Today, eSports has global audiences in the hundreds of millions, billion-dollar sponsorship deals, and players who train as rigorously as traditional athletes.

The question is no longer if eSports will join the Olympic program – but when, and how.

The Rise of Competitive Gaming

What began in small LAN cafes and niche tournaments has grown into a global phenomenon. Games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Dota 2 now sell out arenas and offer prize pools rivaling those of major sports leagues.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has already acknowledged eSports’ potential, hosting the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in 2023. While it focused largely on “virtual sports” (like cycling simulators and virtual taekwondo), it signaled that gaming is on the IOC’s radar.

It has since announced the inaugural Olympic eSports Games to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027, as the road to eSports at the Olympics has officially begun.

The Case For Olympic Inclusion

Massive Global Reach: eSports taps into a younger demographic that traditional sports struggle to capture, especially Gen-Z audiences.

Skill & Training: Professional players train 8–12 hours a day, honing reflexes, strategy, and team coordination.

Inclusivity: eSports offers gender-neutral competition and accessibility to athletes regardless of physical limitations.

Digital Integration: The Olympic movement is seeking ways to remain relevant in a digital-first entertainment landscape.

The Hurdles to Overcome

Game Selection: Which title gets chosen? With games tied to private publishers, the IOC faces licensing and neutrality challenges.

Standardisation: Game patches, updates, and meta shifts could impact fairness in competition.

Perception: Skeptics question whether eSports meets the traditional definition of “sport,” especially given its lack of physical exertion.

Anti-Doping & Integrity: Like any sport, eSports must address concerns about performance-enhancing substances, cheating, and match-fixing, as sports betting rapidly rises in popularity on eSports markets.

What Could Olympic eSports Look Like?

The most likely path is a parallel competition alongside the Games, much like the way skateboarding and surfing debuted – starting small, building credibility, and – eventually – moving into full medal events. Early Olympic eSports may lean toward virtual sports simulations (FIFA, NBA 2K, Gran Turismo) before embracing pure competitive titles.

The Olympic torch may one day light up a digital arena. With younger audiences demanding new forms of competition and the eSports industry showing no signs of slowing, it feels less like a question of “if,” and more like “when.”

Whether you’re a traditionalist or a gamer, the future of the Games could be played with a keyboard and mouse, as much as with a ball and bat.

UC San Diego Men’s Water Polo has launched single game ticket sales for the 2025 season. The Tritons, now in their third year in the Big West, will kick off the season with the Triton Invitational from August 29-31, featuring renowned teams like UCLA and USC. Individual tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $8 for youth, seniors, military, and UC San Diego affiliates, with three-day passes also available. Home games include matches against Stanford, LMU, and UC Irvine, emphasizing a competitive schedule following a successful 2024 season.

By the Numbers

• Tickets range from $10 for adults to $8 for youths and seniors.
• In 2024, UC San Diego finished the season with a 17-12 overall record, including a 3-2 record in the Big West.

State of Play

• The Triton Invitational will feature six matches over three days.
• Upcoming home games include key matchups against Stanford on September 14 and the Battle of the Kings against LMU on September 24.

What’s Next

Fans should expect a competitive season with numerous high-stakes games, starting with the Triton Invitational. Continued success in the Big West will be crucial for the Tritons to build on last year’s accomplishments.

Bottom Line

Purchasing tickets early is essential for fans eager to witness UC San Diego’s exciting water polo season, featuring an impressive lineup and home crowd support.

When Allison Clarke first visited The Sports Bra, she was unemployed out of college and just trying to check out the queer bars in her new neighborhood.

Clarke had played basketball in high school and enjoyed watching women’s NCAA hoops, but she wasn’t especially well versed in who was who in the WNBA or in NCAA basketball. But Clarke also needed a job, so she asked the bartenders if The Bra was hiring. The bar had been open for less than two years at that point; The Sports Bra held its opening day in April 2022.

Clarke ended up landing a dishwasher job in February 2024.

“I wasn’t so into sports when I started there, so I thought that might be a disconnect,” says Clarke, now a bartender at the venue. “But actually, even if you’re not a die-hard sports fan, or if you have a different team you’re a die-hard fan for, you still relate to these people because you have a similar experience of being a queer person.”

Although Portland is known as a queer-friendly city, Clarke says she didn’t have a community of sapphic people prior to working at The Bra. She started to pick up names and storylines from customers who frequented the bar—things like who was having a good season and which players were dating each other. As she learned the ins and outs of the WNBA and the NWSL, the community of regulars and co-workers also helped her feel more comfortable in her own identity. Clarke knew she was queer, but being around other lesbians helped her realize she identified as one.

“These are my people,” she remembers thinking. “I think I’m one of them.”

The Sports Bra has drawn national attention for its stated purpose: showcasing women’s sports. But it has also managed to create a communal space that’s especially queer friendly by tapping into an underserved market: Clarke estimates about half of the bar’s patrons are lesbians.

The presence of queer women isn’t limited to the bar’s patrons; a number of the athletes competing on The Bra’s screens are openly queer themselves.

