In 2014, Illinois’ Robert Morris University established the first varsity esports program. The program initially only catered to the videogame “League of Legends”, but offered competitive players substantial scholarships.
Four years later, more than sixty colleges have set up similar programs, officially recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).
While a recent Forbes article showed esports scholarships are not on the same level as traditional sports scholarships, these scholarships can still range from $2000 to $25,000. In total, however, students have already received over $5 million in scholarship packages since 2014.
It’s not just colleges offering the scholarships either. For example, Blizzard, the creator of both “Overwatch” and “Hearthstone”, has partnered with Tespa to offer students up to $1 million in scholarships per year.
This is a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go. Many colleges are unaware of the booming esports market, and how much revenue these programs can generate.
According to market researcher Newzoo, esports made almost $800 million in revenue last year. 2020 projections show this figure will reach at least $1.5 billion, and viewership will likely exceed 500 million.
Additionally, with booming player bases in a variety of eligible games, players and other esports enthusiasts are now considering their options more carefully than ever, looking at colleges that can better cater to their needs.
Esports does not just apply to League of Legends. Other video games include Overwatch, Counterstrike, Rocket League and Hearthstone, just to name a few.
Even if a program is not recognized by NACE, it can still be successful. Oftentimes these programs still include generous scholarships as well. One such example is UC Berkeley, which uses the college’s own Rec Sports system to support and develop collegiate players.
In an engadget interview with Kyle Feng, coach of UC Berkeley’s Overwatch team, he said that all universities should have gaming rooms and varsity esports programs.
“Expanding at a collegiate level is extremely smart right now because it’s such a big industry,” Feng said.
Idaho is no stranger to varsity esports expansion as well. Boise State University added a varsity esports program in fall 2017, with school-sponsored teams competing in five different games. In addition to the program, the college built an esports arena and computer facility.
BSU’s program is one of many that does not rely on the athletic department for funding and other needs. Instead, this particular program is backed by both the College of Innovation and Design and the College of Education.
The League of Legends team has played several exhibition matches against competing college teams, both before and during BSU football and basketball matches. These matches are streamed live to the public.
Robert Rippee, a professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said in an interview with KTNV this is done to help the public better understand competitive gaming.
“It doesn’t take a lot of watching…to intuitively get caught up in the action,” Rippee said. “It’s exciting, and you can see the momentum switching between the teams.”
UNLV played against BSU in the inaugural Mountain West Esports Showdown, which resulted in a UNLV victory.
More recently, a showmatch between BSU and University of Idaho’s junior varsity team was streamed live at the 2018 Spring Vandal Overnight Games, with BSU beating UI 2-0. While UI has a League of Legends Club, the college does not offer a varsity esports program.
Esports are going to keep growing. Just a few months ago, BSU hosted the first tournament for high school students in Idaho, and it was considered a great success.
Other colleges, including UI, should be worried about falling too far behind to the point of no return. It’s not too late to establish a varsity esports program. Even if a collegiate team can’t immediately compete with other established schools, that’s OK. Many of these programs start out small, but the potential for growth is always present in student viewership, college revenue and brand recognition.
Step aside, football.
Max Rothenberg can be reached at [email protected]