I came across an interesting article from “Forbes” a few weeks back. The article was titled “Athlete With Heaviest Social Interaction Is An E-Sports Gamer Named Ninja.” I was in complete shock. I probably read the title five times just to try and wrap my mind around it. I wasn’t shocked that Ninja, a popular video game streamer whose real name is Tyler Blevins, has a large social media presence. It was the fact that the title stated the “athlete” with the most social interaction is E-Sports gamer, Ninja.
I’m going to get straight to the point here. Gamers should not be considered athletes. E-Sports should not be considered a sport. They put an E in front of the word “sports” for a reason: to separate them. They are their own separate entity and form of entertainment.
The definition of the word athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports or games requiring physical strength, agility or stamina.” While one could make the argument that pro gamers, such as Ninja, use physical strength and stamina to stay focused for so many hours, I do not think that it is a fair comparison to the athletes that put their bodies on the line physically and do vigorous exercise and practicing for their craft.
I do not disrespect pro gamers. In fact, I actually have a lot of respect for them. They are very skilled individuals who make millions of dollars, have huge fan-bases and put a lot of time and effort to get to where they are today. I also do not have any problem with E-Sports being covered by outlets such as ESPN. The E in ESPN stands for entertainment and E-Sports are a form of entertainment that also happen to be very competitive. I think they have every right to be covered by ESPN. The professional gaming business is one of the fastest rising businesses right now in our world as well.
Somehow Ninja landed in the same category as athletes such as Lebron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Tom Brady. Those individuals have all been physically and mentally training in their sport for years. They risk getting a major injury or enduring significant pain every time they step on the field or the court.
Again, Ninja is someone who has put a lot of time and effort into his craft, but you simply just can’t compare him and put him in the same categories as the rest of those guys.
There have even been cases for Ninja as Athlete of the Year. I think that’s a little too far. He shouldn’t receive that title.
I’m no meathead jock who thinks gamers are nerds or something similar. I guess you could just say that I have more of an old school mentality when it comes to sports. I’m not too great at sports myself, nor am I very skilled at video games, but I am a big fan of both and I enjoy participating them. I just don’t think they should be put into the same category or that gamers should be considered athletes.
Is Ninja one of the most skilled individuals at what he does? Of course he is. Is he very successful and well-known? Absolutely. In fact you could say he is one of the most successful entertainers of 2018. But is he an athlete? Not quite. So don’t expect to hear me calling him the Athlete of the Year anytime soon.
