B/Orders in Motion: Football Versus eFootball in Germany
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article explores the integration of eFootball into traditional football clubs in Germany through the lens of the B/Orders in Motion framework, focusing on economic and sociological impacts. The study investigates the implications of the Deutsche Fußball Bundesliga’s decision to incorporate the Virtual Bundesliga as a mandatory third official competition for all clubs in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, examining the permeability , durability, and liminality of the boundaries between traditional sports and eSports, highlighting the opportunities and challenges posed by this integration, such as attracting new audiences, increasing revenue streams, and the organizational complexities arising from different eSports and traditional football structures. Through case studies and theoretical analysis, the paper illustrates how social, geographical, and temporal boundaries are dynamically shifting within this hybrid sporting ecosystem. It explores how these changes are reshaping the identity of football clubs and the role of technology, sports science, and influencers in dissolving the lines between virtual and physical sports arenas. The concept of “B/Orders in Motion” provides a valuable framework for understanding the evolving relationship between traditional football and eFootball. The paper offers insights into how clubs can successfully navigate this complex landscape to engage with modern audiences and sustain economic stability from sociology, technology, sports science, and economic perspectives.
Authors: Thorsten Zippan, Georg Stadtmann
Institutions: European University Viadrina, University of Southern Denmark
Language: English
Topic: Digital Games and Media
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4411405489