E Sports At South

E sports referrers to Electronic sports and is what defines competitive gaming. Although competitive game play has been around since the arcade days, the different E sports Leagues have just started popping up in the past five years.

With South being very prideful of their sports teams, from swimming to soccer, it is a wonder why there hasn’t been any steps forward for a team. Is there not enough support, players, sponsors, or is there no competition to go up against?

Steven Kern, senior, said that he would enjoy if there was an E sports team.

“I would love an E sports team,” Kern said. “It’s probably not going to happen while I’m here but if there was one I would try to watch the matches online.”

However, just because some would enjoy it that doesn’t mean all will. It takes time and effort to  put together a team and not to mention money, so that begs the question: does South have the budget for a new team?

The short answer is yes, South would just need to cut a few things or need a bit more funding to get it off the ground. It could easily afford a Coach, and stronger computers or gaming system to support this new team.

Players don’t seem to be an issue either. According to Theesa.com, 42 percent of everyone in the US plays Video Games. Brett Walker, sophomore, said that he knows people who would be interested in participating in an Electronic Sport.

So that leaves the question, why hasn’t South made any advancements towards a team?

South has been making movements. The new club opened up this year is called the Minecraft club and is the first club based around a video game. They also have a teacher sponsor, Skyler King, communication arts.

Even if South were to make advancements with the E sports program would other schools do the same? In the Kansas City region there are only 23 High Schools with a basic E sports program. So while there is competition there isn’t a guarantee that it would be successful for the school.