ESPORTs coaches respond to community concerns
0Written By Christian Wright
Ever since its announcement in December, the University of Pikeville’s newly formed ESPORTs team has caused both excitement and raised questions within the region and nationwide. League of Legends (also referred to as LoL or simply League) Head Coach Eric VanHoose and consultant/Adjunct Film & Media Arts Professor Bruce Parsons, UPIKE’s director of new media and founder of social education network The Holler, believe in the benefits of the team and can answer any questions.
Parsons, described LoL and developer Riot Games as having the most structure for a game of its type in the competitive scene, as well as a strong support system for the hundreds of schools across the country who have started teams and gaming clubs. When Parsons and VanHoose saw all the interest that students at UPIKE had in the game, it was just a matter of putting two and two together. Parsons described it as “the right place and the right time” to make the push for an ESPORTs team.
A point of contention among skeptics has been the decision to treat League as a varsity sport and offer scholarships to players. Parsons, however, sees this as an extension of The Holler’s services allowing education through technology as well as providing opportunities for students to get an education they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford.
VanHoose added, “There was once a second school to offer football scholarships,” in reference to the fact that UPIKE is only the second school in the nation to offer ESPORTs scholarships, following Robert Morris University.
The scholarships are supplemental to a student’s financial aid package. However, the program is limiting the number of scholarships available to 20. As a result, VanHoose is treating this as any other sport in terms of qualifications. Not only must a player be skilled at playing the game, the student must have full-time status at the university and maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in order to stay on the team.
The team plans on scrimmaging later in the spring before beginning official competition in the Collegiate Star League (CSL)—an association of schools competing in ESPORTs—this fall. Members of the CSL include Robert Morris and the University of Michigan as well as schools such as the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, and the University of Cincinnati.