A Unique ESPN The Magazine Issue Will Hit News Stands This Friday

It's not LeBron James or The Stanley Cup on the cover of this Friday's ESPN The Magazine issue.

An NBA and NHL champion will be crowned later this month but instead ESPN The Magazine will be spotlighting eSports in their newest edition that hits news stands on Friday.  eSports, also known as the world of competitive gaming,  is a $194 million-per-year industry. While some people will debate if these professional gamers can be considered "athletes" there is no doubting the popularity of eSports.  eSports is growing with unprecedented speed, with revenue increasing 49 percent from 2012 through the end of last year. By 2017, the projected revenue for eSports is $465 million annually. In 2014, people spent 3.7 billion hours watching eSports globally. Friday's edition features a story on Faker, a Korean gaming prodigy who is considered to be eSport's first world wide star. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is featured on the cover. "Beast Mode" gives an exclusive account of his role in Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Lynch is the first athlete to be featured in the popular first-person shooter video game franchise. Lynch rarely cooperates with the media but his love of playing video games was showcased in a segment with Conan O'Brien before this year's Super Bowl