JBU unveils new varsity esports team
John Brown University announced on Wednesday, Nov. 9, the addition of a new esports program.
The team, which will be added to the Golden Eagles Athletics program, will make it the 12th intercollegiate sport at the university.
The university will join 700 other institutions with teams playing in the National Association of Collegiate Esports and the National Esports Collegiate Conference.
A press release from JBU says that “The varsity team is a natural extension of the athletics program after the continued popularity of the Esports Club, which began formally in the spring of 2021 and has more than 30 active members.”
“Esports is exploding in popularity. More than 150 high schools in our state have sanctioned teams,” said Robyn Daugherty, JBU athletics director. “Research shows that 8085% of these students don’t participate in other extracurricular or athletic activities.”
Both Daugherty and JBU President Chip Pollard noted the importance of expanding the school’s offerings, and expressed hope that varsity esports will allow JBU to support and engage members of the student esports community in the wider JBU community.
JBU Esports will include multiple teams competing in games such as Rocket League, Overwatch, League of Legends, Super Smash Brothers and Chess, with plans to expand to other games as demand increases.
University scholarships are available, although exact amounts for those scholarships are not yet known.
“Budget conversations are happening right now, so those numbers will be clearer in the coming weeks,” said Pollard.
Recruiting is already underway, and start-up coordinator Kim Johnson hopes to recruit a team of approximately 20 men and women for the 2023-24 academic year.
“I’m excited to take the esports program at JBU to the next level and create additional opportunities for student athletes who want to represent the university while receiving an excellent education,” said Johnson.
As part of its capital campaign, JBU is raising approximately $450,000 to convert and equip Bynum Theater, located in the Walton Lifetime Health Complex, into a practice and competition space for the team.
The venue will include up to 20 competition-level computers, capacity for over 100 spectators and a broadcast booth for “shoutcasters” who provide game commentary.
“We are thrilled about the new esports facility at Bynum Theater and look forward to its completion,” said Johnson.
JBU will continue to have an Esports Club for students who enjoy competing but want to avoid making the time commitment for a varsity sport. Intramural tournaments are also offered during the school year and are open to all students.
Esports Club president Daehee Lee, a junior at JBU, says that this is still a new frontier, and because of that, JBU has gone toeto-toe against some big schools.
“We have competed against all kinds of schools, big and small.
Ohio State University, Ole Miss, and the University of North Texas are some of the bigger ones. We’ve also gone against the University of Arkansas a few times.”
Lee says that they have even competed against Concordia University, a school in Quebec, Canada.