Give CS:GO a shot

Colin "Coola" Schimpf
Mar 16, 2020
4 min read

Ever flirted with the idea of watching an esport but never pulled the trigger? With the corona virus stealing most mainstream sports, there has never been a better time to check out Counter-strike: Global Offensive.

If you are not one of the reported 395 MILLION people who spent some time watching esports in 2019, this is the blog for you. Before you dismiss this as an attempt by a nerd to bring you into the fray, here me out. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO for short) has all the attributes of an encapsulating sport. Whether or not you consider esports to be real sports is irrelevant. This game is truly thrilling and entertaining to watch when it’s played competitively at a high level, and for most sensible people I think that’s what truly matters. I am going to give an extended elevator pitch on why you should give competitive CS:GO a watch regardless of your interest level in esports. I am going to break this pitch down into six sections that I believe make a competitive sport worth my time.

· Simplicity to understand

· Story lines and star power

· Hype main events

· Top notch broadcasting talent

· Accessibility

· Gambling

Simplicity to understand

Counter-Strike Global Offensive is the easiest top tier esport to pick up and understand. Every game, and every round in the game, has the same objective. One team is terrorists trying to plant bombs on one of two bomb sites. The other team is counter terrorists trying to stop them from planting the bomb or defusing a bomb if one is planted. They use guns that are typical of modern warfare to try and kill each other in the process of completing their respective objectives. That’s literally all you need to know to comprehend the game at a basic level. Of course, there is nuance in the game and an unlimited skill capacity that rewards the best players, but you don’t need to know all those nuances to be able to enjoy watching the game right away. Plant the bomb, shoot the guys on the other team, or defuse the bomb. Kick back and enjoy some gunfights.

Storylines and star power

If you listen to any sports podcasts, watch any sports commentary shows, or read barstool sports blogs, you probably do so because you care about the storylines of the sport. Whether its Lamar Jackson’s insanely quick MVP rise, the Yankees paying Gerrit Cole a third of a billion dollars over the next ten years, or just people talking about how shitty your rival’s team has been recently, these storylines are what keep putting asses in the seats. CS:GO has the good fortune of being a game with a rich history compared to many esports so the storylines are plentiful. There have been 1-3 major tournaments per year over the last nine years, so the top talent has had ample opportunity to go at each other which has fostered fantastic rivalries and storylines.

Hype main events

Going to your first big time sporting event is life changing for many people. There is nothing quite like the electric atmosphere that engulfs the crowd at a full capacity stadium. You may think that live events for esports competitions may be dull and full of nerds. At least one of those two points is true at every esports event. That being said, the Europeans have truly embraced esports and aren’t afraid to be passionate and vulgar in support of their squads. With many of the top CS:GO events happening in Europe, they continuously fill stadiums with rowdy fans that add that extra level of hype that every diehard sports fan desire. Here’s an example if you don’t want to take my word for it.

Top notch broadcasting talent

Every one of us diehard sports fans have broadcast talent that we love and hate. There is nothing worse than an insane moment being under sold with a horrific call, but when a call is utterly perfect it can make a play iconic. CS:GO is blessed with some of the best commentators in all of esports. There are consistently 3 to 4 duos of casters who are world class broadcasting talent. They are professional but not corporate robots. Each duo has their own flavor which you can inject straight into your veins on a regular basis with the number of tournaments and leagues that CS:GO runs all year long. For my money, the top commentators of the NFL and international soccer are the bar for world to look up to when it comes to broadcasting talent. I don’t think CS:GO casters are quite at that level yet, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deliver phenomenal commentary on a nightly basis.

Accessibility

Every point I have made so far would be pointless if there was a paywall standing in front of the viewing experience. I use free streams for redzone every Sunday, so I couldn’t even imagine someone telling me to pay to watch something that I’m not even sure I will like. Fear not my friends. Esports as a whole are generally the most accessible sporting events on the planet. Every CS:GO tournament is streamed on either Twitch, YouTube, or another streaming service so you never have to worry about what cable package you have or if you can find a quality free stream. You do not even have to make an account on most of these streaming sites to be able to view the games.

Gambling

I wrote this section before corona virus temporarily destroyed mainstream sports gambling. It is now arguably the most prominent part of my pitch. CS:GO has league matches and tournaments that you can gamble on almost every weekend. Your local bookie is not going to have these lines, but many of the larger scale gambling sites do, including Bovada and Bet365 Sport, while many other sites are just entering the fray. You can gamble on anything from major tournaments to random Russian pro leagues so there is money to be made on a daily basis.

Final Pitch

I get it guys. Esports are not for everyone. I am not going to be one of those dudes who screams at you if you say esports is not your cup of tea. You can be the person who just spams “esports are not real sports” in the replies to every SportsCenter tweet if that what helps you sleep at night. That being said, if you have any interest in esports or are just fiending for something to watch during the corona lockout, try throwing on a CS:GO tournament. I think you will have more fun than you expect.