so out of hand, we forget it’s just entertainment. It doesn’t matter if you’ve followed football your entire life or play Dota every now and then — both meant to be fun, and are in their own right.
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FAQ
Super Bowl LVII in 2023 holds the record for the most watched final, with 115 million views. The game took place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 48-35.
Not quite. Video games may be the most popular form of entertainment media, but esports don’t hold a candle to traditional sports. Physical sport has more active fans, and its market value is much higher. Still, esports are rising in popularity, and tournaments are becoming more prominent and lucrative.
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The League of Legends Worlds 2023 set a new record with nearly 6.4 million streamers during the final round.
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League of Legends became the most watched esport in 2023, passing Free Fire in peak views. That said, CS:GO has the most professional players, while Dota 2 The International has the most funding, leaving LoL trailing behind in both aspects.
League of Legends might be the most popular esport event, but it has a long way to go before catching up to the Super Bowl. The 2023 Super Bowl had 115 million viewers in the US, and it was broadcast in over 180 countries. By comparison, League of Legends Worlds peaked at 6.4 million viewers during its 2023 final round.
To be fair, people tune into the Super Bowl for more than just the game. The commercials and halftime show are a big draw by themselves. By contrast, all 6.4 million LoL Worlds viewers were there for one reason, to watch the League of Legends Championship.
The annual League of Legends World Championship is by far its most popular tournament. If you’re planning on streaming it this year, make sure to get CyberGhost VPN before it starts, so you can encrypt your connection and protect your personal data.
In terms of viewership, League of Legends is by far the biggest esport of 2024. There are 8 professional leagues around the world and two major tournaments, all of which draw a lot of viewers. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are the 2nd and 3rd most popular esport, based on peak viewers.
League of Legends might be the most popular esport, but Dota 2: The International has the biggest prize pool. It recently had a record setting prize pool valued at just over $40 million. Additionally, it has the highest cumulative prize money in history,, at nearly $342 million, in 1869 tournaments.
A VPN has several benefits for esports. The first is the connection itself. By connecting to a nearby server, you can decrease your ping, reduce latency and improve the quality of the playing or streaming experience. It also masks your IP address and encrypts your online activity, preventing ISP throttling, which slows down your internet speed. CyberGhost VPN has a global network of high-speed servers, so the odds are good that you’ll find it in your area when you want to play or stream esports.
CyberGhost is the best gaming VPN. Our global network of servers includes 10-Gbps servers in popular locations, to prevent server overcrowding and ensure a fast connection. It uses 256-bit encryption to protect your privacy and keep you safe from DDoS attacks.
When it comes to streaming, you can’t beat CyberGhost VPN. It has dozens of streaming-optimized servers around the world. These are tested on the top streaming platforms to ensure there is no issue with the connection, and the speeds are great. Whether you’re traveling abroad and need access to your streaming account or just want to avoid ISP throttling while streaming, CyberGhost has the features you need.
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