Competitive esports, or electronic sports, can be viewed as insignificant compared to the rest of competitive sporting, yet they still damage the world of sports as a whole. Most sports fans and players, especially those from older generations, prefer physical sports, but if future generations are conditioned to compete and engage in esports, they will lack the same love for these sports. Thus, the existence and rise of esports only prevents the hard-earned legacies of physical sports from living on.

While esports may appear fun and amusing, they do not embody the foundational philosophy of putting both physical and mental dedication into a game, unlike athletic sports. With the rise of media and technology, the temptations of the less physically demanding option of esports can be largely influential.

The differences between the physical abilities of esports players and traditional sports players are drastic. Boston Latin School English and humanities teacher Mr. Peter Sullivan voices his thoughts, saying, “For the players, I do think that of course it is different, as real sports for the participants involves a mind-body dynamic that takes virtues like courage, moderation, etc. […] The fact that they are actually real people would seem to change something.”

He also notes that the lack of any real change for the larger group of spectators may be where a shift toward esports stemmed from. If the spectators watching the game find the same level of enjoyment in either form of sporting, people may begin to contemplate the point of players pushing themselves physically, while esports players face almost zero chance of getting injured.

The physical factor of athletic sports can be difficult to work with, but it can come with a true reward. BLS Koreo member Nabayit Fassil (IV) reflects, “Esports take away time to interact in person and develop healthy habits.” After spending a considerable amount of time dancing with Koreo, she says that she enjoys the challenge of “pure activity and exercise.”

Although athletic sports are greatly valued by some, others who deem online gaming a better medium to play sports can depreciate the values that physical sports have imparted through generations of athletes.

Esports are completely changing the workings within the world of sports and becoming harmful to the traditional sports that most of the world are familiar with.It is detrimental to allow esports to fill the place of sports like soccer, basketball or tennis in the newly modernized generation.