Ensuring that an opinion has some validity is like driving: It’s a good idea to check your blind spots often, especially when considering changing your lane.

I do my best to be open-minded and up-to-date; especially with stuff like “gaming.” I remember when gaming meant gambling. But now it means playing video games, too.

Things change quickly these days. Even the way football games start (no kickoffs) and baseball games end (runner on second to start extra innings) are being strongly considered or have already been altered.

That’s why I asked on social media what it is about esports that makes them worthy of being included in the Olympics. There must be something eluding me because I keep reading about this, in some cases that it is inevitable.

What am I missing?

“Nothing?” That was one response from a follower on Twitter, whose interests (judging from the list of who this person follows) include basketball, fantasy sports and finance.

This was reassuring, but not what I’d anticipated.

I expected tirades about how ignorant and behind the times I am (this is Twitter, after all). I hoped for points from fervent gamers explaining why esports belong in the Olympics. What I got was mostly crickets. Maybe the gamers are too busy gaming to be on Twitter.

Facebook was a little more responsive, maybe because I asked what endeavors people think are more or less worthy than esports for inclusion in the Olympics (ax throwing or kickball, anyone?). Yeah, it is a variation on the old question: “What makes something a sport?”

There are those who say if it doesn’t have a ball it’s not a sport. That would mean no track and field (well, except for the shot put, I guess).

Some say there must be head-to-head competition, none of this judging one performance against another. That definitely has its merits, but then you lose gymnastics.

I’ve read that if the Olympics do include esports, the International Olympic Committee doesn’t want video games including shooting. That means no Call Of Duty or Counter Strike because they “contradict the Olympic values.” But does that also mean the current shooting events should be knocked out of the games?

According to a June article on ISPO.com, esports games that simulate sailing, cycling, rowing, motorsports and baseball are the first ones being experimented with in conjunction with the Olympics. That seems pretty benign, but maybe there should be a firm decision on if real baseball is going to be permanently in or out before medals are awarded for who is best at pretend baseball.

Speaking of pretend, if esports are worthy of the Olympics, what of fantasy sports?

Should some level of physical activity be required?

I’ve played video games enough over the decades to know that mastering most of them does require skill, including in some cases a high level of eye-hand coordination and great reflexes that I could never claim.

I’m also aware that esports competition has reached incredible levels of popularity as an interscholastic activity at high schools and colleges. And, I did know that esports have spawned a huge industry and that the best players of virtual gaming make big money through prize money and sponsorships. There are even college classes dedicated to esports.

Someone suggested that these are reasons enough to include esports in the Olympics.

If that’s the case, how about we add YouTube and Tik Tok video-making and social-media influencing? Hey, Olympic success is in Kylie Jenner’s blood.

I’m open to esports if it includes a little more athleticism, like running to the door to get the pizza and back to the computer before “game over.”

“People said the same thing about skateboarding once upon a time,” another Twitter follower told me. My response was that I’ve got no problem with skateboarding. I especially like the idea that it might result in more skateparks, and hence fewer skateboarders getting injured or killed and hurting pedestrians on the streets.

Many, if not most, Olympic sports involve some sort of risk of injury. When Simone Biles explained why she pulled out of competition last week it served as a reminder of how dangerous gymnastics can be.

My friend Earl Oshiro is the father of a competitive gymnast.

“(You see) how close to the edge of human capability and endurance elite athletes perform,” he said. “Day in and day out they dance on the razor’s edge between unbelievable skill and spectacular disaster. A gymnast’s vault is over in seconds, whether a perfectly executed Yurchenko or smashing the table and smashing your head while running full speed for 50 feet.”

So, with esports, I ask, where is the risk?

Apparently, that’s not a requirement for the Olympics, and never really has been anyway (see “equestrian” and “badminton”).

It’s more about money, sponsorship and attracting a younger demographic, and it doesn’t really matter what any of us thinks where the line is between athletic competition and popular pastime.