p their fame on some enviable hardware. While they may not be pulling down Michael Jordan money just yet, this new sport is already putting up some serious numbers (Wendel and his associates claim about $5 million in royalties for 2006 according to Time magazine.)

It makes

I happened to see an interesting little article in the February 12, 2007 issue of Time magazine Most people have heard a little bit about the emerging group of Professional Gamers, but not many of them could name one. While various “Pro Leagues” jockey for domination over the who’s-who of this young sport, the athletes themselves struggle to catch the limelight outside their niche. In the grand tradition set forth by previous athletes - football stars, race car drivers, and the like - they’re making their mark through the wide world of endorsements.

The beauty of their sport is that it’s one in which millions of amateurs play every day in their own homes. Not many basketball fans own their own regulation goal, and few if any American football fans buy a set of pads. But every casual gamer needs all the same equipment that the pro-gamer does in one form or another.

So Professional Gamers like Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel aren’t limited solely to marketing clothing lines (which they also do) but can partner up with the manufacturers of everything from power supplies to video cards to performance input devices to stamp their fame on some enviable hardware. While they may not be pulling down Michael Jordan money just yet, this new sport is already putting up some serious numbers (Wendel and his associates claim about $5 million in royalties for 2006 according to Time magazine.)

It makes f

o’s-who of this young sport, the athletes themselves struggle to catch the limelight outside their niche. In the grand tradition set forth by previous athletes - football stars, race car drivers, and the like - they’re making their mark through the wide world of endorsements.

The beauty of their sport is that it’s one in which millions of amateurs play every day in their own homes. Not many basketball fans own their own regulation goal, and few if any American football fans buy a set of pads. But every casual gamer needs all the same equipment that the pro-gamer does in one form or another.

So Professional Gamers like Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel aren’t limited solely to marketing clothing lines (which they also do) but can partner up with the manufacturers of everything from power supplies to video cards to performance input devices to stamp their fame on some enviable hardware. While they may not be pulling down Michael Jordan money just yet, this new sport is already putting up some serious numbers (Wendel and his associates claim about $5 million in royalties for 2006 according to Time magazine.)

It makes

eauty of their sport is that it’s one in which millions of amateurs play every day in their own homes. Not many basketball fans own their own regulation goal, and few if any American football fans buy a set of pads. But every casual gamer needs all the same equipment that the pro-gamer does in one form or another.

So Professional Gamers like Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel aren’t limited solely to marketing clothing lines (which they also do) but can partner up with the manufacturers of everything from power supplies to video cards to performance input devices to stamp their fame on some enviable hardware. While they may not be pulling down Michael Jordan money just yet, this new sport is already putting up some serious numbers (Wendel and his associates claim about $5 million in royalties for 2006 according to Time magazine.)

It makes

oes in one form or another.

So Professional Gamers like Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel aren’t limited solely to marketing clothing lines (which they also do) but can partner up with the manufacturers of everything from power supplies to video cards to performance input devices to stamp their fame on some enviable hardware. While they may not be pulling down Michael Jordan money just yet, this new sport is already putting up some serious numbers (Wendel and his associates claim about $5 million in royalties for 2006 according to Time magazine.)

It makes

p their fame on some enviable hardware. While they may not be pulling down Michael Jordan money just yet, this new sport is already putting up some serious numbers (Wendel and his associates claim about $5 million in royalties for 2006 according to Time magazine.)

It makes for some interesting thought for those with a professional slant to gaming. Not counting those in the business of writing, producing, or distributing computer games there’s a surprising number of niches left to occupy for a businessman. At first it was limited to the “underworld” of buying/selling virtual property, but with the dawn of the Pro Gamer the field is rapidly expanding. You’ve got professional gaming teams, team managers, agents, merchandising, the whole gambit.

NASCAR started out as a bunch of moonshiners getting together to show off their souped-up smuggling vehicles and now the endorsements on a single racing team exceed the GNP of small countries. Computer gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry right now and is getting bigger every year. Factor in that there’s a professional gaming field poised to go mainstream and that’s a lot of potential fans. The money coming in is already in the six to seven figure range and it’s only going to get bigger.

If history is any indication, it’s the guys in on the ground floor that tend to rise highest, quickest. If you can find a spot in this fast-paced sport, on or off t