Energizing Esport

Student’s Research Aims to Understand Burnout in Collegiate Esport Athletes

by Aubi Moon

Examining burnout in collegiate esport athletes is a relatively new topic to the athletic industry and the focus of an Idaho State University graduate student’s research.

Tyler Moerer, who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in physical education and athletic administration from the ISU College of Education, has always been fascinated with sports and esports psychology. He’s specifically interested in understanding why top-level players are ending their careers early due to mental health. Moerer’s research is aimed at understanding this issue, and is titled NonFunctional Overreaching and Overtraining Syndrome within College Esports.

Moerer’s study has included data collection from universities that participate in Big Sky Conference collegiate esports. During the Fall 2022 semester, he examined 10 athletes to understand burnout and prevention methods.

“When we talk about burnout or the complete removal from sports, we look at what happens before a player completely leaves,” said Moerer. “With overtraining syndrome, somebody will practice or play a game that is high intensity and short duration. Because their adrenaline is increased, this leads to an improvement in their skills. However, if it is not followed by proper recovery, this will lead to a decrease in their overall performance.”

Esports typically involve competing in matches of player-versus-player video games individually or with a team, often within the structure of a league. Games like Rocket

Because esports are not tied to a specific nation and can include worldwide participants, viewership has increased in recent years, leading to an increase in monetary prizes offered to athletes. However, little research has been done to understand athletes’ mental health.

“I’ve always been confused as to why athletes drop out when they are at the height of their professional career, but sports isn’t everything,” said Moerer. “It is important as an esport athlete to have outside hobbies and activities that you are involved in to avoid burnout.”

While ISU is currently not active in esports on the collegiate level, Moerer hopes his research can shed light on ways to better help and support collegiate esport athletics, saying, “Regardless of whether you believe esports are sports, they are a product of sportification and they are built around the model of sports, teams, and team building. My goal is to bring awareness to this under researched area to better help athletes.”

Moerer is expected to graduate from in May 2023, and he plans to enter a PhD program with the eventual goal of becoming a sport psychologist. In his free time, Moerer serves as a graduate assistant for the Human Performance and Sport Studies Department where he teaches classes such as table tennis, weight training, and sport psychology. He also enjoys playing esports, specifically Super Smash Bros Melee.