Hello! It’s been awhile, the quarantine, a job promotion and life has hit me HARD the past few weeks. I’m hoping that will all calm down now as everyone sort of hits a routine with the situation going on in the US and around the world now. I hope everyone is healthy and staying safe during this pandemic and I wish for nothing but the best for everyone! That being said, let’s get down to business.
Canceled. Suspended. Delayed. Those 3 words have all been spewed out by all the major sports leagues, bringing a gloomy mood to this already rough quarantine. That being said, this is where esports can shine, and where they will always be able to one up traditional sports.
Unfortunately, for the last couple weeks, even esports events have been canceled, in light of the quarantine and social distancing, but no longer will that be the case. With esports comes convenience, and that convenience comes in the form of the ability to compete and have events completely online. Sure, there may not be fans or arenas or big glorified events, but that doesn’t mean the show can’t go on.
Starting this past weekend, the LCS had their first fully online week, with viewership being stronger than usual! It wasn’t without it’s technical hitches, but it’s amazing how quickly they managed to convert a fully in person setup to remote. All it took was about a week or so and the casters, analysts, players, etc. were all able to compete and play online. This should continue for them through the end of the spring split! They aren’t the only leagues though.
With CSGO, ESL has converted their pro league to online play, and have continued with business per usual. This past week they had matches and continue to have matches this week. The Overwatch League canceled their in person homestands, and have converted to an online setup as well, with some friendlies being played this past weekend, and an overload of matches happening this upcoming weekend!
In addition to those, the other huge league, the CDL, has canceled their home series events. They are currently figuring out the logistics, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Call of Duty matches being held within the next couple weeks, fully online and just as epic as before.
It sucks that traditional sports have been suspended or delayed, but for the health of everyone it’s the best thing they can do. With the lack of sports to watch, and the lack of entertainment in general, now is the PERFECT time for people to learn about esports and get into them! Go to Twitch, go to YouTube, give them a watch and see if you like them! With this quarantine in effect, gaming is a haven for a lot of people, a getaway from the madness of the world. Take it a step further, get into esports, get your competitive fix via the games you love to play in your spare time! I’d LOVE to help people learn what’s going on and what they can get into!
If you have any questions or want to know what kind of esports are out there and if they are something you might enjoy, feel free to tweet at me! My handle is @martimasprime, I’d love to get people into esports and help them out with some competition within this trying time :).
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