Mark Cuban says he won't buy esports teams: 'Players burn out'

Mark Cuban may already have sunk big money into esports, but he has no interest in investing in individual teams, the Dallas Mavericks owner recently told Fusion.

The 58-year-old Shark Tank star has already ponied up part of the $7 million series A funding round for esports gambling company Unikrn -- so he wants a piece of the pie. Just not a team's piece.

“I haven’t and won’t invest in teams,” Cuban told Fusion.

“Right now it’s a gold rush to buy and sell and build teams. That’s creating a confused market. But more importantly, I’m worried about how quickly players burn out. It’s a grind to keep up and to become great. Particularly at LoL. I know teams are trying to do more, but the number of hours involved is a real concern for me. I’m not closing the door, but it’s not something I would pursue right now.”

Cuban says his concerns are mainly in player burn-out. Rightfully so, most player's careers start in their early teens then end in their 20s -- a shorter shelf life than even a traditional athlete.

Many blame player burnout on the high bar foreign cultures have set for practicing. Korean League of Legends teams are largely to blame; many Korean LoL player contracts state that in order to be signed you must commit to 12-13 hour days of practice.

It was also rumored that players would have two hours of "free time" per day ... then be benched or expelled if they exceeded it. Over the last few years these practices have put the pressure on western teams to follow suit.

Cuban did leave on an interesting note, saying he may invest in the future. Player burn out certainly isn't scaring everyone away, more and more teams are being bankrolled by pro athletes and celebrities like Boston Celtics star Jonas Jerebko and DJ Steve Aoki.