USF Welcomes Esports

By: Cosme Lozano Staff Writer

Over the course of the past decade or so, gaming has become a true staple in the entertainment world. Long gone are the days of gaming being frowned upon and looked at as a waste of time. Gaming influencers like Ninja, Nickmercs, FaZe Clan and others, have shown the world how special gaming can truly be. With the rapid growth of gaming, it has spawned a new esports team here at University of St. Francis (USF). Having had the privilege to talk with the team's organizer, Steve Wettergren, I was able to better understand how competitive gaming arrived on campus.

One of the first questions that arise when looking at this situation, is how discussions even began. Speaking with Mr. Wettergren, he was able to give me great background context into how we got here: “Esports has been talked about at the university for some time. During the peak of the pandemic, the conversations became more serious because it was one of the few collegiate activities that could still be done safely. In May/June 2021 the concept became a reality, and the university made this one of its strategic initiatives.” Additionally, Mr. Wettergren wanted to build an equal opportunity environment for any students involved. Here, they can learn to develop communication, teamwork and leadership skills; skills that you need while on the sticks and in real life. In dealing with the pandemic and what we experienced last year, it has meant that more products are on backorder or delayed. This was a problem our esports team faced early on. Mr. Wettergren spoke on this saying, “Then we ordered the equipment and we thought that computers would be backordered. Instead, those arrived rather quickly, and it was furniture that was delayed.” Fortunately, those problems have been resolved and they are focused on making the finishing touches to the technology side.

For year one of the team, they will be competing in Overwatch and Rocket League. These are two of the largest gaming titles on the market right now and have established pro and collegiate scenes. There is a chance that Nintendo’s Smash Bros. series will make an appearance, but for now it is not a mainstay. Expansion is something that will be happening as the team looks to potentially add Valorant for FPS fans, and sports titles like Madden or FIFA.

Expectations for the first year of the team are high, but the team knows that hard work and good chemistry are necessary to get to where they want to go. Mr. Wettergren shared with me his expectations for year one, by saying, “My goal this year is to develop a team that can compete in varsity level competitions and win. Simple as that. To get to that level there is a lot to do. We first have to establish a team and develop at least two squads for each game title.

Then it’s all about practice. To really be competitive it takes more than just game skills; we need to develop as a group and find that dynamic that allows you to know what the other player will do before they even do it.”

This is all still the beginning for the USF esports team, and there is still a long road ahead of them that will require hard work and commitment. The team will be hosting tryouts soon and would love to have student participation. Those interested in trying out can email, USFesports@stfrancis. edu. Once you are on the email list, you will be informed first as soon as dates are set.

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Students can also receive information from the TV on the first floor of Tower Hall, by the Commuter Lounge. If you are interested in joining the team, but do not wish to compete, the team is still looking for help. The team is looking for individuals who are familiar with management, technology, marketing knowledge, and promotional skills. If this is you, you might be a fit for the team. This provides students with the ability to still be a part of the team, but not in a competitive way.

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