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| Sport and the military have a strong link |
Basis
of the growth of sport in general
In order to examine the
transition of eSports from a recreational game to a structured sport,
I feel that it is necessary to understand a little more about the
more traditional sports.
It is not necessary to delve too
deeply into the different sporting codes, but it is important to give
a broad 'brush-stroke' of how, when and why traditional sport
developed in the way that it did before moving on and seeing how
eSports can too benefit from a more structured and accredited
approach.
Without
doubt the origins of most traditional sports rest in the military. In
the past, every soldier was expected to know how to handle his
weapons and to be fit enough for the rigours of war. Thus the first
sports to make their mark were obviously running, discus throwing,
javelin throwing, wrestling, boxing, etc. Even the longest of all
athletic races takes its name from a military event, being the
“Battle of Marathon”.
As the needs of the military
became more complex as a result of improved technology, so did the
sporting codes. The original sports were added to in order to show
the full range of requirements needed by the soldier of the day.
Thus swimming, archery, shooting,
football, etc. were all added into the the traditional sporting
complement.
Because sport owed its roots to
the military capability of a nation, sport proved to be an export of
such conquering nation.
Amongst historians it is a
commonly held belief that many conquered nations soon adopt many of
the attributes of the conqueror. Through the inevitable march of
armies throughout history, armies have always carried with them both
the best and worst of their culture – including their choices of
sport.
So it was that many of the
Afrikaans Boers where imprisoned in British Concentration Camps
learnt how to play rugby while watching the British soldiers play. It
may interest the audience to note that prior to the Boer War,
rugby did not exist as a sport in the Free State Republic and that
football was in fact the most popular sport amongst the Afrikaners.
After the Boer War, even with heightened animosity between English
and Afrikaans speaking White South Africans, rugby became the game of
choice of the majority of Afrikaners.
There is also the political
aspect of sport.
Throughout history, the success
of a nation at sport is deemed to be representative of the overall
vitality and strength of a nation.
Thus nations eagerly send teams
to major international sporting events to demonstrate the nation's
prowess. No matter what the cost to a nation, nation's strive to
enter teams into events like the Commonwealth Games, World Games,
Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, etc.
Even the ability to host such an
event becomes a matter of national pride. One just has to see how
quick countries are to bid for hosting the FIFA World Cup. To host
such an event becomes a clear statement to the world that a country
has arrived.
In order to host such an event, a
country has to have:
The financial resources
Vast infrastructure
Adequately trained manpower
And the political will to host
such an event
Even with all of the above in
place, a state is not guaranteed of success. One has just got to look
at the examples of the 1968 Olympic Games held in Munich and the 1972
Olympic Games held in Montreal.
There is no doubt that both
Germany and Canada were more than competent in hosting said games,
but due to a number of events beyond the control of the host
countries, the perception was that both these events were not
successful.
However, it was after the
Montreal Olympic Games that host nations did a major rethink on how
to market the games and how to have the games leave a lasting
positive effect for the host nation.
The development of sport has
always reflected the needs and wants of the people.
Where a people ave seen the need
for a particular sport, the sport would generally first be played on
a recreational level by enthusiasts.
As the popularity of the sport
has grown, the sport has become more competitive in nature and the
participants have banded together to form clubs and societies in
order to promote the sport in question.
There then seems to be a critical
watershed when there are enough clubs, and the competitive level is
at a sustainable level, that the clubs form together to create
provincial and national associations.
It is these associations that
start 'legislating' the sport.
As the popularity in a specific
grows, national federations start banding together to create
International Federations.
It is the International
Federations that assume final authority for the rules that gvern a
sport.
It too is the success of the
international federation that further enhances the enjoyability of
the sport, or even its demise.
Acceptance
of sport by society
From the above, it is clear that
for any sport to grow, it needs to be accepted by society. Society is
of course, represented by governments, and without the support of
such, the sport is likely not to develop beyond being a
side-attraction. Even the support of the government does not always
ensure that a sport will grow and prosper. Without the support of the
man-in-the-street it is unlikely that any sport will grow.
For a sport to grow, the average
man-in-the-street needs to become involved in the sport. There are
many ways in which a person can become involved, such as:
However, before a person would
become involved in a sport as above such person would need to see the
need to have such a sport.
Any sport needs to be relevant to
the country where it is being played. Thus you can find that
different countries place a different emphasis on different sports.
In the more developed countries, there is a greater emphasis on the
more technical and advanced sports. Thus many first world countries
tend to promote high expense sports such as power boating, formula
one racing, etc.
Poorer nations tend to aim at the
sports in which they do well and which do not require as much of an
outlay.
It must be noted though that all
the sports promoted, by rich and poor nations alike, have a profound
effect on the social conditioning of the people as a whole.
