Is a cyberathlete an athlete? Brazilian athlete perspectives

Abstract

Considering the significance that esports as professional sport and entertainment has attained recently, discussion about the legitimacy of esports as part of traditional sport has risen. This issue becomes more pronounced because esports will start in the Olympic Games program. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and similarities between Brazilian Olympic athletes and esport athletes. Ten Brazilian athletes were interviewed. Dedication, discipline, and competitiveness were found as components of the narratives of the athletes. Similar to Olympic athletes, cyberathletes have workout routines to improve techniques, exercises, and diets to provide opportunities for optimal performances in competitions. The results showed that although the virtual environment differs from an Olympic sport environment, common characteristics are present relative to the understanding of competition as in the elements of athlete identity.