Enligt en rapport från Watoday överväger Australian Football League en satsning på esport för att öka varumärkets synlighet samt få in mer sponsorpengar. Ligans digital and audiences general manager Darren Birch säger:
"Esports events sell out. They are amazing live events. There are more screens, more activities going on, more lights, more LED displays. Some of the tournaments I have seen show that esports is more concert-like than sport-like, but that's what appeals to that younger audience."
All of these things make the experience bigger and bolder than your average sport."
AFL säger sig vara inspirerade av andra lag som använt sina erfarenheter kring organisationer och koordinering av lag, som PSG Esports. Birch fortsätter:
"Esports is very strong in the millennial area, so for us it is about diverse exposure to that audience. That's no different to AFLW where we became more relevant to a female audience.
Whether that translates into football is somewhat relevant but also not totally relevant. We want AFL, through esports, to have the ability to generate a broader appeal for clubs and be able to bring more sponsors, revenue and consumption of your brand - whether that's a live footy event or a live esports event."
Tror du det kommer bli vanligare att traditionell sport börjar satsa på detta?
