BlizzCon is on ESPN today

lol what a joke, ESPN is for real sports

What?! Haha, they smell the money in esports. Not a bad thing though, would be cool to just tune in on the TV.

I would be pretty pumped if COH were on TV some day

lol what a joke, ESPN is for real sports

like bowling and poker?

What?! Haha, they smell the money in esports. Not a bad thing though, would be cool to just tune in on the TV.

exactly, most if not all sports leagues we have today do were created not because they are were considered "sports". Rather that someone(s) thought they could make money off of it, (ie: selling tickets, the rights to broadcast, etc...)

like bowling and poker?

Bowling is a sport. Not a very athletic sport but it is a physical activity that requires a lot of precision and coordination. Poker isn't a sport, but there are a lot of celebrities that participate (including pro athletes) and its a very minor show on the channel and not a primetime Sunday event.

exactly, most if not all sports leagues we have today do were created not because they are were considered "sports". Rather that someone(s) thought they could make money off of it, (ie: selling tickets, the rights to broadcast, etc...)

That is irrelevant though, monetizing sports doesn't make them any less legitimate. Conversely, monetizing mostly unathletic people to participate in an unathletic event does not make it a sport.

I don't see why eSports being on TV is a bad thing at all... specifically referencing Blizzard games SC2 and HS take more skill than CoH 2 does. I might even argue that WoW PvP takes more skill than CoH 2 does - just a different kind of skill.

I'm sad to see that RTS have more or less died by this point, because I've been playing RTS since the first AOE and WC2 but seeing the explosive growth of esports and competitive gaming is fascinating.

Seeing competitive games on actual TV is a huge step to further that growth and to ensure that competitive gaming has a future. And why shouldn't ESPN broadcast games? I'd argue that gaming should be given higher esteem than sports (and I played soccer, football, and baseball growing up). Only a very select portion of the population ever has a chance to be a professional "normal" sport player because of the required physical attributes, but anyone and everyone can compete when it comes to games because the vast majority of the skill is mental.

Plus games require a high degree of precision and coordination - as you've mentioned bowling does. A lot of professional gamers are more athletic than you seem to give them credit for. The stereotype of professional gamers being basement dwelling pimple nerds was dispelled long ago - and many teams require that their players work out to stay in some semblance of physical shape because it has been proven that being in shape physically increases your ability to perform mentally. Anyways... it is really cool that gaming is on ESPN. Don't like it? Don't watch it.

more exposure for competitive gaming is great, I hope it gets more air time in the future than it does right now.

Just to clarify, sport originated of disport. Meaning dispersion, pleasure. As in something that is not done for subsistence. So all the bodycult is really not an integral part of it. Take chess, for example. Funny enough, professional sports is an oxymoron.

On the topic of Esports and its value as something people would enjoy watching: Its great a major network picks it up.

I truly believe Coh2 has incredible potential as a mass spectator eSport. SC2 is much easier to present and such to follow. Coh2 would need much more professionalism in terms of presentation but ultimatly offers a much more diverse and complex setup. Feel free to call me noob.

inb4 posts about how there are dedicated Starcraft TV channels in Korea

inb4 posts about how there are dedicated Starcraft TV channels in Korea

Thats cool I have no problem with dedicated competitive gaming channels or even games on major networks like CBS ABC etc....just not on the dedicated sports channel.

I'd argue that gaming should be given higher esteem than sports (and I played soccer, football, and baseball growing up). Only a very select portion of the population ever has a chance to be a professional "normal" sport player because of the required physical attributes, but anyone and everyone can compete when it comes to games because the vast majority of the skill is mental.

Some people are genetically inclined to be smarter (quicker thinking, better multitasking, faster learners, etc) same as having a genetic athletic advantage.

Plus games require a high degree of precision and coordination - as you've mentioned bowling does. A lot of professional gamers are more athletic than you seem to give them credit for. The stereotype of professional gamers being basement dwelling pimple nerds was dispelled long ago - and many teams require that their players work out to stay in some semblance of physical shape because it has been proven that being in shape physically increases your ability to perform mentally. Anyways... it is really cool that gaming is on ESPN. Don't like it? Don't watch it.

Sitting in a chair using hand eye coordination is different from using your whole body. If simply having hand eye coordination makes someone athletic, we might as well consider musicians, artists, and anyone with exceptional keyboarding skills an athlete. I agree athletic people are usually better grounded mentally, but doing cardio or strength training won't help one bit with mashing buttons.