As a self-proclaimed nerd, this is difficult to admit, but I’ve always, at least to some degree, been a follower of sports.
Yes, it’s true. I even know where it came from. Being raised in New England, regional pride in our local sports teams was always a thing, especially since they became good again lately.
(It’s okay, Tom Brady. Getting to the AFC Championship game is still considered good.)
Growing up a sports fan, it’s easy for me to buy into the drama and excitement of the thrill of competition. But, I always had difficulty rectifying my fandom of sports and my self-identity as a nerd.
About two years ago, I discovered a way to reconcile the two: the world of professional video gaming now commonly known as eSports. As a casual player of the free online video game, League of Legends, I was naturally drawn to professional play and found the same thrills as a fan of traditional sports.
(Yes, nerds get trophies too.)
I watched as Team SoloMid dramatically defeated Cloud9 in the North American finals in a hard-fought best-of-five series that went the distance. Cloud9 had previously dominated Team SoloMid in previous years, and I found this story echoing my experiences witnessing the Red Sox upset the Yankees in the playoffs of 2004.
Then I watched as those same two North American teams miraculously take a game off the extremely favored Korean teams Samsung White and Samsung Blue in the quarterfinals of that year’s World Championship. I’m not old enough to have seen Miracle of Ice personally, but I imagine there were shades of that experience in these games. Or at the very least Cool Runnings. I was instantly hooked.
I remember later telling friends that more people watched the League of Legends World Championship than the NBA Finals and they were probably thinking this on the inside:
And I wouldn’t blame them. In a society that still hasn’t quite fully accepted nerd culture into the mainstream and still heavily stereotypes people who play video games, it is an unbelievable thought. Who the world would want to watch a bunch of skinny and awkward nerds play video games?
It’s a real thing. And it’s still here and actually growing even faster. ESPN now has a section for eSports. Retired NBA star Rick Fox owns a League of Legends team. Despite controversy over the actions of some new owners and the community’s fear of how the newfound investment will affect the competitive landscape, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride, both as a sports fan and a nerd, over the burgeoning eSports community as it steps more into the limelight.
TL;DR: I am a sports fan and a nerd. I shouldn’t exist, but somehow I cope with the help of eSports.
#selfreflectionrantover