How Esports Cracked the Code on Attention Economy

Summary

Esports built a £1.3 billion global industry by doing the opposite of traditional sports—prioritising community over broadcast, creators over teams, and participation over passive viewing. Whilst the UK stumbled early, Europe found success through government-media partnerships, America pivoted from franchise models to creator-led ecosystems, and emerging markets proved mobile-first beats infrastructure-first.

Hello, Hi Visionaries!

Picture this: You're scrolling through TikTok at 2 AM (I don't judge), and suddenly you're watching a 19-year-old from Seoul make more money in 30 minutes than most Premier League players earn in a week. Welcome to esports. Where the rulebook got thrown out the window, and somehow, everyone's winning.

Whilst traditional sports were busy protecting their broadcast territories and arguing over VAR decisions, esports quietly built a billion pound empire by doing the exact opposite of everything we thought we knew about sports business.

The numbers don't lie:

• Global esports revenue hit £3.7 billion in 2025

• Teams like FaZe Clan have valuations exceeding £500 million

• The average esports viewer is 26 years old (that Gen Z demographic everyone's desperately chasing)

But here's where it gets interesting...

The UK's Esports Journey: From Hype to Reality Check to Renaissance

Remember when everyone thought esports would be the next big thing overnight? The UK certainly did. Back in 2013, we had Gfinity partnering with the Premier League and Formula 1, convinced we were onto something massive.

Spoiler alert: We weren't quite ready.

The problem? We approached esports like traditional sports. Centralised, hierarchical, expecting immediate broadcast returns. Meanwhile, the actual esports ecosystem was thriving in Discord servers, Twitch streams, and university dorm rooms.

The correction phase:

• The British Esports Federation now provides proper framework (think FA pyramid, but for gamers)

• Educational partnerships like Pearson's BTEC in Esports create legitimate career paths

• Events like Insomnia Gaming Festival in Birmingham prove UK audiences exist, they just needed the right stage

Lesson learned: You can't force esports into traditional sports moulds. It's like trying to play football with rugby rules. Technically possible, but you'll miss the entire point.

Europe's Winning Formula: Government + Media + Local Heroes

Whilst the UK was figuring things out, our European neighbours were quietly building sustainable esports economies. Sweden, Germany, France, and Poland didn't just embrace esports. They invested in it properly.

The European advantage:

• Germany: ESL (Electronic Sports League) got acquired for £1.5 billion in 2022

• France: Z Event charity streams raised €10 million in 2022 (imagine if Children in Need was run by gamers)

• Sweden: City-level subsidies created gaming hubs that rival traditional sports academies

Here's what caught my attention: French broadcaster Canal+ covering esports wasn't a novelty. It was strategic. They recognised esports as content, not just competition.

The insight: European esports succeeds when local government, traditional media, and tournament operators align. It's partnership, not competition.

America's Esports Experiment: The Monetisation Laboratory

The US approached esports like, well, America approaches everything. Bigger, louder, more expensive. They created franchise leagues (Call of Duty League, Overwatch League), convinced NBA and NFL teams to invest, and threw money at the problem.

The results were... mixed:

• Largest market by revenue (£1.3 billion in 2023)

• Massive overvaluation of organisations (FaZe's SPAC failure)

• Heavy player salaries with questionable ROI

• But... something interesting emerged from the chaos

The pivot: American esports is shifting from "broadcast model" to "influencer creator model." Instead of trying to replicate traditional sports league structures, they're embracing what makes esports unique. The personalities, the communities, the direct fan relationships.

Key insight: MrBeast exploring esports isn't random. It's recognition that creator-led teams might be more sustainable than traditional franchise models.

Emerging Markets: Mobile First, Community-Driven

Here's where traditional sports executives should pay attention: emerging markets aren't waiting for infrastructure. They're building esports ecosystems around mobile phones and community spaces.

The mobile revolution:

• Southeast Asia and Latin America lead growth through mobile first gaming

• Brazil's LOUD Esports has over 10 million YouTube subscribers

• Popular titles: Mobile Legends, Free Fire, PUBG Mobile

Why this matters: These markets treat esports as lifestyle, not just competition. Brand collaborations, mobile accessibility, and creator ecosystems come before legacy leagues.

The lesson: Accessibility trumps production value. Community beats infrastructure.

The Revenue Reality Check

Let's talk numbers, because this is where esports gets fascinating:

Source: Newzoo Global Esports & Live Streaming Market Report 2023

The game changer: Publishers own the intellectual property. Riot Games can change League of Legends rules overnight. Imagine if FIFA could alter football rules mid-season and clubs had no say.

This isn't a weakness. It's a feature. It allows rapid iteration, constant engagement, and direct publisher-to-fan relationships.

What Esports Solved (That Traditional Sports Didn't Know They Had)

The Gen Z attention problem: Traditional sports wondered why young audiences were disappearing. Esports realised young audiences weren't disappearing. They were engaging differently.

The geography barrier: Why should your fandom be limited by where you were born? Esports teams have global fan bases from day one.

The participation gap: You can watch Ronaldo, but you can't become Ronaldo. You can watch Faker play League of Legends, then immediately play League of Legends yourself.

The monetisation ceiling: Traditional sports have stadium capacity limits. Esports has infinite digital scalability.

The Playbook: What This Means for You

For Brand Marketers: Stop thinking about esports sponsorships like traditional sports sponsorships. Don't just put your logo on a jersey. Embed your product into gameplay experiences and creator content.

For Sports Teams: Start building digital first fan funnels. Discord servers, YouTube channels, Twitch partnerships. The Manchester City of 2030 will have as many Discord members as season ticket holders.

For Investors: Back the creator ecosystem, not just teams. The real money is in tools, analytics platforms, community management, content creation software.

For Traditional Sports Executives: Apply esports style fan engagement: watch parties, digital merchandise, tiered fan experiences. The future of sports isn't just what happens on the pitch. It's what happens in the community.

For Startups: Build for the creator led esports economy. Community tools, analytics dashboards, intellectual property monetisation platforms.

The Bottom Line

Esports didn't wait for permission. Whilst traditional sports were debating digital transformation, esports built an entire economy around attention, creativity, and community.

The lesson isn't that esports is better than traditional sports—it's that esports understood something fundamental about modern audiences that traditional sports missed: people don't just want to watch anymore. They want to participate, create, and belong.

The competitive advantage: If you're not building for the audience-first digital athlete, you're already playing catch-up.

That's a wrap for this week's Field Vision. Hit reply and tell me: what's your biggest takeaway from the esports revolution? Are you team traditional sports or team digital-first?