Is Video Gaming a Sport?

1. Set Focus
Frame the inquiry with these essential questions: What makes an activity a sport? Who gets to decide if the criteria for being a sport are met?

2. Read and Discuss
Have students read the debate and then answer the following questions:

• What is the issue being debated? How does it relate to current events? (The issue is whether video gaming is a sport. The issue is timely because the worldwide audience for esports is growing. In the U.S., esports is likely to soon have a larger following than other pro sports, except football.)

• Evaluate why these two authors might be interested in and qualified to comment on this issue. (Mason Mullenioux is the co-founder and head of an organization that promotes video game tournaments to high school students. Alexandra Coates is an expert in physical education.)  

• Analyze Mullenioux’s view. (Mullenioux argues that video gaming is a sport. He says that esports require the same skills, such as strategic thinking, as playing a physical sport, and teach the same lessons, such as teamwork. He also says that pro gaming is already like many pro sports, with top players getting paid a lot of money.)

• Analyze Coates’s view. (Coates argues that video gaming is not a sport. She says that sports are inherently physical, which can lead to stronger muscles and bones and reduce your risk of disease. She says the racing heart you feel when excited while playing esports does not offer the same benefits as when your heart races from running around, and claims it can even be damaging.)

4. Writing Prompt
In an essay, evaluate one of the debaters’ arguments. Assess whether the reasoning is valid and whether it’s supported with evidence. Point out biases or missing information.

5. Classroom Debate
Is video gaming a sport? Have students use the authors’ ideas, as well as their own, in a debate.

6. Vote
Go online to vote in Upfront’s poll—and see how students across the country voted.