Why Philippine Sports Should Embrace Esports?

While there’s word circulating that the National Basketball Association (NBA) will outright start the playoffs assuming that they resume play this year, there’s also the possibility of the league scrapping the entire season and wait for the pandemic to end. Locally, sports have been on a virtual standstill since March and without a vaccine yet in sight, athletes and fans alike will have to wait a little longer before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Fortunately, there’s a possible alternative and it’s something that has brought the country to the world map: Esports.

In last year’s Southeast Asian Games that was held here in our country, Sibol, our national esports team, won two gold medals and that was only the cherry on top of the ice cream as 2019 saw esports tremendously flourished in the country with the inauguration of “The Nationals”- an electronic sports (esports) league in the country.

And with the current situation of the local sports, even the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is also considering including esports in their events for Season 96, and that will include student-athletes playing NBA 2K and even Mobile Legends against fellow student-athletes.

Question: Why should the other leagues consider adding esports to their events?

For one, it’s the safest decision that they can make considering the fact that holding games is still prohibited under the community quarantine protocols. For another, esports has been flourishing in other countries even before this pandemic came along. It’s already a thing and it will continue to be a thing in these trying times. Even basketball players such as Marc Pingris and June Mar Fajardo are already engaging themselves in esports.

Even though there’s a slight chance that actual sports can resume this year, esports remains a safer and healthier choice for now. After all, it has been done by actual NBA players.

Photo is from Yogonet