“It’s great to have the representation,” Nat Lemire says. “You feel like your community is out there on the screen. It’s awesome.”

For Lemire and her fiancée, Lauren, The Sports Bra is an obligatory stop every time they visit from Boston. The couple met after Lauren moved to Portland in 2022 and visited the bar early in their relationship (after a little back-and-forth recollection, they decide it was on their prolonged first date).

But women’s sports aren’t a draw only for queer women. “There’s a lot of families that want to show their kids women’s sports or older women athletes that bring their husbands in,” she says.

While Clarke says many of the bar’s recurring customers are queer, anyone can swing by to catch a game or lunch. The Sports Bra posts its weekly TV lineups on its website and social media for patrons interested in a specific game.

The Bra focuses on being family friendly and broadly inclusive—whether that’s toward parents (queer or heterosexual) who want to come in with their children or a couple walking in off the street to grab lunch or for fans who just want somewhere to watch women’s sports on television.

When I stopped in, a handful of queer women had gathered with friends. But a mom and two kids were also browsing the merchandise area at the back of the bar; there were customers who walked in for a burger and fries for Sunday lunch and a gender-diverse assortment of individuals at the bar to cheer on the Seattle Storm in a close loss to the Indiana Fever.

Queer or not, The Sports Bra is a clear contrast with the men- and alcohol-dominated space of your average sports bar. And it has an audience.

“It sucks when there’s a major women’s game going on,” Lemire says, “and then you’re watching mediocre men’s sports in a bar.” (Lemire is echoing the same sentiment that inspired founder Jenny Nguyen to open The Sports Bra in the first place: to create a space that centers women’s sports.)

Jamila Winston, sitting at a table with a clear view of one of the screens showing the Storm match, says she’s tried to come to a couple of watch parties at The Bra over the years. But she and her partner Shayna prefer to come at less crowded times, when she can catch whatever WNBA game is playing on TV and not have to worry about showing up early to secure a seat in the 40-capacity space.

The Sports Bra is riding the hype; it announced in June that it plans to expand the franchise to Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and St. Louis.

“Even in Portland, we need a second location,” Winston says.

Although The Bra provides a platform for women and queer people, Winston says a hurdle remains to make it a more racially diverse space. “Portland is white,” she says, something that’s reflected in the bar’s patronage. “As inclusive as you want to be, there just aren’t enough of us to do it.”

That’s not to discount the ways in which women’s sports are a vehicle for women and queer people finding community, whether that’s on a court or in the stands. The Sports Bra provides a space for women, queer people and fans of women’s sports more broadly to come together and share that sense of camaraderie.

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SAN DIEGO — The San Diego State football team practiced once again on Tuesday morning at the on-campus facility. It was the 12th practice for the Aztecs, who are now halfway through fall camp before opening their season on Thursday, Aug. 28 against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. PT.

SDSU practiced in shells for a second consecutive day as it gears up for its annual Fan Fest at Snapdragon Stadium on Thursday night. With temperatures in the low-70s under sunny skies and a plentiful breeze, San Diego State did team flex (stretching), special teams individual drills, pops, special teams punt, 1-on-1s with wide receivers vs. the defensive backs, as well as offensive line and running backs, team tempo gold zone and team tempo.

Roy Manning joined the Aztecs staff as the defensive edges coach in January, bringing nearly 15 years of coaching experience at seven different Power 5 institutions where he coached in 11 bowl games and three conference championship games. He enters a room full of experience and promise, including the ability to coach the Mountain West preseason defensive player of the year Trey White.

“I walked into a great situation if you coach, obviously having one of the best players in the country in my room, and it’s just been a delight to have opportunity to work with him,” said Manning. “He’s steady Eddie every single day. Just like all the great players that I’ve coached at other stops, they want to be coached hard.

“I think we all have room for growth. They constantly are pushing themselves and others to be their best and never feel satisfied. So, we’re going to continue to push and hopefully have one of our best seasons.”

In addition to being named the MW preseason defensive player of the year, White has also been named to the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List (most outstanding defensive player) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List (national defensive player of the year). Last year, White totaled 60 tackles (40 solo), 18.5 tackles for loss (No. 1 in MW, No. 7 (tied) in FBS), 12.5 sacks (No. 1 in MW, No. 5 (tied) in FBS), two pass breakups and a forced fumble. White’s 12.5 sacks were tied for the third most in SDSU single-season history.

“I love Coach Manning,” said White. “He pushes us super hard. He comes from the league, and he kind of knows what things are going to be like there. And I like that. He brings that to us, and kind of lets us know what to expect. And he just wants the best out of us every day. You can make all the mistakes in the world, but as long as we give effort, that’s all he cares about, and we’ll fix the other little things later.”

White has been impressed with the defense halfway through camp.

“Everything’s looking great, (even) better than I expected,” said White. “I knew we were going to come out with this energy and kind of chip on our shoulder. So, I’m glad to see that kind of come to fruition. And all the competitive spirit out here. Everybody’s just like a big family out here, very competitive. I love it.”

