[image credit : St. Mary’s University]
St. Mary’s University has recently announced that they will launch an esports program for their students.
Teams will compete in the Rattler esports arena on campus. St. Mary’s University will be the first of its kind in San Antonio to establish a varsity esports program, and this will be the Rattlers’ 12th college sport. The announcement was made on the St. Mary’s University Twitter page. Following this, the university also released a promotional video, marking the beginning of their involvement with esports.
The video appears to show a range of Alienware equipment, such as a headset and a PC. This is being used by the mascot that represents the university’s sporting teams, the snake. A corresponding blue color scheme is prevalent in the video too.
In addition, the director of athletics at the school, Robert Coleman, commented on the university’s website. He recognizes esports as being “the fastest growing sports in the world, so (they) are extremely excited about beginning a new esports program.” This means “students will now be able to pursue their passion for gaming,” which the university recognizes as being a significant interest amongst students. The Rattler team is forecast to have a roster of approximately 20-to-25 members when it launches in fall 2020.
The St. Mary’s University esports program will join two other esports organizations, Tespa and the National Association of Collegiate Esports. So, students will have the opportunity to compete online against students from other universities. The games suggested in the press release for competition include League of Legends, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
