You're listening to Comedy Central. Hi. I'm Michael Costa. And before I started covering the news on cable TV, I was a successful professional athlete. What sport tennis? Duh? I was writing eight hundred sixty four in the world, So I was a natural to investigate the newest sport sweeping the nation, video games. Competitive video gaming known as e sports is booming. There's even a training center with five training rooms and six locker rooms. The Olympics are considering
addie sports. I went to California to a so called training center in someone's garage to talk with these athletes about why video games isn't a sport. What the hell is this? This was the alien Ware training facility for e sports team Liquid, complete with scrimmage stations, a war room, pr department, a team coach, and even an in house chef. The team star, whose name is Taco, was acquired from Brazil's top team. This is our real sport. You call
yourself an athlete? Yes, of course, they compete, we go to tournaments, we travel a lot, We've got some money. What is an East sport athlete? Mr? Taco? Do every day? Just practice? Yeah? I have a former professional tennis player. That's what I would call a real sport. There was an opponent and you would relish the opportunity to defeat them with your racket. What do you actually have to show for what you're doing? And come on, I have a real strong finger finger, Yes, this finger. I killed
at least one million people. That fingers killed one million people at least. Taco was referring to his kills and counter strike, a game where guys shoot other guys before a bomb goes off. Apparently, how is this a sport? Won the ann Arbor Junior Open at eleven years old. How hard it gonna be to pound on these dorks? What are you staring at? Huh? Whoop your ass? Next to the left? To the left, to the left, and they get Oh Jesus Christ, I shot him four times,
he shoots me once and I die. These games were clearly rigged against more muscular athletes. Jesus, how do I keep dying? Taco? But who's paying for these cucks to sit around all day and mash buttons? Apparently guys like three time NBA champion Rick Fox, owner of e sports franchise Echo Fox. What are you doing with these nerds? Man, you're a real athlete, and so are they. What the ship are you talking about? Me and you? We played real sports. You know, you can see our balls in
our pants when we played. Were an athlete? Oh yeah, yeah, I played professional tennis. I was ranked eight hundred and sixty four in the world. You win, you win a couple of tournaments. No, I didn't win the tournaments. But how much money did you make in your crew? You may eleven thousand dollars about but there's a there's a whole system, and I was, you know, right in their
plan as a pro ath in our error. I think there was no shame around pursuing a career, uh in professional sports, because you can get a scholarship to college, which, by the way, you can get as any sport player. Now there's a number of colleges that are building the sports arenas on their campuses. This is all great, but let's get down to brass tacks here. How much do
these athletes make. Probably the best top lander in the world in one of our games, he makes probably eight on a what And while players like Taco made over eight hundred k last year, other top gamers earned upwards of four million dollars, and thanks to advertising and sponsorships, revenues will top one point four billion dollars this year. What point four billion? Are you kidding me? But what really makes it legit is Vegas sports books take bets
on it. So I did what anyone would do, sold my dog for three thousand bucks and put it all on Team lick with at the Barkley Center. I'll buy him back after I win Amsterdam, London, Cologne, Montreal. I don't get a ship. You're a Brooklyn now, baby. This is the Barclay Center. This is where champions play and the Brooklyn Nets. We're gonna heal as a team or we're gonna die as individuals. That I make myself clear. Come on, all right, ignore all that and when we
just follow the game, bunt, let's go, guys. It was time for Team Liquid to win in the semifinals and make me some money. See let's go, baby, let's yoe. He definitely felt like a real sport. These gaming gladiators were ready for battle. Ladies and gentlemen to morwentfore we wait, team full team with quick boxes, cam bit, click your mouth. They flexed their fingers, they clicked their buttons. They adjusted
their head sense. Hello on cleck roight leck d Come, let's start the waves starting I'm here wants the stairs. They fought to outmaneuver, evade, and shoot their opponents heads off, and just when it looked like Team Liquid was on the ropes, they rapped the next ground final steam like quick hella, why why our video games a sport? Who cares? I'm rich? Time to try to buy my dog back? What's the Daily Show? Weeknights and eleven central on Comedy
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