The comment is a theoretical framework that is based on the concept that eSports should be considered a sport. The first part of the document analyzes the definition of sports and establishes that competitive video games should apply to the meaning. The second part of the document discusses how eSports should be recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Additionally, Title IX enforcement is being applied to put eSports on the list of emerging sports for women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Recognizing Esports as a Sport Sitting in front of a computer and playing video games is not the image that comes to mind when a person thinks of an athlete. Instead, the image of someone who may not be physically fit and lacks athletic ability is usually the associated stereotype. In some cases, people refer to a gamer as a nerd or associate him or her with nerd culture (Kendall, 2011). The term gamer can be used to classify many different types of people. The most popular classification is for people who play board games, collectible card games, and video games. For the purposes of this article, the term gamer will be used to describe individuals who participate in competitive video gaming. With the advancement of technology, competitive gamers are starting to demonstrate the same athletic properties as traditional sports athletes. The concept of video games has also changed. Instead of playing video games recreationally, people are starting to play video games competitively in tournaments that look a lot like sports competitions. This review paper will attempt to build the theoretical framework that eSports should be considered a sport and be recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first video game competition can be traced back to October 19, 1972, at Stanford University's Artificial Intelligence. Workshop where approximately two dozen students competed by playing Spacewar (Li, 2016). One of the first recognized competitive tournaments in video games was when Atari held a multi-city competition that offered 10,000 participants the chance to become a world champion in Space Invaders ("Players Guide", 1982). Since then, the way we play video games has changed. The evolution of eSports is now known as competitive video gaming (Li, 2016). For the purposes of this review document, eSports will be an umbrella term that includes all the various eSports leagues around the world. Each championship could be compared to a different sports league playing the same sport such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator, and Invicta Fighting Championship. Different eSports leagues have different rules, play different games, classify professionals differently, and host tournaments and competitions. What is consistent across all leagues is that competitors play video games, and athletes who consistently win matches can progress to the professional level. One of the biggest debates surrounding eSports is whether competitive video gaming can be defined as a sport. The definition of sport has been attempted many times, but a universal definition has not been established (Perks, 1999). Rather than a definitive academic definition, people refer to the Oxford English Dictionary (n.d.) definition, “An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (par . 1). The definition of sport needs to be discussed to ensure that eSports can be defined asa sport. The first term to analyze is physical effort. Aadahl, Kjaer, and Jørgensen (2007) state that absolute intensity can be used to determine exercise intensity by analyzing the multiple of an individual's basal metabolic rate (MET). Since MET could be used to determine effort, a link can be made through how MET is affected when playing video games. Additionally, oxygen (VO2) levels can be used; moderate physical activity would have a VO2 reserve of 40%-60% and/or 4-6 METs (Stroud, Amonette, & Dupler, 2010). In a study conducted by Bronner, Pinsker, and Noah, (2013), male and female MET participants grew up between the ages of 4 and 9 while playing video games that involved dancing. Stroud et al., (2010) were able to increase participants' VO2 and MET at a low to moderate activity level by standing and shaking Nintendo Wii controllers while playing Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This shows the physical effort demonstrated while playing video games. Multiple links can be observed between physical exertion and video games. Modesti et al., (1994) conducted a study that demonstrated that basal blood pressure increased while playing a video game. Furthermore, physical exertion could also be considered perceived exertion. Two ways to measure perceived exertion are to use the 15-point Borg Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or the 10-point Borg Category Ratio (CR10) (Borg, 1998). Using RPE and CR10, a participant looks at the scale and determines how strenuous the activity seems. Heart rate can also be used to evaluate perceived exertion, as the RPE scale is structured from 6 to 20 to represent heart rate. During video game competitions and practices, many eSports athletes have shown signs that could be considered physical exertion to keep up with the routine of being a professional video