COVID-19: can esports help mitigate the impact on traditional sports?

Following the initial shock of Covid-19, reflected in the widespread cancellation of live events and leagues across the world, many ‘traditional sports’[1] have turned to esports as a way of mitigating the damage caused by the pandemic[2]. Some were quick to pivot in this way: for example, Formula 1 has succeeded in leveraging its already popular F1 Esports Series[3] to create the Virtual Grand Prix[4]. Others were slower: while the Premier League does have an esports offering[5], moves to place more reliance on digital content have only occurred in recent days with their announcement of a virtual tournament in FIFA 2020[6].

The impetus behind this pivot into esports is the need to provide some continued content as lockdowns around the world bite. Unlike traditional sports, there have been far fewer cancellations and postponements of esports events. SVG News has reported[7] that only 8% of live esports events have been cancelled as a result of Covid-19. While 26% have been postponed, a sizeable 53% have simply been converted into online events. As this author has previously discussed on LawInSport, the nature of esports as a digital first product is central to its resilience in the Covid-19 pandemic[8]. It is this resilience which could help mitigate Covid-19’s impact in the sports industry more broadly.   

This article examines whether esports can help mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on traditional sports in three particular spheres, namely:

1. Sponsorship
2. Gambling
3. Sportsperson safety