Lourdes University is a Catholic (Fransiscan) university with about 1,500 students. It is located in suburban Toledo.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/201.../97542056/

"A private liberal arts university in northwest Ohio is adding competitive video gaming to its athletic programs, joining an association of about 30 other schools across the country that offer so-called eSports....

"In order to participate in eSports you have to have the mental ability and critical thinking skills to do game-playing in general, you have to have developed the ability to function on a team, and you have to have a competitive nature that drives you toward success," Gawelek said. "It links well with a liberal arts education."

Lourdes is set to become the first member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic conference to offer an eSports scholarship program. It will compete against fellow schools in the National Association of Collegiate eSports, which formed just last year.

The university plans to recruit up to 60 eSports athletes over the next few years. As a Catholic and Franciscan institution, Lourdes has made the conscious decision to shy away from first-person shooter games."

Since they started showing it on TV it was only a matter of time. Dorks playing video games. This will probably be bigger than we expect as there are a lot of adults out there who play video games.

But I certainly won't be wasting my time watching nerds play video games. I just don't see the entertainment value.

I thought I remembers you name. BTW catholics are not a race.

I remember you accusing me of being racist for a Notre Dame catholic comment. So butthrut. Thanks for the entertainment.

I do not understand the entertainment value of watching someone playing a video game. Since anyone can just pick up a controller and play the games themselves. Would that not be more fun than watching someone else do it? I do understand the idea of colleges having teams and competing against each other, there are all types of club sports; no difference in chess or math competition just no real entertainment value.

Well, people can go play football themselves, but most people prefer watching other people play it. Sometimes they pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to watch other people play it in person. :)

Watching esports is becoming a big thing with the younger folk. At this very moment there are more than 30,000 people watching some dude play a PS4 samurai game at 11:35 in the morning on a random Tuesday.

I've no problem with colleges adding esports teams, but placing it under the athletics department is a little bit much. It's no more athletic than the chess team.

(02-07-2017 02:38 PM)TomThumb Wrote:  I've no problem with colleges adding esports teams, but placing it under the athletics department is a little bit much. It's no more athletic than the chess team.

(02-07-2017 11:42 AM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  I do not understand the entertainment value of watching someone playing a video game. Since anyone can just pick up a controller and play the games themselves. Would that not be more fun than watching someone else do it? I do understand the idea of colleges having teams and competing against each other, there are all types of club sports; no difference in chess or math competition just no real entertainment value.

Fan attendance cannot justify the existence of many programs at the small college level. That's not what it's about. It's about getting students enrolled, enhancing the on-campus culture, and instilling leadership, teamwork and dedication into the participants.

(I struggled a bit to avoid the use of the words "athletics", "athletes" and "sports" given the subject of this thread :D . It does seem to me that esports is more similar to forensics than football. They are both competitive, only one is athletic in nature.)

(02-07-2017 11:42 AM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  I do not understand the entertainment value of watching someone playing a video game. Since anyone can just pick up a controller and play the games themselves. Would that not be more fun than watching someone else do it? I do understand the idea of colleges having teams and competing against each other, there are all types of club sports; no difference in chess or math competition just no real entertainment value.

Anyone can pick up a football or basketball and play those games as well but many people enjoy watching the best in the world and those who have dedicated themselves to being the best at that particular sport/game. If there was no real entertainment value, then you wouldn't be seeing the 76ers, Kings, Bucks, Shaq, Rick Fox, multiple European Soccer Clubs, etc. investing millions into eSports teams in the past year or so.

(02-07-2017 11:42 AM)Carolina_Low_Country Wrote:  I do not understand the entertainment value of watching someone playing a video game. Since anyone can just pick up a controller and play the games themselves. Would that not be more fun than watching someone else do it? I do understand the idea of colleges having teams and competing against each other, there are all types of club sports; no difference in chess or math competition just no real entertainment value.

Ever played Rocket League? I'd rather watch a match of that than half the "real sports" that get shown on TV like golf, tennis, and so on.

(02-07-2017 02:38 PM)TomThumb Wrote:  Well, people can go play football themselves, but most people prefer watching other people play it. Sometimes they pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to watch other people play it in person. :)

Watching esports is becoming a big thing with the younger folk. At this very moment there are more than 30,000 people watching some dude play a PS4 samurai game at 11:35 in the morning on a random Tuesday.

I've no problem with colleges adding esports teams, but placing it under the athletics department is a little bit much. It's no more athletic than the chess team.

Only certain types of people are going to enjoy watching other people play video games. I don't' think there is much overlap with college fans who enjoy watching thier team play games.

Adults who play video games are something I do not understand.

One of the funnier sports I saw a while back was collegiate bass fishing. Look slike Auburn finished on top last season. That's more my speed
http://www.collegiatebasschampionship.co...dings.html