The Rise of Physical Esports – Trend or New Normal in Competitive Cycling?
Stoffers, Benedikt; Westmattelmann, Daniel; Lanfer, Julian; Sprenger, Marius; Schewe, Gerhard
Abstract
Mixed-reality sports has reached the highest level of competitive cycling. Based on an interview study with focal stakeholders of organized cycling (N=30), we identify perceived changes due to the digital transformation on 1) organizational, 2) technological, 3) symbolic, and 4) educational dimensions. Besides new training and competition opportunities, data manipulation represents a serious threat to the new discipline. However, based on a longitudinal survey, competitive athletes (N=270) are satisfied with the introduction of mixed-reality competitions.
Keywords
Physical E-Sports; Mixed-Reality; Cycling; Digital Transformation; Digitalization; Sports Performance; Competition