Marquette Esports varsity program pushed back another semester

[Macallan 18]

Marquette Athletics was unable to find a corporate donor to sponsor the team so they will have to wait for the program's advancement until at least next fall.

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https://marquettewire.org/4024716/sports/esports-varsity-program-pushed-back-another-semester/

This story was written by Bryan Geenen. He can be reached at bryan.geenen@marquette.edu.

After already being delayed from a fall 2019 debut, esports was expected to become a varsity sport this spring. As the semester opened though, Marquette Athletics was unable to find a corporate donor. The esports community will have to wait for the program's advancement until at least next fall.

University President Michael Lovell previously announced in January 2019 that it would be "fairly easy" to find a sponsor to make Marquette Athletics the first Division I athletic department to have varsity esports or competitive video gaming.

Patrick Glogovsky, the esports club president and senior in the College of Communication, said the club is still going to compete and represent Marquette. The club is still just a club, but it has great support and an incredible opportunity to blow up in the future, Glogovsky said.

"It's kind of 'same old' for us because we just do what we do as a club team. We've been doing this for three years now, and we know what we have to do as a club," Glogovsky said. " The fact that it's not a varsity sport yet is disappointing, but I'm not, like, in anguish over it. I know the players are more disappointed than I am because I just focus on the club."

The team has been unable to find a corporate sponsor so far, according to associate athletic director Scott Kuykendall.

"We have been reaching out to companies regarding potential sponsorships for several months and that continues," Kuykendall said in an email. "While we have had interest, we have yet to secure a sponsorship significant enough for us to move forward with the construction of the facility necessary to house a varsity Esports program. It's our hope to have identified a partner by the start of the 2020-21 academic year. That is our goal right now. "

However, the lack of sponsorship confuses Glogovsky.

"It's very odd to me that we're struggling to find a sponsor so much. For Marquette University, I don't think it should be as hard as it's been, so that's disappointing to me," Glogovsky said. " We started gaming and esports at Marquette, so I would like to see it explode and take off."

Riley O'Brien, the club's vice president and a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, echoed Glogovsky's sentiment when he first heard the news.

"It was disappointing. I understand that obviously, it's important for them to find a sponsor and be able to pay for everything," O'Brien said. "It was only disappointing because my understanding was that if it wasn't going to be starting this fall, it would be this semester but now that's not a thing. At a certain point, I feel like it's just getting pushed back more and more," O'Brien said.

Esports member and a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences Joshua Fendry-Gill was also upset with the decision to wait until next semester.

"It definitely kind of sucks. I remember reading a few articles about it and seeing the concept for the new gaming room they were going to set up. I was definitely excited for it. I know for a while we didn't hear any news about it, so I kind of started to have doubts later on, and, once I found out, I guess it was a little bit of a letdown," Fendry-Gill said.

Kuykendall said once the program finds a sponsor, Marquette will begin to build a facility. The facility would be open to all students, with set hours dedicated to the varsity players.

"A program becomes 'varsity' when an institution begins recruiting players to campus to participate on the team," Kuykendall said. "Once a funding source is identified to supplement the construction of the playing facility, we will move forward with the hiring of a coach and identifying team members, who could already be on campus or interested in attending Marquette in the future. "

With the program's starting date being pushed back, people like O'Brien and Glogovsky — who are both seniors and the two individuals who helped bring esports to Marquette — will not be able to see the transition to a varsity sport or the creation of a new facility.

"Having a physical space would be the easiest way to visualize the success that we've made and that the club has had," O'Brien said. "That would have been huge, and that would've been a physical marker to say, 'Hey, we're the reason (esports) is a thing.' It would've been nice to see something come to fruition, given it's my last year at Marquette."

Kuykendall said that despite the program not achieving varsity status this semester, the team still represents Marquette.

"We have partnered with the club team for the past two years to represent Marquette in events sponsored by the BIG EAST Conference," Kuykendall said. " Those events have occurred online and included League of Legends and Rocket League and this December we sent a team to NYC to participate in a Rocket League tournament. While we don't have a varsity team, Marquette has still been represented. "

Glogovsky said the program has come a very long way, from having only six members attend the meetings at the club's inception to this semester when over 100 individuals attended the club's meeting, Glogovsky said that since it was his senior year, he was disappointed but was happy to see the progress.

