From Courts to Computers: Collegiate Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Fair Play and Competition in Esports and Traditional Athletics

Once viewed as the realm of dark basements and rare gaming shop events, esports (competitive video gaming) have exploded in popularity in recent years. In the collegiate space alone, there were more than 700 programs as of 2024. This growth necessitates difficult discussions about the role of esports in collegiate institutions, perceptions of esports programs among collegiate stakeholders, and the regulations governing collegiate esports competitions. The present work explores perceptions of collegiate esports regarding three areas of discussion: the use of performance-enhancing drugs by competitors, esports competitors as athletes, and institutional funding for collegiate esports programs. A survey of collegiate stakeholders (students, faculty/staff, and administrators) at collegiate institutions in the United States was conducted to assess perceptions of fairness regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs in both traditional athletics and esports, beliefs about esports competitors, and support for institutional funding of esports programs. Our findings include a significant difference in perceptions of fairness of performance-enhancing drug use between these two contexts, as well as significant divisions in views of esports and esports competitors among stakeholders. Potential explanations for these findings, opportunities for future research, and implications for esports policy makers at the collegiate level and beyond are discussed.