A country like Kenya may
concentrate its resources on long distance running, but the effects
are far reaching. The hero status attained by the Kenyan long
distance runners has changed the personal fortunes of many an athlete
as well as the community from which he/she comes.
How
eSports fits into the equation
eSports are no different from the
traditional sports. The development of both computerisation and the
internet has its roots in the Cold War.
During the Cold War it became
vitally important for the Western Powers to do things differently in
order to maintain their edge over the Communist powers. Since the
West did not have the huge cheap work force at their disposal as did
the Communist countries, the West need to maintain their
technological edge.
As a result, while Soviet Russia
stockpiled weaponry, the West sank money into a new high tech way of
doing things.
-
A new world
eSports represents the newest
and most technically advanced way of doing sport,. The parallels
between eSports and the older and more traditional sports are still
apparent, eSports still has its rootsa in the military as does the
older sports while combining elements of competition and personal
skill.
It is just that the platform has
changed!
-
Creating acceptance
While it is true that there are
strong parallels between eSports and the older traditional sports,
eSports battles to find the acceptance in many countries as what some
minor sports do.
The reason for this is due to
change. Although nothing in the world remains the same from
day-to-day, people are resistant to change. eSports reflects that
change as it represents a whole new way of doing things to which many
people are still battling to terms.
There are still generations who
are suspicious of computerisation and the role of computerisation in
the world today, and while such people may utilise the latest in
technology, have not embraced this “New Age”.
Thus debates rage on about the
dangers of computer games. How such games promote antisocial
behaviour, how such games promote violence, epilepsy, and a whole
range of other issues which have yet to be proven and are only
anecdotal in nature.
Even at one of the MSSA's premier
school clubs, the headmaster was concerned about the eSports club
promoting violence. MSSA officials were quich to point out to the
headmaster that in the ten years that the club had existed, there was
not a single incidence of violence from any of the boys in the
eSports club, unlike the repeated offences amongst those in the Rugby
and Waterpolo teams.
Needless to say the headmaster
relented.
The issue is therefore
perception.
As many here will understand,
perception is reality.
eSports to many parents, teachers
and government authorities is something strange and alien to
themselves.
In order for eSports to become
recognised as a full sport on par with any of the other more
traditional sports, those involved in eSports have to change the
perceptions of the public at large. It is not only for those who are
tasked with the running of events to change perceptions, but for
every official and participant as well to become involved in this
enterprise.
eSports, thus represents the
'New' sport which only the most flexible of minds will see the full
potential thereof.
Part of the reason why eSports is
not given the full accreditation of being a sport is due to the fact
that to the outsider the entire arena of eSports appears to be so
disharmonious. Clans, events, and personalities come and go, and the
whole event seems to be largely driven by purely commercial forces.
As we already know, traditional
sports is highly regulated and the rules are enforced by the relevant
international federations – sometimes even successfully! The
impression given to the world at large is that there is order and
harmony. Such order and harmony is only broken over outrageous doping
(or similar) scandals. When such a scandal breaks the news, there is
always swift action, and normality is resumed,
However, in the eSports world,
the IeSF is still in its infancy being just nine years old, and the
plethora of private events do nothing to promote eSports as a
sport.
Since such events are run as
profit making ventures, the owners have to ensure that they are amply
rewarded for their efforts. As a result, often the owners have to do
things that will ensure profitability rather than ensure the growth
of eSports as a sport. Thus the 'professionalism' that has crept in
before eSports has become acknowledged as a sport is proving to be
both undesirable and unsustainable in the long term.
It is vital that before a truly
professional 'class' of cyber athletes can exist, there has to be a
large groundswell of amateur players. It is important that a further
distinction is brought in between the amateur cyber athlete and the
recreational gamer.
The recreational gamer
The recreational gamer is one who
buys games from time to time, and although often thinks that he is
quite skilled, has no real intention to enter major competitions or
put in the hours of training and effort in order to win. Often such
gamers will have tremendous libraries of games which they have played
and will always be waiting for the newest release.
The Cyber Athlete
As mentioned above there are two
types of cyber athlete, the professional cyber athlete and the
amateur. I use the term cyber athlete to mean the person who actively
competes in eSports Championships whether for profit or for honour
(bragging rights).
The Professional Cyber
Athlete:
The professional cyber athlete is
the gamer who is paid-to-play. Such athlete embodies all the virtues
and vices of the professional athlete from all other sporting codes
and is often looked up to with same reverence and awe with which
other professional athletes from the more traditional sorts are
treated. However, due to the nature of eSports at this moment in
time, the rules that govern the conduct or the more traditional
professional athletes are absent from the professional cyber athlete.
Thus the injection of money into
eSports, without having a solid structure, tends to bring out a more
mercenary approach in eSports than in other sports.
