As every gamer knows, the big sports of the future will take place in the cyberworld. I myself believe this could happen today, just as long as someone would start showing cyber competitions on mainstream TV.

We've all heard stories about how popular Starcraft is/was on Korean TV, allthough I never bothered to check how true it was.

Each online game has it's own community. I can't remember how many matches I watched live online while I was playing TFC or downloaded demos of at a later time. In the end I spent more time watching demos, reading websites and forums, or talking to other players online than I actually spent playing.

I've talked about the media in relations to games before. I think it's quite clear they won't come up with the idea to show cybersports just on their own. They will certainly need some help, after all most reporters seem to believe games are nothing more than something you can use to market some more fear. But I can tell you right now, if you put this on TV people will watch. It's as simple as that.

Gamecaster seems to be one logical step in that direction. http://www.gamecaster.com/promo.html

Let's not forget how silly the reality TV fad has become.I'm sure most viewers would welcome something new, something fresh, hey something fun. I wonder if rounds would be shortened in order to squeeze more advertising in :). Nah, I don't wonder, I am sure.

Now, you may wonder what games would be most likely to succeed on TV. I think it's obviously fps games. They are action packed and easy to understand for beginners.

Who of the popular games of today would get selected really doesn't matter, allthough I myself prefer to watch games that don't aim for reality. I always thought TFC (or any other TF version for that matter) would make an excellent TV sport, as it has a goal that is similiar enough to most regular sports (cap a flag isn't that far from scoring a goal is it?), and complex enough in nature not only to captivate new viewers, but also to keep them coming back for more. But hey, I would watch a Quake DM on TV any day over Bachelor or Keep your house clean or whatever the great new reality TV show might be called.

Even if "just gamers" would sit down to watch in the beginning, it would still be a success, since "gamers" isn't just some strange minority group any more.