Posts in eSports
5 Reasons Why the League of Legends 2017 World Championships Changes Better Achieve "Competitive Balance"

Last Tuesday, Riot hosted and livestreamed the 2017 Worlds Group Draw Pulls for its monstrously popular video game League of Legends to fill in the tournament bracket and see who will be playing who in China from September 24 to November 4. The League Championship Series (LCS) is comprised of 13 regions - based geographically - so that teams from all regions compete in Worlds across the stages. Here are the LCS regions:

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Why I Changed My Mind & Believe eSports is a Sport, Part 4: The Argument

Everything from Parts 1, 2, and 3 come together here and now. Heck, maybe I have even convinced you already that eSports is positively a "sport" merely by exposing you to the basics of this relatively new activity that is still in its infancy. Let's dive into the nitty gritty argument, though, because this is what us lawyers like to do. Plus, I genuinely believe that every sports fan should be open to learning about eSports and hear this out:

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Why I Changed My Mind & Believe eSports is a Sport, Part 3: The eSports Structure

Here we go with Part 3 in this four-part argumentative series. The eSports competition structure is quite different from traditional sports, though there are certainly parallels that raise it to an equivalent level. In my opinion, I believe that traditional sports could actually learn something from the eSports structure. So, to illustrate the last bit of facts before advancing my argument as to why eSports is a sport by applying facts to the definition's elements, I will break it down into two pieces: (1) the league structure, and (2) the overall business structure.

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Why I Changed My Mind & Believe eSports Is A Sport, Part 1: Defining Elements

What is the definition of a "sport" (as a noun referring to a game rather than a person, obviously)? Is there one mutually agreed upon definition? Oh, gosh no.

For example, the Cambridge dictionary defines "sport" as "a game, competition, or similar activity, done for enjoyment or as a job, that takes physical effort and skill and is played or done by following particular rules." The Oxford dictionary takes it a little further, defining "sport" as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for enjoyment." Merriam-Webster kind of makes it a two-parter, stating that it is "a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other" but also provides a lesser definition of "a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment."

Different organizations worldwide have their own take on the word's meaning, too. The Australian Sports Commission says a sport is "a human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill, which, by its nature and organization, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport." England's Charities Act of 2006 contains a pretty broad definition, stating that a sport is "sports or games which promote health by involving physical or mental skill or exertion." Moreover, the European Sports Charter says "all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels" are sports.

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