Esports becomes an officially sanctioned activity in Utah high schools
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Think video games are pointless and a total waste of time for young people? The Utah High School Activities Association would beg to differ.
Last week, the leadership body for Utah’s high school athletics voted unanimously to sanction esports — or competitive video gaming — as an activity for Utah students.
RELATED: Esports, stress and the body: Utah lab aims to explore health impacts of competitive gaming
It was a move UHSAA described as “groundbreaking,” adding that it came following careful consideration and discussions with educators, community members, and stakeholders across Utah.
“We believe that esports has the power to bring students together in new and exciting ways, fostering teamwork, strategic thinking, and leadership skills,” said Rob Cuff, executive director of the UHSAA.
He added: “By embracing esports as an official activity, we hope to provide students with opportunities for growth and personal development both on and off the virtual battlefield.”
Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, high schoolers across Utah will be able to compete in organized esports competitions under the auspices of the UHSAA, the organization said in a press release.
This inaugural season will run from January through April, and it’ll give students the opportunity to display their skills before their peers in various popular titles. No specific games were named in the press release.
Mallory Santa Cruz, the vice president of the Success in Education Foundation, helps to run Ken Garff Esports. For three years, the program has organized esports competitions involving dozens of Utah schools. The games they play include Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Rocket League and Mario Kart.
“Personally, I have seen the tremendous effects of esports on the lives of students,” Santa Cruz said, adding her organizations’ research shows that 80% of Utah students play video games in some form.
Being able to play in a competitive club environment has helped struggling students deal with mental health challenges, bullying and loneliness, she said. Esports also shows them that their passion for video games can lead to exciting careers in tech, media, game development, or even esports itself.
Across the world, esports is a booming, $1 billion industry. Top gamers are millionaire cyber athletes, playing for prize purses up to $40 million for a single tournament. Increasingly, colleges are offering esports scholarships. Among them is Weber State University, which recently installed an esports lab to study the effects of competitive gaming on the body.
To Santa Cruz , the UHSAA’s sanctioning of esports lends credibility and validity to the concept of competitive gaming, as it wasn’t long ago that video games were suspected of making children more violent and antisocial.
READ NEXT: See a hairy, spongy egg sack? Smash it and alert Utah officials — And here’s why.
She said that Ken Garff Esports will work with the UHSAA to develop the high school-level program that’ll debut in the coming years.
“Esports has the capability to bring about so much good into the lives of students, and really in the future of Utah’s economy,” Santa Cruz said.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
