FRANKENMUTH, MI - Mark Uyl has gone through the stages of eSports denial.

Now, he's reached the stage of debate.

The new Michigan High School Athletic Association executive director talked to high school athletic directors, coaches and superintendents Wednesday in an annual MHSAA update meeting at Frankenmuth.

He outlined the potential for adding three new sports, including one that drew some groans.

That one was eSports.

"You can go through the stages, like we all have," Uyl said. "First you roll your eyes, and you groan. Then you decide to look into it just so you know why you hate it.

"Then you start to see all the kids that are doing it, and all the people who are getting involved. The growth is incredible. You look at Western Michigan ... they turned an auditorium into an eSports arena. Adrian College has men's and women's eSports teams.

"We're a long way away, but it merits more discussion and more feedback from our schools."

Uyl said the MHSAA is also considering adding girls wrestling and boys volleyball. All three potential sports face different challenges, some legal and some philosophical.

For the MHSAA to consider adding any sport, at least 64 schools must sponsor the activity.

"The great thing about girls wrestling is that we already have the facilities, the coaches, the structure ... it's all there," Uyl said. "Other states have added it. There are some legal hurdles though that we have to address. To follow Title IX, for instance, do we have to keep the same number of weight categories and things like that or do we have some flexibility?

"But there are already girls wrestling on boys teams, and the interest is there. It definitely has potential."

Boys volleyball also has potential, although adding the sport could pull athletes away from other sports.

"Generally, the states that have boys volleyball have it in the spring instead of the fall to make better use of facilities and coaches," Uyl said. "But how much would boys volleyball draw more athletes or would it take athletes away from the other spring sports, like track or baseball.

"When you go out West, there are a lot of states that have boys volleyball because it's so big out there. Again, it's a sport that's being considered, with all the debate that goes with it. It's part of the conversation."

But the most controversial addition could be eSports, with schools sponsoring teams that play video games and compete against other schools.

"Philosophically, it's a real challenge," Uyl said. "We don't want to do things to encourage kids to sit around and play video games and become sedentary."

But there are reasons the MHSAA and high schools want to become involved. If high schools sponsor the sport, they could limit competition to team-based video games instead of violent games. They would attract students who may not participate in traditional sports.

"And there are minimal costs for schools. There are vendors ready to supply the hardware and the software. There's no need for travel because competition is virtual. And it is popular. Madison Square Garden drew 20,000 spectators for an eSports competition. That's 20,000 people paying to watch other people play video games.

"But again, that's a long way off. There is a lot of discussion that has to happen before anything is decided."