gamer (Li, 2016; Rodriguez, et al., 2016). The second part of the definition analyze is skill. To become a professional gamer, a player must learn different skills and techniques to improve. Researchers have used video games as a way to understand how a person develops skills (Boot, Sumner, Towne, Rodriguez, & Ericsson, 2016). Green and Bavelier (2015) conducted a study that demonstrated that people learn skills by playing action video games. Bavelier, Green, Pouget, and Schrater (2012) conclude that not one skill but many skills are obtained by playing action video games. In competitive games, expert players prevail over those who play for fun (Li, 2016). In eSports, there is a clear divide in win-loss records between players who are considered professionals and those who are not. The final part of the definition concerns a person or team that competes against another person or team for fun. Playing video games as a hobby has evolved into competitions and tournaments with cash prizes. Depending on the game being played, a person can enter a competition alone in the case of fighting games like Street Fighter, or join a team, playing games like Counter-Strike or League of Legends. Esports is broadcast on ESPN in the United States and on various networks around the world. Special eSports arenas were built to host the events. Countries have started to recognize professional players as athletes. In the United States, professional players can obtain the P-1 visa, which is granted to athletes (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, n.d.). In 2013, professional gamer Danny “Shiphtur” Le became the first to receive a P-1 eSports visa (Dave, 2013). In KoreaSouth, the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) is recognized by the Korean Olympic and Sports Committee (KeSPA, n.d.). KeSPA regulates the athlete's amateur and professional status (Li, 2016). In South Korea, there has been growing recognition among professional gamers that the South Korean Air Force had an eSports team when professional gamers had to perform mandatory military service (Li, 2016). Using the examples provided, eSports should be recognized as a sport. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a membership-based organization that has set the standard for college athletics in the United States (Masteralexis, Barr, & Hums, 2015). In 1989, a survey was conducted in the United States that found that 78% of Americans thought college sports were out of control (Masteralexis, Barr, & Hums, 2015). Since then, the NCAA has become the recognized authority on collegiate athletics. The NCAA has a college membership of 1,121 with nearly half a million collegiate athletes, competing in 24 sports across three divisions (The National Collegiate Athletic Association, n.d.). For eSports to be taken seriously as a sport at the collegiate level, the NCAA will need to recognize eSports as a sport. For this to happen, the sport must go through an extensive review process. The first step for eSports to be recognized as a collegiate sport is to meet the NCAA's definition of a sport. The NCAA (nd) has a similar definition in the Oxford English Dictionary but expands the sport played at the collegiate level. Definition of Sport: For purposes of proposal review, a sport will be defined as an institutional activity involving physical exertion for the purpose of competing against other teams or individuals within a collegiate competition structure. Additionally, a sport includes regularly scheduled head-to-head team and/or individual competitions (at least five) within the competitive season(s); and standardized rules with rating/scoring systems ratified by official regulatory agencies and government bodies. (para. 6) As discussed above, eSports fall under the definition of sports and are already recognized and organized by several university campuses (Wingfield, 2014). Esports also has the advantage of being recognized as a collegiate sport, as there is no defined gender required to play competitive video games. Women and men can play together without creating an imbalance due to gender differences. Since women can start an all-female team or participate with men, eSports recognition in the NCAA could fall into the list of emerging sports for women. A common misconception is that video games are only for men. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 48% of women play video games in the United States (Duggan, 2015). The Entertainment Software Association (2016) found that women over the age of 18 make up a larger portion of the gaming community than boys 18 and under. The number of women playing video games continues to increase; according to Newzoo, female gamers increased 70% from 2011 to 2014, from 18 million to 30.3 million (Harwell, 2014). There is a lack of data that takes into account the number of women currently participating in eSports, but women are starting to make an impact on the sport. Intel began sponsoring and cultivating all-female competitive teams in hopes of increasing the number of female competitors (Buck, 2015). With women creating all-female teams or being able to play with men in eSports, the NCAA's ability to recognize eSports could fall under Title IX. The creation of Title IX of the)..