A British Football Club Just Enlisted an Official FIFA eSports Player

It seems like only yesterday Colin Cowherd was throwing a tantrum over potentially having to cover eSports on ESPN, but less than a year later, we're already seeing traditional ball-and-turf sports teams embrace eSports players as one of their own. On Friday, the United Kingdom's West Ham United football club announced it had signed on Sean "Dragonn" Allen as its eSports player.

This isn't just some cutesy vanity title. The 24-year-old Allen was the runner-up in this year's FIFA Interactive World Cup eSports event, but he performed well enough that he caught the attention of the "Hammers." And now he's effectively a member of the team. As of yesterday, he has an official squad number of 50 with an accompanying jersey, and he's already wearing the club's claret and and blue colors as he competes for a $15,000 prize in today's Play Like a Legend Grand Final.

It's the first time a UK team has done something like this, although

Daniel Bytheway

(also a Brit) was picked to represent Germany's Bundesliga side Wolfsburg earlier this year. It's also a significant step for the West Ham club since it's been doing well in the Premier Leagues this year. Up until recently there was some hope that the team would move on to the Champions League, but those hopes appear to have been dashed in the wake of team's

loss to Swansea

today. But Allen now gives them a chance to earn a victory elsewhere.

"After finishing second in the recent FIFA interactive World Cup, I plan to keep moving forward," Allen said in a

statement

, "and, hopefully, with West Ham's help and support I will be doing exactly that!"

And what about us Yanks? There have been no similar moves from leagues like the NFL or MLB, but considering that more people watch eSports tournaments than the World Series or the NBA Finals, it might be time to give it a short.