Some people might not approve of this
ESPN Magazine have revealed their latest ‘cover athlete’ will be Tyler Blevins, also known as Ninja.
He will be the first pro gamer to feature on the magazine’s cover, in a significant breakthrough for the world of eSports.
Ninja rose to fame by streaming Fortnite online, attracting huge audience, allowing him to earn a reported $500,000 per month, although in the cover story, he suggests that he earns more than that figure.
In the feature, entitled ‘Living The Stream’, Ninja acknowledges the controversy around his reasons for refusing to stream with women, as well as the competing pressures he faces.
He has streamed with @Drake.
He won the @FortniteGame Pro-Am with @marshmellomusic.
He broadcast the @CallofDuty Blackout beta to 271,000 viewers.
People can't stop watching @Ninja.https://t.co/PWGTjlXQCV pic.twitter.com/tofaW0MnfP
— ESPN Esports (@ESPN_Esports) September 18, 2018
Those pressures include maintaining his profile by taking part in public events, while also keeping his core fan base content.
In the interview, he discusses the importance of practice in the way that a professional footballer or cricketer might speak of training.
“You can play every single day, you’re not practicing. You die, and oh well, you go onto the next game,” he said. “When you’re practicing, you’re taking every single match seriously, so you don’t have an excuse when you die. You’re like, ‘I should have rotated here, I should have pushed there, I should have backed off.’ A lot of people don’t do that.”
