Still think esports isn’t really a sport at all? Then you’re gonna love what some Swiss fans did at a soccer game this weekend.
Superfans of Swiss team Young Boys of Bern tossed game controllers and tennis balls (tennis balls?) onto the field during the game, causing a halt in play for a few minutes as officials cleaned up the mess. The fans from both teams also brought anti-esports banners for their protest; the Bern folks rolled out a massive banner with a pause button on it, demanding that European franchises abandon plans to expand into esports.
The AP notes that “European soccer clubs are increasingly looking to have a franchise in esports leagues,” which won’t surprise you at all, given the push to include esports in global sports tournaments like the Olympics and the frequency with which North American and East Asian sports leagues are investing in more online pursuits.
If you’re cool with esports but are really mad that I am calling it soccer, you could probably just throw soccer balls into a video game and then we’re all even.
@LeParisienSport @lequipe #EDS #EDE
jets de balles de tennis😶 du kop des deux clubs sur le terrain lors du match de football Young-Boys-FC Bâle pour protester contre les eSport
…puis pluie de buts, jaunes aussi, 7-1 pour les Bernois, symbole de la passation de l'an dernier😜 pic.twitter.com/EdbFJSlXwy— Meylan Jean-Pierre (@LuiGrenat) September 23, 2018
