The prize fund of the tournament esports walked almost all sports

Ten years ago, gamers and professional players (although what kind of professionalism then you can talk?) Could not have dreamed that at least one will be able to bring discipline hardtuned prize comparable to a real sport. And now, two weeks later, in July 2014 will DOTA 2 championship prize money will almost certainly exceed $ 10 million. What’s next?

The question of whether it is possible to compare eSports with real sports and even include it in the Olympic program, raised a couple of years ago, when the championship from Valve just gaining momentum. Then the amount of 1.6 million dollars for first place for five seemed fantastic, and today we are watching how the joint efforts of Gabe Newell and gaming community prize fund is approaching the mark of 10 million dollars. And this despite the fact that before the main part of the tournament The International 2014 remained nearly a month.Community rejoices: very soon matches favorite teams can be seen almost on the main channel of the country.

Only one team this tournament will receive more money than has been played in all competitions for DOTA 2. Almost exponential growth. How much is left to eSports betting real sport? Who can compare the world champions of DOTA 2 in 2014, which almost certainly will take not less than five million dollars in prize money?

According dota.ru, the most money of the sporting world revolve around FIFA and UEFA. The winning team UEFA Champions League gets about 50 million dollars, and the winner of the World Cup in Brazil, which is about to start by getting 35 million dollars. But please note that a request for football tournament serves 25 people, and DOTA 2 – five times less. Now who’s the winner?

Go ahead. Together with The International 2014 Valve managed to beat and such prestigious golf tournaments, as The Open Championship (8.8 million dollars), The Masters (9 million dollars) and PGA Championship (10 million dollars). First The Open Championship was played in 1860, and the first The International – just three years ago. But you understand that golf is on the list of Olympic sports, TV occupies many countries, and professional golf players have major contracts with sponsors.

In July 2009, the most famous bicycle race Tour de France, the world has collected about 44 million viewers. Prize pool of three million dollars, and the winner will receive the yellow jersey this year about 616,500 dollars. Each of the players that won the 2014 The International team will get more. Bicycles – is also part of Olympic sports.

As a rule, the Olympics medalists will cover not win the organizers and the government-representative. No exception, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Most of all for his efforts received (in addition to fame, of course) Belarusian biathlete Darya Domracheva – 450 000 dollars. The remaining winners received much less. Ten lucky Benefit locked Swiss skier Dario Cologna, received 178,000 dollars. Comparison with the Olympics may not be the best, but please note that this is an unprecedented event in its significance, which is being watched all over the world.

And what in the U.S.? Basketball and hockey. And here TI4 breathes in the back most popular sports. The prize fund of NBA Playoffs, for example, is 13 million dollars and is divided between the teams that participate in the playoffs (as in DOTA 2, in principle). The winners of the last competition received 2.3 million dollars, and it is two times less than the winners will receive The International this year.

What is the secret? The fact that the prizes to the winners of “resets” the gaming community.Kraudfanding performing well in the current global realities. DOTA 2 players have the opportunity to buy the so-called compendium for $ 10 (with further payments on request), 25% of the purchase price goes to the prize pool. Omit how much Valve poimeet to conduct this tournament, but the prize money is growing by leaps and bounds. At the time of this writing, it is 9,426,435 dollars. More than 70% – Donations fans. The winning team will receive 50% of the prize fund.

Go further. Stanley Cup Hockey, which conducts business NHL, takes 30 teams from the U.S. and Canada. In 2013, at the request of NHL Players’ Association prize money was doubled to $ 13 million dollars. Winners (Chicago Blackhawks) received nearly 3.75 million dollars.

Volleyball, cricket, snooker, rugby, chess, judo, trampolining, curling, rowing – all these are trifles compared with DOTA 2. Anyway, talking about this fair prize for winning the Main Event of the year.

If you, dear readers, there is mistrust and doubt regarding the distribution of prize money – turn to the most pressing problems. Why top football players, golf, basketball, tennis (by the way,Maria Sharapova for winning the “Roland Garros 2014” has received a little more than a half million dollars) earn millions of dollars a year? Why golfer Tiger Woods declare $ 78 million over the past year?

The fact is that any sport – it’s primarily a spectacle. And the winners are sold for millions. Most of the earnings of a professional athlete falls on sponsorship contracts. Tiger Woods, for example, earned 65 million from 78 solely on sponsors – EA Sports, for instance, is a computer game Tiger Woods PGA Tour fifteen consecutive years. David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo additional advertising do not need, and probably known to most is advertising, not football activities.

The fact that television – the main mechanism for collecting audience in a particular sport. If DOTA 2 championship broadcast on television, the players would have been much more popular. Nevertheless Championship from Valve, which airs except that in-game content, and the service type Twitch, is representative of a new era of sports, which do not need a TV. Every year the amount of advertising on the Internet is catching up and bypasses the volume of television advertising, and the day is not far off when it eSports, broadcast, perhaps only on the Internet, the winners will bring more money than football.

In the end, until the games DOTA 2 watch hundreds of thousands of players, TV watching tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of people. But it is necessary to pay tribute to Valve – this July in eSports happen next revolution, and he and his TI4 prize not disregard a very great number of people.

And you will see The International Game 4?