I’m guessing that there are a lot of people who think e-sports means sports video games. But that’s not the case at all. The most popular e-sports leagues are based around fantasy and shooter games, and the term “sports” refers to the team and competition nature of the events. When the Sixers bought e-sports club Team Dignitas, they did so because they, like other traditional sports franchises that have dipped their feet into the pool of competitive gaming, have the infrastructure with regards health, nutrition, travel, sponsorships and marketing to support e-sports teams and grow them from small-ish groups of members with maybe a manager – akin to a small band – into bonafide brands. Sports teams are a natural fit to nurture groups of gamers as they travel around the globe to compete and strike sponsorship and distribution deals. Interestingly, last month, at a symposium at the Villanova School of Law, e-sports execs, lawyers and observers noted that e-sports leagues have little interest in striking TV deals because much of their audience will never watch traditional TV. Those distro deals will be mostly streaming.

All of that is just a long lede to tell you that the Sixers, through Team Dignitas, will participate in NBA 2K’s inaugural e-sports league – playing actual sports games – next year. They’ll join 16 other clubs. Details are sparse, but I would think that there will be some events held in front of large crowds in NBA arenas. This is a way to get many traditional sports fans into e-sports. For example, I have no interest in watching an Overwatch match, because I would have no idea what is going on. But I can absolutely watch an NBA 2K match and instantly recognize the competition, even if it is virtual. Consider me intrigued.