| Abstract: |
Research question: This study investigates three issues associated to the
growing industry of eSports: the picture of participants in eSports and the
correlates of the intensity of this participation; the
complementary/substitutability relationship between eSports and traditional
sports; and the perception of eSports as sport by the population. Research
methods: Discrete choice, two-part and regression models are estimated using a
sample of 11,018 individuals from the Survey on Sports Habits in Spain 2015.
Results and Findings: The association of the correlates follows different
patterns depending on whether considering participation or the intensity of
this participation in eSports and also in terms of gender. Using different
approaches, a significant degree of complementarity between participation and
interest in eSports and traditional sports is estimated. For young people
interested in eSports seems to an element influencing the overall interest in
sports. Implications: Taking into account the different association of the
correlates with the participation and the intensity of participation in
eSports, this information could be used by firms in order to define marketing
and brand investment strategies. The estimated complementarity between eSports
and traditional sports should influence how the actual stakeholders in
traditional sports define future strategies to favour the growth of both
industries. The fact that eSports is increasingly perceived as a sport should
have an influence, among others, in the collection of data on sports habits,
in the way these activities are regulated and in the organization of
multi-sport events, like the Olympic Games. |