Shroud explains why it’s “harder” to be a pro in esports than basketball

Shroud argued that competing in esports is more challenging than playing professional basketball because athletes have unbelievable physical gifts, while video games are more accessible to everyone regardless of their physical makeup.

From 2013 to 2018, Shroud was a professional CS:GO player. Shroud never reached the heights of some of the greats in the title’s storied history, but he did achieve success in the North American scene and won a few notable tournaments.

Shroud also dipped his toes into Valorant and briefly joined the Sentinels roster. Speaking from experience, the streamer made a case for why esports is more difficult than professional basketball.

Shroud argues that esports are more difficult than pro basketball

During a live stream, Tarik asked Shroud if it was harder to be a pro in basketball or esports. Shroud answered, “That’s not fair because to be a pro basketball player, you need to be genetically built.”

Tarik rephrased the question to include the hypothetical of already being physically gifted. Shroud responded, “Then definitely pro in the game. Half of a sport is just being built for the sport.”

Shroud broke it down in video game terms to better understand the concept. “It’s spawn-based. If you spawn in and have the right build, you can naturally be good at it, but in a video game, you have to earn it every single time.”

“And not only that but in a video game, the meta constantly changes, ” Shroud continued. “In a sport, it’s just the same for hundreds of years.”

There is some credence to Shroud’s argument based on the NBA reporting in 2023 that the average height of a player is 6 feet, 6.5 inches. In comparison, the CDC confirmed in 2021 that the average height of an American man is 5 feet 9 inches, which is a nine-and-a-half-inch difference.

The NBA does have a few exceptions, like Memphis Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura, who is the shortest player in the league at 5-foot-8, but there aren’t many players below six feet tall who are regular starters.

In esports, height and other physical attributes don’t factor into determining how skilled you are at a video game. Plenty of professional athletes will disagree with Shroud’s take, but he made a compelling case for why it’s more of an even playing field.