Esports Stadium shows US commitment to growing sport

This weekend saw a brand new stadium opened in Arlington, North Texas, but it’s not for a traditional sport. Excitingly, esports will be hosted here and shows just how much popularity the genre has gained in recent years. For a town to commit to one of their old convention centres being transformed this way, means people are clearly aware there is a big market here.

The city’s old convention centre was renovated from the ground up at a cost of a whopping $10 million dollars. With that sort of money being invested, it’s clear they think there is a big future to be had in the world of esports. It’s being portrayed as more than just a video game facility and fans couldn’t be happier. This will pave the way for more large scale tournaments to be hosted on US soil and means a bright future for esports as a whole.

The popularity of esports in the US has grown rapidly in the past couple of years, from something that was mostly seen as a hobby, to something that can actually be a full blown career. With commitments like the Arlington stadium beginning to crop up, it’s highly likely we’ll begin seeing even more US teams, and with luck them beginning to make some more in-roads into the esports championships available.

The stadium itself not only houses tournament arenas, but also arcades and smaller lobbies where fans of gaming can put their skills to the test outside of formal competition. The sheer size and scope of the project was unprecedented for an esports venue in the US, and fans and residents alike have been really pleased with the results. The first tournament held here is sure to be a showstopper.

Current esports teams have even been involved in the final stages of building work, meaning the building has been put together with nothing but gaming in mind. It’s already being scheduled as a training venue for some of the collegiate esports teams such as the University of Texas at Arlington, who incidentally were also some of the players that helped shaped the final stages of the build. It will be fantastic for teams to be able to get the feel for playing in a proper esports venue before big matches.

Hopefully this means that esports will eventually grow to the same popularity levels of other national sports. It’s going to be a while before it can compete with sports like the NFL for example, but each major tournament hosted in the US is growing in terms of prize pools and participants. The talent emerging is also able to compete on a global level, and US players are frequently involved in worldwide championships. Sponsorship deals are also increasing thanks to things like Universities supporting professional teams as part of their educational programs. Organizers themselves are having to seek larger venues and with option like the stadium in Arlington beginning to appear, the possibilities for esports in the US only continues to grow.