I've actually been thinking about this a lot recently due to an SBK (motorcycle) race I went to last weekend. A freak collision lead to a pile up, ultimately 2 riders died after getting to the hospital and several others were injured. These things are rare, but they do still happen. Why should people be flying around the track at 100+ mph, risking their lives for our enjoyment?
Robotic sports could become big. But still, people identify with other people and we want to see something at stake. In e-sports you aren't physically at risk (aside from maybe your wrists), but your reputation certainly is. Colleges are fighting over football players far more than robotics competitors. Beyond financial or academic interest, I don't think competition of algorithms will ever hold peoples attention. The robots will still need human operators, because they are prone to error, which helps build the tension of watching live competition
Robotic sports could become big. But still, people identify with other people and we want to see something at stake. In e-sports you aren't physically at risk (aside from maybe your wrists), but your reputation certainly is. Colleges are fighting over football players far more than robotics competitors. Beyond financial or academic interest, I don't think competition of algorithms will ever hold peoples attention. The robots will still need human operators, because they are prone to error, which helps build the tension of watching live competition
e: formatting