Where football stars are governed
by watertight contractsa which govern almost every single aspect of
their lives, eSports players chop and change their allegiance in
order tro make a 'fast buck'.
The Amateur Cyber Athlete:
It is important for any growing
and developing sport to develop a large amateur base. As the word
suggests, these are the players who play the games for the love of
the game. The amateur is the player who differs from the professional
in one respect only – the amateur does not get paid to play.
It is once there is a large
groundswell of amateur gamers that professional gaming will bloom and
prosper as never before.
Amateurism, is therefore the
foundation stages of competitive gaming as well as being the
foundation of the National Federations themselves.
Thus the school league as run by
the Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is vital in developing eSports.
The school league not only instil cyber athletes with a code of
conduct and ethics in regard to how a gamer should behave, but the
school league also instils a heightened sense of competitiveness and
cameraderie as schools battle it out against each other for the
honour of winning.
Thus the amateur leagues create
the love of gaming and of competitive gaming, while such leagues also
draw parents and older gamers into the sport to provide the much
needed volunteers to ensure the success of the sport. The amateur
leagues to create the spectators who look up to, and follow the
exploits of, the professional players.
The spectators, in
turn swell the coffers of both clubs and the professional league by
purchasing memorabilia, purchasing tickets to view matches, etc. The
spectators too have an important function to fill as they represent
an outward showing of how popular the sport actually is. Of course
you can bus in supporters as a quick fix, and with modern technology,
there are many ways of bussing in spectators, but it is bums in seats
that are the most important.
Nothing is as important to a
sponsor and to the very sport itself as the paying sponsor. Where
would the traditional sports clubs be today without their huge and
loyal fan bases.
Certainly even Manchester United
would not be the team it is today without its international team
base. It is true that South Africa does also have marketable brands.
It is not uncommon for the Mind Sports South Africa Protea team to be
offered hard cold cash for their kit.
It is therefore
vital that each club develops its brand and fan base to ensure long
term success. This can be done in many ways and is probably best
dealt with in an entirely separate paper.
Acceptance
of eSports by society
From the above, it is clear that
for eSports to become fully accredited as a sport, it too has to
follow the traditional route of existing, and traditional, National
Sports Federations.
This is not an easy road to
follow, but the benefits are huge:
In order to follow the
traditional route, eSports have to look at the way that it is
currently organised. As mentioned above, clubs are the foundations of
National Federations. It is important that clubs become proper legal
entities in terms of their own nations laws. The clubs as legal
entities add stability to the gaming scene as clubs are legal
entities. Since clubs are also run by all the members, clubs too have
a greater longevity as they are not dependant upon any one person for
their survival, but upon the club as a whole.
The
clubs are then affiliated to National Federations. Only once properly
constituted National Federations are formed, can such National
Federations affiliate to the International Federation.
It
is then vitally important for the International Federation to
affiliate to the GAISF - General Association of International Sports
Federations – which has now been rebranded as SportAccord.
Many
in the eSports world may not know much about SportAccord,
so, here is a little about such august body.The General Association
of International Sports Federations has been founded in 1967 and
groups together the International Sports Federations and various
associations with the aim of defending world-wide sport, becoming
better informed and making themselves known, and cooperating and
coordinating their activities.
SportAccord aims to
create a forum which brings together all the sports bodies once a
year for an exchange of views on subjects of common interest. Its
mission is to maintain the authority and autonomy of its members,
promote closer links between its members and all sports
organisations, coordinate and protect common interests and collect,
verify and disseminate information.
In 1976, the "General
Assembly of International Federations - Assemblée Générale des
Fédérations Internationales" (GAIF-AGFI) became the General
Association of International Sports Federations (AGFIS -GAISF) and
its regulations of procedure were transformed into Statutes. Its head
office is established in Monaco since 1977.
SportAccord groups
together over 90 International Sports Federations and over 20
international bodies contributing to the development of sport on an
educational, scientific and technical level. The association has been
constituted by Monacan law.
SportAccord is not
only a consultative organisation; its objective is also to provide a
service to its member organisations. It organises meetings and
amongst others an annual congress, and carries out technical and
consulting jobs. It also gathers newsletters, statutes and technical
regulations published by its members. It co-ordinates the dates of
important international competitions and publishes them in its
calendar.
SportAccord also
enables International Sports Federations to present a united front
against any attempts of intervention and to affirm its specific
character and autonomy. In addition, SportAccord
constitutes a privileged co-operative organisation with other private
sports organisations, and with the inter-governmental bodies with
which it co-operates on a regular basis. The GAISF therefore plays an
irreplaceable role for International Sports Federations.
It
is largely through the International Federation's affiliation to
SportAccord
that governments around the world acknowledge and accredit the
existence and authority of an International Federation.
It is also through such
affiliation by an International Federation that the doors to many of
the Continental Games (All African, etc), Commonwealth Games, and
World Games are opened.
