ESPN Has Decided Drone Racing Is a Sport Because Internet

If you doubted that drone racing was a real sport--that robots flying through garish neon gates belong in the same league as muscled athletes who actually sweat--consider this: It's coming to ESPN. This week, the International Drone Racing Association and ESPN announced a multi-year distribution deal. It's not about to knock Sportscenter out of its time slot, however. The collaboration's first event, the US National Drone Racing Championships, will be broadcast live on ESPN3, an online channel, in August, and then repackaged as a one-hour special to be aired elsewhere on the network. The upside for the International Drone Racing Association, and drone racing in general, is easy to see.