Marquette to add esports as official varsity sport next year
Esports has grown rapidly in recent years across the United States.
It was only a matter of time before it was a varsity sport.
Starting next fall, Marquette will offer esports as a varsity sport, the university announced on Wednesday, marking the first program in a major athletic conference to do so.
“Being named after an explorer means it’s in Marquette’s DNA to define the opportunities of tomorrow and ensure we’re anticipating what future students will expect,” Marquette president Michael Lovell said on Wednesday. “Marquette embraces new methods of teaching and areas of study, and esports and gaming in general have the potential to impact both, while also helping to strengthen our student recruitment prospects in an increasingly competitive environment.”
Marquette said it will be the first Division I power-conference school to offer esports at the varsity level, however Utah, Missouri and Ohio State have similar programs, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Robert Morris has offered esports as a scholarship sport since 2014. The university has been working with a Chicago-based marketing and consulting firm – the same firm that helped launch Robert Morris’ program — to structure its program.
The university has had an esports club since 2015, which has competed in Big East-sponsored events and tournaments. The official team will hold tryouts, have regular practices and hire coaches, a process that is just beginning. The athletic department will oversee the team in collaboration with the college of arts and sciences, the division of student affairs and the office of admissions.
A large number of esports players across the world are current students, too. The university said that nearly 35 percent of players in the North American League of Legends are full-time students, and nearly 70 percent of college esports players are pursuing majors in science and technology.
“Marquette has been closely watching the development of esports, both as a global trend and as an integral part of the future of the Big East Conference,” athletic director Bill Scholl said. “We expect that our varsity esports team will collaborate closely with our Department of Computer Science, positively impact student recruitment, and provide an avenue for leadership development and teamwork opportunities for students who many not otherwise have been engaged in activities outside the classroom.”
Marquette is also planning to renovate an existing place on campus for a “state-of-the-art” facility to host the new team, using funding from corporate partners and donors. It is expected to have multiple gaming systems, a dedicated broadcast and production station and a casual gaming area. The facility will also be open to the general student body.
“First is identifying the space where it is going to happen, and then just actually just transforming the space so that it supports these said activities,” Lovell told Marquette Wire. “We expect that to happen sometime over the summer.”
Esports has grown immensely in recent years, and can be considered any official gaming competition — including sports games, racing games, shooting games and more. According to a Washington Post report, esports generates $345 million annually in North America alone. Select tournaments have drawn significantly more viewers than major sporting events, like the Kentucky Derby, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. The 2018 DOTA2 Int’l tournament offered a prize pool of $25.5 million, more than the Kentucky Derby, Tour de France and U.S. Open combined.
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