By Yifan Wu

ATLANTA – Thousands of fans came to Georgia World Congress Center to watch about 140 teams compete at Call of Duty World League Atlanta last weekend, with more than 150,000 watching on Major League Gaming’s online stream at peak, according to Adam Apicella, executive vice president at MLG.

The e-sports economy is projected to grow to $696 million in 2017, according to Newzoo, an e-sports market analysis firm. Alongside the booming industry comes with the rising popularity of e-sports players.

After the three-day competition, eUnited took home $80,000 in prize money, claiming high-profile victims such as FaZe Clan, Team EnVyUs and Optic Gaming.

As they catch up to professional athletes in following and frequent flyer miles, we asked some of the top players which athletes mirror their play-style, personality or physical appearance. Here is what the players said.

Which athletes do e-sports players compare themselves to? from MSJ Reporter on Vimeo.

Photo at top: Spectators watch Pnda Gaming take on Optic Gaming on main stage at Call of Duty World League Atlanta Open. (Yifan Wu/MEDILL)