Students playing at Ohio State’s Esports Arena. Credit: Nathan Mader | Former Campus LTV Producer
An hour before the match, players customize their setups: keyboards, mice, headsets, mats and chairs.
Hand warmers are passed around and compression sleeves slipped on. Video is reviewed, rounds are played and strategy is discussed.
Before the match starts, each member adorns a jersey with their gamer tag across the back. With a play called by Wisam Elmogaber, Ohio State’s Valorant team begins its match against Maryville.
One of Ohio State’s most successful competitive teams lives not in an athletic facility but rather in Lincoln Tower, where the esports team brings home numerous trophies and accolades for performances across the Big Ten and beyond. Many do not consider them athletes, but that definition appears to be changing as the competitive nature of nontraditional sports grows.
“Being called an athlete is, of course, a great honor, but it’s not necessary,” Ohio State University esports manager Dr. John Price said.
The definition of an athlete is quickly evolving. Arguments against classifying esports players as athletes include the absence of gross motor movement and the fact that competitors complete movements through an avatar, according to Dr. Seth Jenny, associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
“A lot of people look at somebody who’s sitting in a chair playing esports as not an athlete because they’re not doing a lot of physical activity,” Jenny said.
Of course, not all sports look the same. The debate around esports has called into question other athletes’ titles.
Rifle, pistol and archery are all Olympic sports but include little gross motor movement. Autoracing and equestrian rely on another entity, be it a car or a horse, to compete.
The landscape and perception of esports competitors, however, is a relatively new phenomenon.
“They don’t have the tradition of being in the Olympics and it’s a new developing activity,” Jenny said.
That is leading some to recognize esports competitors as athletes, including Boise State, which moved esports under its athletic department. The United States has allowed foreign esports competitors to compete with the P-1 athlete visa, and the International Olympic Committee will hold the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2027.
“Usually it’s just people who aren’t familiar with high-level gaming and the skill involved in it that necessarily believe it’s not a sport,” Jenny said.
To reach a high skill level, training is crucial for esports competitors. Ohio State’s premier teams train at least three days a week, focusing on video review and analysis, mechanical skills and scrimmages.
For example, football and basketball share a similar training structure.
Training varies by title, Price said. “Valorant” and “League of Legends” focus on experimenting with strategies and new in-game tools, whereas “Super Smash Bros.” relies on video review and one-on-one coaching.
Passion, energy and dedication can be seen throughout the esports fan base. Watch parties are planned for the “League of Legends” World Championship, and the competition is broadcast to hundreds of thousands of viewers. Esports are sponsored by companies such as Monster Energy and Red Bull.
“You still see the elements of fandom that exist because you recognize that same passion from the communities,” Price said.
Based on esports having a strong fan base, high-level competitors and a robust training schedule, they seem to fit much of the criteria of athletes. Esports players, however, are not worried about their title. They want recognition for the skill it takes to compete at such a high level.
“I don’t find it as important having to be called an athlete. It’s more that they’re competitors and they’re recognized for the hard work they put into it, the skill,” Price said.
