Swofford at this point in time is unconvinced that esports fits into intercollegiate athleticsGETTY IMAGES
ACC Commissioner John Swofford said the conference "probably" would not make esports part of its athletics programs, but did say sponsoring some esports events that are "tied to our championships ... could turn into revenues for our schools," according to Luke DeCock of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. Swofford said of esports, “Do we want to really dip our toe into that? The question there as much as anything is, does that really fit intercollegiate athletics? I think the answer is probably no” (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/20).
IT'S IN THE GAME: In Colorado, Austin White writes under the header, "Time To Embrace Esports." The NCAA has "discussed the addition of esports several times," but some schools have "moved on without their support." The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) has "more than 70 participating schools across nine video game titles." The reason that number is "higher than the amount of schools with varsity programs is because universities are not waiting for that higher recognition." Pretty much "every college in the country now has an esports club and some of the biggest schools are starting to host tournaments." Conferences like the Pac-12 and the Big Ten have "held League of Legends tournaments for their member schools with the Big Ten Network televising its tournament." The difference is they can "compete for scholarship money whereas the varsity program schools give their students scholarships similarly to how athletes who receive them in the 'regular' sports" (PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN, 7/20).
