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Mark Cuban: “[Esports] is a real sport, and people are going to figure it out really, really quick”
Esports has had its fair share of detractors in recent years, especially over the use of the word “sports” in its name, but tech mogul and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently defended competitive gaming, and he hinted that he may be investing more in the esports industry in the near future.
Cuban took part in a League of Legends match at The 2015 Intel Extreme Masters San Jose over the weekend, where he played with Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and eight professional LoL players. The proceeds from the match benefited the CyberSmile Foundation, an anti-bullying charity organization.
Before the match, Cuban was asked if he has plans to buy his own team or invest more in esports, and he responded, “You’re just going to have to stay tuned. I mean, I love Colin [Cowherd], but he’s an idiot when it comes to esports.”
ESPN host Colin Cowherd has been one of esports’ most vocal antagonists, and he reacted in outrage on his radio show earlier this year when the sports network aired coverage of a professional gaming tournament on ESPN 2. At the time, Cowherd compared watching esports to “putting a gun in my mouth.”
“Here’s what’s going to get me off the air,” Cowherd said at the time. “If I am ever forced to cover guys playing video games, I will retire and move to a rural fishing village and sell bait. You want me out? Demand video game tournaments on ESPN because that’s what appeared on ESPN 2 yesterday.”
Cuban dismissed Cowherd’s opinion.
“I’m a newb, I’m still getting into it, but I love [League of Legends],” Cuban said. “It’s like playing 5-dimensional chess against the world. It’s like one of the smartest games I’ve ever played. You’ve got to have dexterity. You’ve got to be quick. This is a real sport, and people are going to figure it out really, really quick.”
Cuban is already somewhat involved in the esports industry through his recent investment in Unikrn, an esports betting site that has already raised over $10 million in total funding.
You can watch the full pre-game interview with Cuban from IEM San Jose below:
Screenshot via Nebu | YouTube
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