Shaq Believes Esports Players Should Be Considered Athletes

gamerant.com:

There are plenty of ways to earn money related to video games, outside of developing them. Esports is one such option, with several venues, teams, and so on offering ways for talented players to earn tons of money. However, one thing that is often debated is how “sports-like” Esports actually is and if pro players can be put into the same box as pro athletes.

This debate may not go anywhere anytime soon, but recently Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal shared his opinion on this. As many know, Shaq is considered one of the greatest basketball players and centers there is, and to hear him comment on Esports and pro players adds to that debate. In short, Shaq says he does believe that pro players are athletes.

100 Thieves is Making a Video Game

Jake Lucky, from Full Squad Gaming, asked Shaq this in a recent conversation (as seen below). Shaq not only said he believes pro Esports players are athletes, but he went into detail about this. He began by saying that athlete can mean different things, physically speaking, but pointing to his head said, “but athlete means here.” He discusses how much of a mental game sports are, with the physical aspect being a minor part of it.

He talked about Shaq Versus, a show in which he challenged other pro athletes at their preferred sport, and how discussed how painful racing against Dale Earnhardt and swimming against Michael Phelps was. Shaq's experience with Esports and sports cannot be understated, but when it comes to Esports, he said he “can’t do what [pro Esports players] do.”

Shaq said that he was proud of Esports players and commends them for what they do, and he even acknowledges the hardships of playing Esports competitively. He compared the average “shelf-life” of an Esports player, 5-6 years