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D GOAL Compare Sports and Activities
Reading 🎧28 (Optional)
A Look at the photo. What are the people watching?
B Read the article. Are the statements true or false?
1. Online gamers can play against people they don't know.
2. Professional eSports is usually an individual sport.
3. eSports make a lot of money.
4. eSports players get a lot of exercise.
C Are eSports popular in your country? Do you think they are a real sport? Tell the class.
D Match these words from the text to the definitions.
1. to compete ______ a. a large place where people watch sports
2. fan _______________ b. a type of business
3. industry __________ c. a person who likes a sport
4. to sponsor _______ d. to play a sport or game against another person or team
5. stadium __________ e. to give money to sports teams to advertise your product
E MY WORLD In pairs, discuss the questions.
1. What is your country's most famous sports team? Are you a fan of the team?
2. Where does the team normally play?
F Read the sentences. Decide if they describe:
a. eSports b. normal sports c. both
1. Players play in a large stadium.
2. The winners receive a prize. ______________________________________
3. Players are physically active. ______________________________________
4. Players sit in front of computer screens. __________________________
5. Players need a lot of skill. _________________________________________
✔️GOAL CHECK
In groups, choose two of these sports and activities. Say how they are similar and how they are different.
| chess eSports rock climbing skiing soccer tennis |
Fans cheer at an eSports tournament in Paris, France.
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eSports Go Global
In the past, people played computer games in their living rooms and bedrooms against their family and friends. But nowadays, gamers play online against hundreds of different people around the world. There are also millions of fans who love watching these eSports as well as playing. They pay money to watch the very best gamers compete in large stadiums. It's just like watching a real sport!
Like other sports
"eSports" is short for electronic sports and, as with normal sports such as soccer and tennis, professional eSports players are very competitive. In some countries, like China and South Korea, there are competitions in stadiums with up to 80,000 fans. At these events, some of the eSports are individual, but most of them are team games. There are five players on each team and the winning team shares the prize money.
Big business
As eSports are growing in popularity, they are also becoming profitable. Globally, the eSports industry is worth about a billion dollars. Large companies sponsor the competitions, and some soccer teams also have their own eSports teams.
But is it a sport?
Of course, some people don't believe it's a real sport because eSports players sit in chairs and they are not physically active. But eSports fans disagree. The players need a lot of skill to win the competitions and, in the future, some people even think eSports will be part of the Olympic Games.
professional (adj) a person is professional if they earn money doing something
prize (n) what you receive when you win (e.g., money, a trophy)
eSports (n) the activity of playing computer games in a competition on the Internet
