JR Radcliffe

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Marquette University has announced it will offer esports as a varsity sport in fall of 2019.

University president Michael Lovell made the announcement in his annual address Wednesday, and John Steppe of the Marquette Wire published the story first.

“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,” Lovell said.

Marquette said it would become the first NCAA Division I power-conference school to support esports in a varsity capacity through its athletics program, though Utah, Missouri and Ohio State have undertaken similar endeavors, with their scholarship programs run through academic departments. Esports have existed as a scholarship sport since 2014 at Robert Morris.

The esports craze has been expanding globally for several years. It's essentially competitive video gaming, usually involving fighting, shooting or sports games. With the prevalence of streaming options, the competitions can rack up a large number of competitors and onlookers, though many esports events take place in arenas with traditional audiences.

The Milwaukee Bucks represent one of 17 NBA franchises to employ its own esports team, participating in a league where players complete in the game NBA 2K.

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Marquette will launch its team in 2019, with tryouts, coaches and regular practices. The Marquette Wire indicated that MU will build a state-of-the-art facility to host esports, with help from corporate donors, and will be open to the general student body.

Esports has been a club sport at Marquette since 2015, with 40 participants representing the school at Big East events.

Marquette points out that approximately 35 percent of players in the popular North American League of Legends are full time college students. Approximately 70 percent of college esports players are pursuing majors in science and technology.

"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," MU athletics director Bill Scholl said on the school website.

Marquette has been working with Chicago-based marketing and consulting firm Intersport to structure its program.