@DiscoRByrno This is an ignorant post. E-sports in contemporary times have risen as an acknowledged sport, albeit not necessarily physical.

Have you ever heard of StarCraft? Have you ever heard of MLG? Have you ever heard of Apex?

Both videogames and your "real sports" have their casual and competitive aspects. Just because you fail to acknowledge videogames' competitive aspects does not mean a videogame can not be competitive. On the contrary, videogames are MADE to be competitive, whether against another person or the game itself.

What makes a "real sport" different from an e-sport? Does a "real sport" require skill? Because I'm sure Melee (screw Brawl) requires just as much skill to be successful as compared to "real sports." It may not require as much physical capabilities as a "real sport," but it requires skill nonetheless.

If anything, the reason that e-sports do not require a set physical proficiency make it better in at least some aspect, does it not? Taking football, for example, only the biggest and the strongest can compete or else you get completely wrecked. In basketball, mostly only the tallest are able to compete. Skills such as throwing/passing (football) or shooting the ball can be learned, yet there is a definite obstacle between people's abilities based on their physical build that is decided since pre-conception. In this way, e-sports are open to a bigger crowd.

You may have noticed I put "real sports" in quotations a lot. Why? It's to separate your definition of a "real sport" from mine. What defines a "real sport?" I will use dictionary.com as a definer:
Sport:
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

Now let me define "athletic":
of or pertaining to athletes; involving the use of physical skills or capabilities, as strength, agility, or stamina: athletic sports; athletic training.

In Melee, the ability to SHFFL, tech, DI and everything is a physical skill. If it pertains to the body in any way, it is physical. Therefore, videogames (at least ones with depth or at least Melee) fulfills the criteria of being an "athletic activity." Melee also requires the next part of the definition of "sport" in requiring "skill." I could go into great depth with this, but I won't. And Melee is obviously of a competitive nature; you're competing against other people, and even tournaments exist for Melee. Therefore, SSBM is a sport.

For the sake of separating my definition of sports and your definition of sports in my argument, I will continue referring to your definition as "real sports."

Personally, I think "real sports" are dumb. "Real sports" are just meant for fun, and IMO it's a waste of a life to try and win their tournaments. See how your argument works out? People who play "real sports" casually can say that "real sports" are just meant for fun while those who play it at a pro-level or competitively will argue that it's a "real sport." You obviously play games casually so you are in no position to argue that videogames are not a "real sport."

And, if you plan to argue that Melee has rules in tournaments to decide no items, what stages are legal, etc., then why can't I just pick up the ball in soccer and run into the other team's goal to get a goal? This is just a preemptive rebuttal.

Now, there is something else I need to get into: all sports.

Not all sports are necessarily a real sport. Not a "real sport" as in the definition you may have but a valid sport. All the most famous sports satisfy being a real sport. Such sports are basketball, football, and tennis (though the list may continue). However, some sports do NOT exist as a real sport.

I once made up a "sport" where you simply have a ball and you do whatever it takes to reach a goal. Anything goes. However, this does not satisfy being a real sport for the reason that it just simply lacks a lot of essentials and there is no depth to it (although one may argue that it has infinite depth, lol).

Likewise, for videogames, there are some games that are just not actual sports. Especially since the videogame is restricted to the confines of the game's design, it simply lacks depth. Sirlin's "Play to Win" goes into this about how some games are hard to find a level of depth in or simply just lack that depth. That is why some (even most) videogames are not valid as a sport. In concluding this point, I say it is impossible to generalize all videogames as not being a "real sport" for every videogame is different.

End essay. >_>