With Sporting Events Canceled, Pro Athletes Compete Through Virtual Tournaments

Thanks to social isolation, many of us have had to change our hobbies in some way or another. Social gatherings have been replaced with Zoom meetings, and a friendly night out at the movie theater has been replaced with streaming the latest films at home.

The world of sports is especially different thanks to COVID-19. Countless games and tournaments are now postponed indefinitely as government officials race to develop a vaccine.

In the meantime, some professional athletes and celebrities have gotten involved in some pretty creative competitions. What are we talking about? Online video game tournaments, of course!

Keep reading to get the full scoop on which athletes are redefining the term “pro gamer.”

A Touch of Irony

The world of video game players is pretty evenly split between those who love sports games and those who hate them. One thing the haters often point out is that annual sports game releases are largely the same from year to year, with only minor changes to the roster and the gameplay.

However, sports game fans are getting the last laugh during quarantine. These up-to-date rosters are now the only way they can celebrate their favorite teams. And thanks to these games, the actual players can get involved in a way that would otherwise be impossible.

Just a little food for thought before you diss your buddy’s NCAA game collection!

Virtual Madrid Open

One of the biggest virtual events was the Madrid Open. Normally, this is a major tennis tournament that takes place in Madrid each May. Since that was impossible this year, they opted for a virtual Madrid Open instead.

From April 27–30, 32 different tennis stars from around the world competed online in the PlayStation Tennis World Pro game. While this provided fans and players alike a lot of fun, some of the players (like Eugenie Bouchard and Donna Vekic) had to deal with connection problems and disconnecting games.

Eventually, two clear winners emerged. Andy Murray defeated David Goffin to win the men’s championship and Kiki Bertens beat Fiona Ferro to take home the women’s championship.