Does Uli Höness's resignation free up the path to eSports?

Rumors of this are not new. Back in 2016, well-informed circles were able to find out that Bayern Munich was planning to acquire eSports shares. At that time, experts expected the club to become an investor in the existing German e-sports organization SK Gaming. But nothing came of it. A second attempt was made in 2018. At that time, the club was ready to invest five million euros in e-sports.

Bavaria president Munich puts his veto

The goal, apparently, was to become part of League of Legends, Dota 2, and Fortnite, but the attempt failed again. At that time, the president of the football club Uli Hoeneß, who vetoed these plans, became the culprit. In the e-sports environment this was very regretted, because Bayern Munich is a world famous brand. Even then, the club could benefit from this, because e-sports has become an urgent topic in football.

Schalke 04 (Schalke 04) with his own team League of Legends has long been somewhat ahead of Bayern Munich. League of Legends esports is one of the most popular games in the world. Every month, over 100 million players participate in it. For example, the team of the Schalke 04 e-Sports Academy Academy, which took first place in the game against OP innogy, had a betting odds of 1.80 in the Betway bookmaker (as of November 22), which made her a clear favorite of this meeting of the League of Winter Championship Legends The game ended 2-0 in favor of FC Schalke 04 Evolution.

But eSports is a hot topic not only in Germany, but also in England. A football professional, star of the German Arsenal, Bernd Leno participates in FIFA. Mesut Özil, who plays for the English Arsenal, has had its own esports team since last year. The English top club Manchester City is constantly recruiting eSports players to join FIFA.

The beginning of a new era

A new era has recently begun for Munich football. At the annual general meeting of FC Bayern Munich, 65-year-old Herbert Hainer was elected the new president of the club. He has been vice chairman of the supervisory board since the founding of FC Bayern München AG in 2002. The former CEO of Adidas Sports Products Group is leading the club towards a new future, which can become an integral part of e-sports.

After the end of the Uli Henness era, new opportunities may open up for a club from Bavaria. However, the winner in the series for years gave one record after another. Each year, a new record surpassed the previous achievement, and this did not change in the season 2018/2019. The turnover of funds increased to 750 million euros. The club's pre-tax profit exceeded 75 million euros, becoming the best result for Bayern Munich for its almost 120-year history. The entry of the German champion in e-sports can further increase the club's profit from sales.

Bayern Munich use double standards

The restriction that Uli Hyness insisted on always seemed strange. Especially when you consider that the Munich club has its own NBA2K team with Bayern Ballers Gaming. However, until now, this step into the world of e-sports has always been unavailable to the football department.

The former president of Bavaria took this defensive position back in 2018. He said: “It would be total stupidity if the state allocated at least one euro for this, as young people should go in for sports on the training ground. FC Bavaria also has such aspirations. I am against it. But I ended up almost alone.” At that time, Hynessess first confirmed the rumors that went on for many years. He argued that e-sports did not comply with the philosophy and traditions of the club.

ESports was not recognized as a sport

In early 2019, e-sports were not recognized as a sport, as the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) had a negative opinion on this issue. The German community was outraged. Berlin International Gaming clearly contradicted the views of DOSB and rejected an attempt to divide e-sports into different areas. This attitude becomes clear if we consider economic indicators.

Annual global sales have long exceeded $ 1.5 billion a year. 200 million people watched eSports events around the world last year. The best sports and business associations have teams and compete with each other in their leagues. These are not only teams from the National Football League and the National Hockey League of the USA, but also Mercedes, SAP and DHL. All of them can enjoy virtual competitions in the digital world.

The time has come?

Despite all the deviations in the past, the preparatory work for creating its own e-sports department in FC Bayern Munich seems to have already advanced far. At a press conference earlier this year, CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge showed his extreme interest. However, silence has reigned ever since. With the resignation of Uli Höness, the discussion could take on a new dimension. Virtual Bundesliga has already started with FIFA 20 in the new season, in which 22 teams from Germany participate. FC Bayern Munich joining this league would greatly improve it.