The Rampage Apr 2025

21

Sports

buRampage.com

E-Sports at BU: Looking Ahead to Growth and Competition by Caleb Honaker | Digital Marketing, Modern Media • 2028

F irst introduced in 2019, the Bluefield University e-sports team has rapidly competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) under the Appalachian Athletic Conference and the Mid South Conference. But what exactly is e-sports? Short for electronic sports, e-sports is a form of competition using video games, which often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions played individually or as teams. E-sports has been a growing phenomenon over the past decade and is even gaining traction on a global scale. The sport is now a $1 billion industry and is making its way onto college campuses, providing new opportunities for students to participate in competition, even at BU. grown into a successful athletic program,

“Currently, we are working on getting a great group of individuals passionate about gaming and with a competitive drive to compete against other like-minded individuals,” said Madison Whisman, the coach for BU’s e-sports team. “As a high school e-sports coach before this, I witnessed how some students who never felt like they belonged in a traditional sports environment but had certain skills were able to hone those skills on an e-sports team. It gave them a place to belong and feel part of a team.” Whisman said he currently has a great foundation of students but hopes to add more players come fall. He said he is looking forward to getting the team and the season started in 2025-2026. •••