Why is there more “unique opportunity” in esports than in traditional sports?

According to esports and entertainment lawyer Justin Jacobson, the digital nature of the esports world creates "unique opportunities" for talent and influencers to capitalize on sponsorship.

V in conversation with Mark Thomas of ZenSports In the latest episode of the Ball and Chain podcast, Jacobson talked about why the legal esports space is "more mature" than the traditional sports space.

Defining how esports differ from traditional sports, he explained: “For the uninitiated, esports are professional video games in which individuals or groups of people play a video game, whether Fortnite, Call of Duty, Overwatch or League of Legends. money - sometimes six figures or seven figures. So this is a huge growing area.

“What I thought was good, and what allowed me to move from the world of entertainment, music and sports that I came from to esports and gaming, were similar in many ways.”

Athletes and teams involved in esports have opened up new possibilities with the ability to use digital assets as well as names and likenesses.

“Many of the legal defenses and concepts you might have for a professional athlete, musician, or DJ apply to a professional player, streamer, or team where you want to protect your gamertag the same way you protect your DJ. or the name of the artist, and just like you have a logo that is used on your products.

"Really, the only difference is that you're playing Madden in a video game, not soccer on a soccer field."

Most notably, Verizon unveiled the popular video game Fortnite at the 2021 Super Bowl. to increase fan engagement during the pandemic, and more professional athletes, from National Football League (NFL) to National Basketball Association (NBA), enjoy eSports.

“It really came down to understanding how some of these different businesses are different because there are so many unique opportunities in this digital world that might not exist for a football player,” Jacobson added. “You will not be able to sell a digital skin or in-game item that has the name of an esports team or player on it.

"We've seen a Viking player get invited to Fortnite, but that's a rare occurrence while many teams and many top players are included in the game in some way."

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