Thus
if eSports is to continue growing, it is absolutely imperative that
the IeSF becomes a member of the SportAccord.
The benefits to cyber athletes is
immense. Whereas mainstream culture in many countries regards eSports
as a fringe element of society, with eSports moving more onto a
centre stage, it is the cyber athlete who will benefit.
With the improved accreditation
of eSports, the athlete himself becomes accredited. This means that
his skills and abilities are not only recognised by other
participants in the field of eSports, but by the community in
general. Thus teachers, parents, government officials, press, etc.,
learn to accept the values of eSports and give the athlete the
recognition he/she so richly deserves.
With the improved accreditation
comes the ability for all the organisations with in eSports to access
greater funding through new avenues. Currently many National
Federations have to rely on the goodwill of sponsors alone. And while
there are some exceptional sponsors, there too are times when
National Federations have to almost sell their souls to obtain just
enough sponsorship to stay afloat.
Through
greater accreditation, National Federations are no longer only
dependant upon sponsors, but in many countries can also tap into
government grants and into distributions from their own National
Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.
In South Africa, because the MSSA
itself is recognised as a National Federation in terms of the Sports
and Recreation Act of 1997 (as amended), any club so affiliated, that
meets the criteria, can be awarded up to R750,000.00 a year for
development. Such finds can then only be used for the purchasing of
equipment, the purchasing of kit, and to cover the cost of entry into
competitions.
Another advantage of
accreditation is that all National Federations and the IeSF will be
able to provide an upward lader to the cyber athlete to help him/her
become a better citizen and more productive member of society. The
NF's and IeSF cannot only be concerned with the cyber athlete while
he/she is still competing. The life-shelf of a competitor is indeed a
short period and all our minds have to be applied to how to help the
athlete move from being a competitor to being reintroduced into the
work-force. Thus again accreditation holds part of the answer.
In the case of the MSSA,
accreditation has brought with it acceptance from Universities. So
much so, that currently any cyber athete who has provincial and
national colours can apply for one of fourteen sports bursaries a
year. The bursaries range from several thousand Rands a year to
bursaries that cover all educational expenses. For example, the
University of Johannesburg offers one full bursary of R48,000.00 and
two half bursaries of R24,000.00 to players who have earned their
colours from Mind Sports South Africa.
However, to me, the greatest
benefit to the athlete is growth. With the accreditation of any
sport, growth of competitive athletes is a natural bye-product. With
accreditation comes increased exposure in the media as well as a mind
change in the community as a whole that facilitates the community to
encourage participation.
Once a sports is accredited by
both state and international bodies alike, there is a direct benefit
to the community.
The benefits include, but are not
limited to;
- The creation of new sporting
heroes, and
- The opportunity for people who
would not normally become involved in traditional sports to become
engaged in a sport, and
- The ability to be rewarded in an
activity in which the person excels.
The importance of the state can
not ever be ignored. Yet the benefits for the state in recognising
eSports as a fully-fledged sport are ongoing.
The main benefits to the state
are as follows:
- The state can demonstrate to the
world just how technologically advanced it is.
- The state is able to demonstrate
how adaptable it is and open to change and new ideas.
- The state is able to remain
relevant to the needs of the people in an ever faster moving world.
Without
doubt the most important benefit NF's is to create an environment
conducive to sponsorship and investment
Without
sponsorships none of what the IeSF or the NF's try to achieve would
be possible.
Whether the sponsorships come from the
private sector (like SK Gaming)
or from the public sector (National Lottery and/or government
subsidies), development will be almost impossible as entrance fees
earned from gamers are utilized to cover costs in hosting events.
By
having bodies recognized and accredited by the government and by
National Olympic Organisations, Sponsors and Investors are able to
demand a level of accountability not possible with bodies that are
not legal structures and/or privately owned entities.
By
having an environment that appears to be properly regulated, Sponsors
and Investors shall feel far more emboldened to invest greater
amounts into eSports.
Ultimately, everyone will win.
The road forward
I therefore am of the confirmed
opinion that the way forward is:
- For the IeSF to
affiliate to SportAccord
- For the IeSF to affiliate to the
International Mind Sports Association. The IMSA is a “mind
sports”. Chess, Draughts, Go, Bridge, Majongh are all members of
such.
- The IeSF must carry on its road
of encouraging National Federations to form.
- The IeSF must continue to
promote a “World Championships” event, but must two encourage
Continental events.
- The IeSF must encourage member
Federations to promote the amateur and professional aspects of the
game, while paying special emphasis to the growth of the game at
school level.
IN
CONCLUSION
There
is much to do, and it is indeed a long hard road that stretches out
before the eSports community.
However, as long as the IeSF and
the NF's remain true to the vision contained herein, the
accreditation of eSports is inevitable.