One of the newcomers who has added depth to the edges is Niles King. The Southfield, Michigan, native spent the last three seasons at Division II Grand Valley State, where he totaled 70 tackles, including 27 tackles for loss and 20 sacks in 34 career games, while adding seven passes defended and four forced fumbles. He made consecutive first-team all-GLIAC selections.

King has enjoyed watching White come to work each day.

“Trey’s a workhorse,” said King. “He does the right thing every time. If he doesn’t, he’s going to do the wrong thing (with) 100 percent (effort). So, just to be in the room with a guy like that just really pushes you to up your game. You don’t want to fall behind him and you want to keep that same standard. You don’t want any drop off.”

King loves the depth of the edges.

“We have a really deep edge room,” said King. “I’m a little biased, but I think it’s the best room in the building. We’ve got dudes like Brady (Nassar), who started last year, Ryan Henderson has a lot of snaps under his belt, obviously, Trey (White). So, it’s just a room full of football experience. It’s a really good, competitive room.”

“He’s kind of a do it all guy,” said Manning of King. “He can go power when he needs to go power. He has pass rushing abilities. Obviously, he has the body type and can play with length and play behind his pads and get separation and he’s still growing, too, in his walk. All these guys, they’re all different and unique. They all add something different. But when you look at it as a whole, it’s a good problem to have.”

The 13th of 24 fall practices is set for Wednesday morning before the opener against Stony Brook on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Snapdragon Stadium at 7 p.m. PT.

San Diego State also has home games vs. California (Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Colorado State (Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. PT), Wyoming (Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. PT), Boise State (Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT) and San Jose State (Nov. 22, time TBA).

Digital Consultancy Ferry Embarks From Scotland

Night Train Digital boss Caitlin Meek O’Connor and social content expert Mark MacDonald are relocating to Scotland to launch Ferry, a YouTube-focused consultancy. The married couple will work with companies to put in place strategies, staffing and structure for their YouTube and social media operations. Meek O’Connor has been Head of Night Train Digital, which is part of the London-based Night Train Media, for the past two years. Previously, she had worked at All3Media-owned Little Dot Studios for six years as Programmes and Acquisitions chief, and has held senior roles at Beyond Rights, DRG, Mercury Media and the BBC. MacDonald had also worked at Little Dot in several senior roles, and was most recently Global Head of Social Media at Banijay Entertainment. He has been consulting since March, when he exited the France-based giant. “After two fantastic years at Night Train Digital, I’m excited to start a new chapter with the launch of Ferry, the consultancy Mark and I have founded to help companies unlock the full potential of their YouTube strategies and to work closely with Scottish businesses to elevate their digital output and reach new audiences,” Meek O’Connor told Deadline. “It’s an exciting time to be helping content travel further.” Night Train Digital has not yet replaced her directly, with Lara Sword, Head of Factual Network, leading the unit as of now.

Ormax To Track Indian Sports Viewing

Ormax Media, the Indian insights consultancy, is launching Ormax Sports Track. The syndicated audience research tool is an attempt to track the engagement and marketing impact of sports on streaming services in the country. Given the huge numbers following cricket on digital services in the country – and widening interest in soccer, tennis, kabbadi and wrestling – platforms, sports leagues and advertisers will have been searching for such a tool. Ormax will will evaluate tournaments on four parameters – buzz, reach, appeal and potency. “With Ormax Sports Track, OTT platforms now have a powerful, subscription-based tool to benchmark the impact of their sports campaigns against industry-wide trends,” said Keerat Grewal, Head of Business Development (Streaming, Television & Brands). “This tool integrates rigorous audience tracking with strategic insights, helping clients drive subscriptions, optimise marketing spend, and stand out in a crowded sports landscape.”

Adelaide Film Festival Selects ‘Jimpa’ For Opening Night

The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) has selected Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa as its opening night film. The feature is a multi-generational story in which filmmaker Hannah (Olivia Colman) takes her trans non-binary teenager Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) to Amsterdam to meet their gay grandfather, Jimpa (John Lithgow). It’s inspired by the death of Sophie Hyde’s own father, and the queer family she was raised in. Jimpa premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year and is now getting its debut in Australia, where it will be released by Kismet. Other features selected for AFF are Journey Home, David Gulpilil, by directors Maggie Miles and Trisha Morton-Thomas; The Colleano Heart from Pauline Clague; Lynette Wallworth’s Edge of Life; South Australian horror thriller Penny Lane is Dead from writer/director Mia’Kate Russell; Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner It Was Just An Accident by from Iranian director Jafar Panahi; and Fwends, from first-time director Sophie Somerville. Jimpa, My Colleano Heart, Edge of Life and Penny Lane is Dead were supported into production by the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund. A full AFF program will be announced on September 9.

Alena Gonzalez 

North Idaho Water Polo 

Gonzalez, a 2025 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High, helped lead the North Idaho Water Polo to the Session III Junior Olympic championship in Dallas in August, earning tournament MVP. “She can play any position on the team, including set, set defense, driver and outside of it,” North Idaho Water Polo coach Mark Collingham said. “She is the best driver on the team and is also an excellent defender. Alena is a leader and a role model for the rest of the club.”