INTERSPORT

SPORTS REPORT
2018 Focus: eSports

SPORT TO THE PEOPLE

 Dear Readers,

“Sport makes me

71%
How physically active are people in Germany? We ask ourselves this question every day at
INTERSPORT. We want to inspire our customers with the best brands, the best advice and the

feel free,” say

best service. This is why we always go that extra mile as a true sports retailer.

Towards a better understanding of sports’ enthusiasts

Eager to learn exactly what exercise and sports mean to us in Germany, we asked more than
2,500 people about their habits, preferences and wishes in two surveys.
The result is out now – the 2018 INTERSPORT SPORTS REPORT.

The eSports Special

Mathias Boenke David Tews If the hype is anything to go by, eSports competitions are the hottest thing in sports these days.
COO Head of Marketing They have certainly touched off a heated debate. As emissaries of every form of sport, we at
INTERSPORT INTERSPORT INTERSPORT want to take a closer look at the trend with this eSports Special. Get to know the
Deutschland eG Deutschland eG
eSports scene and discover intriguing facts about the competitions and mindset of eSports
players, and how they compare with traditional sports enthusiasts.

Scientifically sound
The INTERSPORT Sports Report was also published in Austria, the Czech Republic,
Hungary and Slovakia at the same time the results were posted in Germany. Collectively,
this representative trend study reflects the exercise and sports-related wishes, habits and
preferences of 118 million people.

We hope you enjoy the read!

Mathias Boenke, COO David Tews, Head of Marketing

INTERSPORT Deutschland eG INTERSPORT Deutschland eG
Question: Why do you (regularly) pursue exercise through sports?
2018 SPORTS REPORT 2 Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month
Nearly 60% of Germans are never (almost) daily

sports enthusiasts 14%

7%
Around 16% are serious athletes

� 20%
say, “Active sport has
no place in my life.”

2018 SPORTS REPORT 4

43%
say, “Active sport is a wonderful
part of my life.”

21%
say, “Active sport is
a necessary evil for
me.”
16%
say, “Active sport
shapes my life and
I never want to be
without it.”

Question: How would you best describe your relationship to sports and exercise?
less often

once a
month

several
times a
month
13%

3%
9%

Question: How often do you exercise or engage in sports?

Nearly 2 out of
3 Germans engage
in sports at least
once a week.

19%
once a week
35%

5
several
times a
week

2018 SPORTS REPORT

 Exercise and sport has no age limit

14–19 year-olds: 20–29 year-olds: 30–39 year-olds: 40–49 year-olds: 50–59 year-olds: 60–69 year-olds:

81.8% 66.9% 63.3% 61.5% 60.5% 44.0%

exercise every week exercise every week exercise every week exercise every week exercise every week exercise every week

2018 SPORTS REPORT 6 Question: How often do you exercise or engage in sports? 7 2018 SPORTS REPORT
 The top sports / active pursuits by ranking

44+56+F 43+57+F 42+58+F 41+59+F 29+71+F 19+81+F

43.7 %
Running
42.9 %
Swimming
42 %
Cycling
41.2 %
Gym
29.3 %
Hiking
18.9 %
Football

Question: What type of physical activity do you engage in at least occasionally? || Baseline: Engage in this sport at least once || multiple choices allowed

2018 SPORTS REPORT 8 9 2018 SPORTS REPORT

 Do yourself a good turn
— THIS IS
WHAT DRIVES 92% 91%
SPORTS
say, “To improve my say, “To maintain my
physical well-being.” physical fitness.”

ENTHUSIASTS!

78% say, “For fun.”

78%
say, “To relieve stress
and relax.”

2018 SPORTS REPORT 10 Question: Why do you (regularly) pursue exercise through sports? || Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month 11 2018 SPORTS REPORT
 5
The majority of Germans
prefers to exercise evenings

64% 35% 27%

On average, Germans
are active for five
hours a week In the evening (5–9 PM) In the afternoon (2–5 PM) In the morning (9 AM–12 noon)

17% 12% 3%
Early morning (5–9 AM) Noon (12–2 PM) At night (9 PM–5 AM)
Question: How many hours a day, week, month or year do you invest in sports activities?
2018 SPORTS REPORT 12 Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month Question: At what time of the day do you generally exercise / engage in sports? || Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month 13 2018 SPORTS REPORT
 69%
Alone or with others?

21 % 52 %
of Germans tend to

PREFER SPORTS
of respondents exercise alone.
tend to exercise

ACTIVITIES
with others.

27 %
of respondents
exercise alone and
with others in equal
measure.
OUTDOORS
2018 SPORTS REPORT 14 Question: Do you generally tend to exercise / engage in sports alone or with others? || Baseline: Engage in sports or Question: Where do you usually exercise / engage in sports? || Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month 15 2018 SPORTS REPORT
exercise at least once a month
 COULD’VE, SHOULD’VE, WOULD‘VE
WHAT WOULD GET COUCH POTATOES GOING?

