As a part of a new initiative to strengthen diversity and provide greater opportunity in college-level esports, the HBCU Esports Alliance (HEA), also known as “The Yard,” is working with the Collegiate StarLeague (CSL), to “catapult many Historical Black Colleges and Universities into the esports ecosystem.”
This will include the creation of a variety of tournament events, intramurals, leagues, and invitationals and other sports-related jargon.
Beyond the events and esports-related organizations and activities, HEA and CSL are also focusing on providing critical support to establish solid a curriculum for academic institutions, as well as career development and recruiting opportunities to raise awareness of job opportunities in esports and the gaming industry overall.
This news comes just a week after CSL announced that they were acquired by sports marketing company PlayFly Sports, who pledge to “concentrate on enhancing the amateur esports-athlete experience [by] increasing opportunities for participation on high school and college campuses nationwide.”
Greater support and opportunity, especially where it concerns initiatives to increase diversity and representation, isn’t just fantastic news, it’s an essential part of moving the field forward and can go a long way toward making a campus experience rich with opportunity–let’s just hope that the future of college-level esports has a bit less of the problematic elements college sports are often criticized for.
