There aren’t many spectator sports that date back further than horse racing, with its first taking off around the 10th century. It would be great if the esports industry could last for more than 1000 years, and if this is to happen, the industry may need to borrow ideas from long-running sports like horse racing.
There are various reasons why horse racing has thrived for so long. Along with evolving with the times, there are also sustainability strategies in place.
Source: Pixabay
Horse Racing Has Evolved Massively Over the Years
Despite the aim of the game remaining the same, horse racing has evolved a lot over the years. Viewership has skyrocketed due to increased airtime and online streaming, but so too have horse race-related bets. Now, spectators who want to wager on the races can find horse racing odds online, with a plethora of competitive markets including featured races, future racing, specials, and even date-specific options like ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’. With an easy-to-navigate interface and simple features, bettors can find what they’re looking for relatively easily.
There’s also been a rise in horse racing tips online, helping people get more from the sport thanks to expert opinions. This has made betting on horse racing more accessible to everyday people, as they can quickly and easily find information from industry experts like Daryl Carter.
The esports industry emerged in the internet era, so it already has all these tools to its advantage. However, it should be aware that the technology landscape is always changing, and it may need to evolve in the future in the same way that horse racing has done.
Sustainability and Longevity Strategies
Horse racing has managed to stay as one of the world’s foremost spectator sports due to sustainability and longevity strategies, which aim to keep the sport moving forward with the changing society. Over the centuries, major leaps forward have been made to improve welfare. This has come about in the form of rule changes and gradual adaptations to the races.
Source: Pixabay
These strategies are continuing every year, with the Grand National set for yet another rule change in 2024. This time around, the total number of horses will drop from 40 to 34 to improve safety. In the past, the race has featured as many as 66 runners, and this was dangerous for all involved.
The esports industry doesn’t need to consider safety, but it does need to implement strategies that will help it flourish for many years. This means that it may need to adapt in various ways, such as in its approaches to diversity and inclusion. This means promoting the activity to more female gamers, who are currently underrepresented. Only around 20 percent of esports players are women, so this figure needs to be improved upon.
The esports industry is booming, but it still has a long way to go if it wants to match up to legendary sports like horse racing. There are loads of lessons from horse racing that can be implemented in esports and following them may help the competitive gaming industry to thrive for hundreds of years as well.