28 % 27 % If my

27%
health
If I were would

Nearly two thirds

in better let me.
shape.

of non-athletes seek 27 %
out like-minded people
If friends

of respondents are
would take part
in sports.

couch potatoes.
28 %
63% of the interviewed couch potatoes say,
“I don’t exercise or engage in sports because
I have no-one to join me.”
23 %
Nothing could
motivate me to
take part in
sports. If I had more
time / liberty
to do so.

Question: Why don’t you exercise / engage in sports (more often)? || Baseline: Exercise less than once a month Question: What would motivate you to exercise / engage in sports (more often)? || Baseline: Exercise less than once a month ||
2018 SPORTS REPORT 16 Question: How often do you exercise or engage in sports? Multiple choices allowed 17 2018 SPORTS REPORT
Better together:
family fitness

69%
of German parents
46%
engage in sports to
motivate their children be with the family.
to exercise.

Question: To what extent do you agree to the following statements about intergenerational sports, sporting goals and health?
Question: Why do you (regularly) pursue exercise through sports? || Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month

2018 SPORTS REPORT 18 19 2018 SPORTS REPORT

Children and sports — what drives them? The joy of movement
Reasons why children engage in What aspects of sports/exercise
recreational sports are important to children?

40.3%
to stay healthy/fit
62.5%
for the joy of movement
30.6% 55.6%
or get healthier/ for the friends they play
good coaches sports with
fitter

40% 37.6%
to relieve stress /relax
sports facilities are
nearby

2018 SPORTS REPORT 20 Question: To what extent do you agree to the following statements about intergenerational sports, sporting goals and health?
90% BELIEVE CHILDREN SHOULD
GET A LOT MORE ACTIVE IN SPORTS
21 2018 SPORTS REPORT
2018 SPORTS REPORT 22
How Germans
shop
The perfect
sporting goods
shop
�
A sporting goods shop is
perfect for the customer
if it has...

85%
84%
...a wide range of
products

...competent sales staff

82%
...high-quality
products

Question: To what extent are the following criteria important to you when you frequent a sports retailer?
87%
...the right products

85%
...a friendly sales
staff
83%

23
23
89%
...good value for the
money

...low prices

2018 SPORTS REPORT

 �
How much sports activities are More than half of Germans buy
worth to Germans predominantly in shops

Sports
enthusiasts
For their children
they spend another 42% 58%
204 €
spend around buy sporting goods buy sporting goods

299 €
mainly in online mainly in brick-and-
shops. mortar shops.

per child and year

per person and on sports.
year on sports.

Question: Please tell us how much money you spend each month on sports activities (for your children) in the following Question: How do you generally go about buying sports gear?
2018 SPORTS REPORT 24 categories. || Baseline: Children under 18 living at home 25 2018 SPORTS REPORT
 Focus:
eSports
BELIEVE
THE
HYPE?
If the hype is anything to go by, eSports competitions are the hottest thing in sports these
days. They have certainly touched off a heated debate. Despite their growing popularity,
traditionalists cast doubts on their credibility as a “real” sports. eSports players are
often labelled with clichéd stereotypes: They are lazy, uneducated loners; out-of-shape
couch potatoes that spend too much time in dark rooms. Some say eSports are a threat to
traditional sports.

As an emissary of every form of sport, INTERSPORT wants to take a closer look at the
trend with this eSports Special: Are traditional and digital sports really at odds with
one another? What touch-points are there between the two? How do eSports players
experience their sporting activity; what drives them to play? INTERSPORT dug deep into
the lives of real eSports players, comparing them with traditional athletes and recreational
gamers. This search yielded some intriguing insights as to the accuracy of preconceived
notions about eSports players.

27 Focus: eSports
 5
Hype here & the struggle for recognition there

25%
eSports have yet to be recognised BUT THERE IS POTENTIAL
as a “real” sport.
of men already equate

ONLY eSports with traditional

sports —
just one in ten

30%
women agree (10.2 %).

fully rate eSports as a

%
“real” sport on par
with traditional sports.
of the core target group
(14–29 year-olds) already
equate eSports with
Nonetheless, 17.8% tend to traditional sports.
acknowledge eSports as a “real” sport.
Question: Do you see eSports as a “real” sport that can be equated with traditional sports? 29 Focus: eSports
Interest is growing. Gaming is established.
1 in 5 people show interest in eSports. Digital games are a fixture of everyday life.

38%
1 in men 3
show interest
in eSports, but just
5
1 person in play video or computer games
for more than 10 hours a week.
has watched an
1 in 8 women. eSports event
on TV or even
live.

