Esports petition reaches 100k signature and the White House to respond

We previously spoke about the petition that started going rounds on the internet being passed by one fan to the other, and now it has reached 100.000 signatures.. which warrants a response from the White House itself. That petition is to formally acknowledge Esports players as athletes who can have special VISAs so they can compete in the US.

When one of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee player in the world William “Leffen” Hjelte was deported from the U.S. while using a tourist visa instead of a work visa, an outrage emerged from the community. A petition was put in place and it needed at least 100,000 signatures within 30 days to be addressed. It reached 108,586 signatures about a week before its deadline. Now, the White House has to talk about the matter and is bound to give an official update within 60 days.

While it is unlikely that the U.S. government will consider all Esports as legitimate sports straight away, it is still a major success for the Esports industry and a big official step. Professional players in top tier esports titles like League of Legends received P1 visas in the past, that said, a precedent is already existing. Nonetheless, the topic of visas is more complex than that. It’s about more than just recognition of electronic sports, but touches foreign affair issues too.