Why traditional sports arenas don’t cut it for burgeoning esports competitions


Esports pioneer Scott Smith said new venues being developed for esports need to avoid traditional basketball, hockey and concert arenas seating and designs.

“These venues aren’t built to take over a weekend,” said Smith at Arizona State University’s Global Sport Summit in Phoenix.

Smith, a veteran esports executive and analyst, said traditional arenas are built to host three-hour sporting events or concerts — not much longer esports events.

“They’re not built to camp out in eight,…

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