eSports continue to flourish in the US

A new poll reveals that eSports are almost as big as American football for millennials.

A poll conducted by the Washington Post has revealed that 40 per cent of 14- to 21-year-olds that took part in the survey said that they’re football fans, while 38 per cent are fans of eSports. This shows that eSports are still on the rise in the United States.

Professor Joshua Dyck, Co-Director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, which helped carry out the poll, said: “The popularity of eSports and online gaming among American teens and young adults as both a recreational activity that you participate in or can also watch reveals a shifting landscape for what constitutes a sport in American life.”

“It is absolutely telling that the fan base for eSports is just as large as the fan base for professional football among Americans ages 14 to 21. The reasons teens and young adults give for participating in esports/online gaming mirror many of those given in our survey of adults 18 and older about why they watch live sports.”

Approximately 60 per cent of teens and young adults said that they took part in eSports. The popularity among young men is even more impressive, as 89 per cent said that they have played online video games, participated in a competition or watched others do it.