Fortnite: Battle Royale has possibly pushed eSports further into the mainstream. The reason is the recently announced cover of the popular US sports magazine “ESPN Magazine”. Instead of the usual football and NBA stars, the Fortnite pro-gamer Ninja is featured.
What is ESPN Magazine? This magazine is one of the most popular US sports magazines. It is published every 14 days (curiously “Fortnightly” in English) and has a circulation of about 2.1 million copies.
The ESPN Magazine belongs to the Disney Corporation and covers all kinds of sports. Unlike more factual competitor products, such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN Magazine has a somewhat more relaxed approach to the topic of sports.
Ninja instead of Football Star on the Cover
What is so special about the upcoming issue of ESPN Magazine? Usually, famous athletes from popular US sports such as football or basketball are featured on the covers of ESPN Magazine.
However, a future issue of the magazine is set to feature the streamer and Fortnite star Ninja instead. He has 10 million followers on Twitch and is so good that he can even take down 6 opponents with 4 hit points.
Ninja and Fortnite bring Gaming further into the Mainstream: The fact that a pro-gamer with blue hair is now prominently featured on one of the largest sports magazines in the USA is a bit of a sensation. In the USA, sports are taken very seriously. Successful athletes are highly celebrated.
The fact that a gamer is now featured on the cover of this magazine can be understood as a knightly accolade for pro-gaming. It is an important step towards establishing gaming as a “real” sport.
This idea is certainly not new. For years, eSports games like LoL, Overwatch, or Call of Duty have become more popular, and the events have grown larger. However, with coverage in mainstream sports media such as ESPN Magazine, gaming should take another important step into the heart of society.
Core Gamers view Fortnite critically: Even though many core gamers view “Fortnite” critically because it is so popular among young players, such progress for gaming would hardly be possible without a prominent figure like Fortnite.
What do you think? Will Fortnite and similar games soon stand on par with football here?
