Why Fortnite Should be the Next to Get the Olympic Treatment

Credit where credit is due, those behind the scheduling of the Winter and Summer Olympics are known for being a little diverse and offering new sports the chance to shine. This is great for their growth, it keeps things fresh for Olympic viewers and continues to move the games forward in a way that keeps up with the latest sporting trends.

So where should the Olympics go next?

How about eSports and Fortnite? A move that would certainly tick the final box of keeping up with the latest sporting trends.

The eSports industry has come a long way over the past decade, and the next decade is set to take it to new heights. The Olympics really would be the cherry on top, and push things into a new stratosphere.

eSports has taken over the betting world, with many people wagering on the battles between the top players and teams around the world. Log onto any bookmaker website and you will see betting offers this weekend available, all of which can be used on eSports if you wish.

It may seem a little farfetched to some people, millions of viewers around the world watching two eSports teams battle it out, but the same was probably said about skateboarding, and other sports before their arrival on the scene.

How eSports Has Grown & Can Help the Olympics

If you look at the Olympic Committee and what they want to do in the future, it is all based around young people, is there anything that attracts youngsters more than gaming at the moment?

This is the key reason why the Olympics could go with eSports, it would give them a completely new way to market things and a new audience to target. The stats from Great Britain really highlight just how big gaming is in comparison to traditional sports.

Boys aged between 16-19 were asked and 28% of them said that they watched traditional sports. This is in comparison to a far bigger 57% who said that they played video games. This isn’t the only way that eSports has grown and can appeal, the same can be said about eSports betting.

This continues to grow in popularity and makes traditional sports fans more comfortable with eSports as they are seeing it more and some are even betting on it. While ever this continues to happen, adding eSports to the Olympics will not be seen as much of a risk.

The Professional Game of Fortnite

While millions play on Fortnite themselves, it is the professional game that will be the centre of attention when or if the game ever reaches the heights of the Olympics. This is popular already, with arenas around the world packed out with fans watching the best compete against each other, and then many more watching on live streams from home.

To give you an idea of how many professionals are involved in Fortnite, we currently have around 200 tennis players who are playing on the tour and making a living from what they do. There are currently over 1000 League Of Legends players who receive a wage by playing the game, so this game alone is five times bigger than tennis in terms of people playing.

Then of course you have everyone who plays Fortnite, Dota2, CS:GO and the other popular eSports games and all of a sudden, the size of the industry becomes apparent.

Should the Olympics Take a Punt?

The Olympics has a ton of great sports that are considered normal and part of the event, is it time for them to take a punt and go with something a little different? Going with an eSports, either Fortnite or something else, would certainly do that and bring a lot of attention to the Olympics too.

When it comes to viewing at the Olympics, how many people are fans of the sports that take place, or how many will simply watch anything that is on just because it is the Olympics and there are medals at stake?

If that is the case, does it really matter what takes place, because people will just watch it anyway? So, with that in mind, is it seen as a big risk, but actually one that won’t receive too much negative press because people are not actively involved and big fans of the sports that take place anyway?

In the beginning, yes, things will look strange but in the future this could easily go on to be the most watched sport of the Olympics.