Report: 3 NFL teams considering hiring competitive Madden players

This story first appeared on theScore esports.

At least three NFL teams are scouting top Madden NFL players to represent them in the esports world, according to Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg Businessweek.

Esports present a golden opportunity for traditional sports franchises to capture a segment of the 18-34 demographic generally lost to them, as Novy-Williams notes.

Esports also provide cheaper marketing opportunities than traditional sports due to how quickly a player's popularity can go viral on social media.

"It feels like a very small expense for what seems to get a large amount of publicity," Peter Moore, head of EA Sports' competitive-gaming division, told Novy-Williams.

West Ham United's Tara Warren shared Moore's sentiment, saying esports is "far more cost-effective than traditional marketing platforms."

West Ham is one of a number of European football clubs that have signed esports players, including Manchester City, FC Schalke 04 - which is currently fielding a team in the EU LCS - and Valencia CF, which acquired a Hearthstone team in June.