Not just a sport for

Generation Z: 13.3% 38.5% 15%
of juveniles (14–19 year-
play every day. play several times
Interest is greatest among a week. olds) say they never play.
20-29 year-olds (34.6%),
followed by 14-19 year-olds with
30%.
Question: To what extent are you interested in eSports? Question: How often do you play computer or video games in your spare time, either with your family / (your) children or with friends / ©RIOT GAMES
Have you ever watched an eSports tournament? acquaintances?
How many hours a day, week, month or year of your spare time do you invest in playing computer or
video games? || Baseline: Play computer or video games at least once a month 31 Focus: eSports
 eSports have no negative impact on traditional
Prejudice #1:
sports habits of 81.3%

“eSports are a threat confirmed that

eSports do not

to traditional sports!”
impact their
traditional

68.8%
sports pursuits.
engage more
in traditional

In reality:
sports / exercise
since taking up

A duet rather than a duel. 12.5%

eSports.

eSports do not compete with

traditional sports – quite the opposite.
18.6% engage less
in traditional sports
since taking up
eSports.
©RIOT GAMES

Question: Would you say that eSports have an influence on the way you engage in traditional sports? || Baseline: Engage in sports or exercise at least once a month
33 Focus: eSports
 79% 77%
Prejudice #2:
“eSports players are
loners.” believe eSports help them get to know see eSports as time spent
people from all over the world. with friends.

In reality:

Committed team players

rather than individualists.
eSports players have strong team spirit, are
37%
deliberately engage in traditional
33%
play team sports — most
traditional sports enthusiasts
sports to take part in“real life” and
take a break from the exercise on their own.
part of a huge community and are connected worldwide. digital routine.

Question: Why do you engage in physical activity or sports in your spare time? [...] In your spare time, are you more likely to

Focus: eSports
play a team sport or engage in a solitary sport? /[...] Why do you play computer or video games in your spare time? /[...] | Baseline: Play computer or video
games at least once a month 35
 80%
Prejudice #3: Just under

“Sitting at the screen makes eSports

players stupid.”
play eSports for the cognitive
In reality: challenge, and to train their ability to
concentrate and react quickly.

eSports players perform

69%
For

exceptional cognitive feats. the desire to improve their mental

This sport is a greater mental and cognitive challenge fitness is the motivation
to play eSports.
than most others.

Question: Why do you play computer or video games in your spare time? \[...] | Baseline: Play computer or video games at least once a month
37 Focus: eSports
 Prejudice #4:
“eSports player lack discipline.”
68%
associate eSports with competitive aspects
such as performance and success.

51%
For
In reality:

eSports players are

hardcore competitors.
the motivation is the prize money
paid out in tournaments.

45%
For
eSports players are a very ambitious group of people,
who strive for maximum success, fame & recognition.

social recognition is also a motive.

Question: Why do you play computer or video games in your spare time? \[...] | Baseline: Play computer or video games at least once a month
39 Focus: eSports
 The
Believe the hype –
not the prejudices!
UPSHOT:
The love for sports is a unifying force. eSports and traditional sports are two unique
expressions of similar pursuits, united by the love for
sports. With that in mind, the sports community really
should be open-minded about the eSports trend.
The SPORTS REPORT reveals that traditional and digital sports do not have to be at odds.
On the contrary, eSports and traditional sports share the same characteristics. Both are
competitive in nature, and eSports players also strive for peak performance, which can only
be achieved with intensive training, team spirit and strategic excellence.

41 Focus: eSports
 Breakdown by samples
1st wave: 2nd wave:
ABOUT THE SURVEY
Timeline:
1st wave: 07/08/2018 – 16/08/2018
2nd wave: 03/12/2018 – 10/12/2018 50.6% 49.4% 50.4% 49.6%
(Focus: eSports)
14–19 7.6% 7.4% 7.2% 8.1% 8.1% 8% 14–19
Population:
Persons from Germany 14 to 69 20–29 17.1% 16.9% 16.6% 17.2% 16.9% 16.6% 20–29
years of age 30–39 16.4% 16.3% 16.2% 16.8% 16.6% 16.5% 30–39
Method: 40–49 22.9% 22.5% 22.2% 23.1% 22.9% 22.7% 40–49
Computer assisted web interviews
(CAWI)
50–59 20.2% 20.7% 21.2% 20.2% 20.3% 20.4% 50–59
60–69 15.8% 16.2% 16.6% 14.7% 12.2% 15.8% 60–69
Sample size:
1st wave: n = 1,038 net interviews Sample Sample
(core target group) Total Total
2nd wave: n = 1,503 net interviews
(core target group)
n = 1,038 n = 1,503
Random selection by quotas
Survey conducted by:
Marketagent.com,
Mag. Ingrid Fischer
 SPORT TO THE PEOPLE

INTERSPORT Deutschland eG,

Wannenäckerstraße 36, 74078 Heilbronn, Germany
Phone: 0049-7131/288-0, email: service@intersport.de, Internet: www.intersport.de