Embracing the sportification of society: Defining e-sports through a polymorphic view on sport

Highlights

•	E-sports are a manifestation of sportification.
•	Sportification means to view, organize, or regulate a non-sport activity in such a way that it resembles a sport and allows a fair, pleasurable, and safe environment for individuals to compete and cooperate.
•	Sportification should allow competitors to compare their performances to each other, and future and past performances.
•	Sportification might occur by adding a sport component to an existing activity in order to make it more attractive to its audiences.
•	The negative and positive effects of e-sports need to be examined with the sport management discipline.

Abstract

In this paper, the author argues that, regardless of whether e-sports qualify as sports, they should be examined in sport management because they are a manifestation of sportification. Sportification means to either: (a) view, organize, or regulate a non-sport activity in such a way that it resembles a sport and allows a fair, pleasurable, and safe environment for individuals to compete and cooperate, and compare their performances to each other, and future and past performances; or (b) add a sport component to an existing activity in order to make it more attractive to its audiences. As the sport industry itself is embracing e-sports as a sport, scholars should embrace e-sports as a manifestation of sportification and examine their negative and positive effect on our industry.

Keywords:

• E-sports
• Esports
• Sportification
• Multi-disciplinary
• Sport definition

Notes

1 Recently, Kunkel and Funk (2014) have introduced the term ‘gamification’ to our field, which is an offspring of sportification, and attempts to engage fans (i.e. non-participants) by offering them a way to participate through some form of game. As such, they are attempting to sportify the fan experience.