Though both seniors are graduating this spring, O'Brien said what matters is what is to come from their work over the past four years.

"At the end of the day, it's more about the intangible thing that we created, the seed we've planted in the administration," O'Brien said. "I'm looking forward to seeing 10, 15 years down the line where Marquette esports is developed and what will happen at that point. "

[lawdog77]

Maybe D-Wade can get some pointers from Rick Fox.

[GooooMarquette]

Marquette Athletics was unable to find a corporate donor to sponsor the team so they will have to wait for the program's advancement until at least next fall.

========

The team has been unable to find a corporate sponsor so far, according to associate athletic director Scott Kuykendall.

"We have been reaching out to companies regarding potential sponsorships for several months and that continues," Kuykendall said in an email. "While we have had interest, we have yet to secure a sponsorship significant enough for us to move forward with the construction of the facility necessary to house a varsity Esports program. It's our hope to have identified a partner by the start of the 2020-21 academic year. That is our goal right now. "

However, the lack of sponsorship confuses Glogovsky.

"It's very odd to me that we're struggling to find a sponsor so much. For Marquette University, I don't think it should be as hard as it's been, so that's disappointing to me," Glogovsky said. " We started gaming and esports at Marquette, so I would like to see it explode and take off."

It's very odd to me that he finds this odd. Finding a corporation to sponsor a bunch of kids playing video games seems like an awfully big ask.

[HutchwasClutch]

It's very odd to me that he finds this odd. Finding a corporation to sponsor a bunch of kids playing video games seems like an awfully big ask.

For sure, spot on.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

It's very odd to me that he finds this odd. Finding a corporation to sponsor a bunch of kids playing video games seems like an awfully big ask.

You apparently dont know much about esports.

[GooooMarquette]

You apparently dont know much about esports.

Very little...except that MU can't find a donor, even though they find donors for everything else, from buildings to scholarships to bricks.

[Cheeks]

You apparently dont know much about esports.

The market right now is softening.  Sponsors have been burned by the hype and little return. E sports has a ton of buzz, but not translatable to ROI by viewers.  Yes, you can reach a lot of people that don't spend any money which isn't desirable for an advertiser.

[Dr. Blackheart]

The market right now is softening.  Sponsors have been burned by the hype and little return. E sports has a ton of buzz, but not translatable to ROI by viewers.  Yes, you can reach a lot of people that don't spend any money which isn't desirable for an advertiser.

So, what you are saying is the ebubble is soft...

[Cheeks]

So, what you are saying is the ebubble is soft...

I'm saying it is vastly overrated at the current moment.  Has potential, but the ROI sucks.

[lawdog77]

The market right now is softening.  Sponsors have been burned by the hype and little return. E sports has a ton of buzz, but not translatable to ROI by viewers.  Yes, you can reach a lot of people that don't spend any money which isn't desirable for an advertiser.

Are you saying people who watch esports (gamers) dont spend money?https://www.marketingdive.com/news/esports-outlook-2020-what-brands-need-to-become-winning-players/569872/

[The Sultan]

Are you saying people who watch esports (gamers) dont spend money?https://www.marketingdive.com/news/esports-outlook-2020-what-brands-need-to-become-winning-players/569872/

No I think what he means is that the potential payback of sponsoring Marquette's esports team may not be worth the cost.  Given the competitive environment that already exists around esports, one could seriously question what role college sponsored teams play in that world.

[lawdog77]

No I think what he means is that the potential payback of sponsoring Marquette's esports team may not be worth the cost.  Given the competitive environment that already exists around esports, one could seriously question what role college sponsored teams play in that world.

His response reads to me sounds like he is talking esports in general.

[Cheeks]

https://kotaku.com/as-esports-grows-experts-fear-its-a-bubble-ready-to-po-1834982843

[lawdog77]

https://kotaku.com/as-esports-grows-experts-fear-its-a-bubble-ready-to-po-1834982843

My random article was published after your random article, so clearly I win

[🏀]

I remember when college paintball teams were going to be the next big thing.

[Dr. Blackheart]

DisneyQuest, hey?

[Cheeks]

My random article was published after your random article, so clearly I win

https://www.sporttechie.com/mark-cuban-esports-awful-business-us-market/


Cuban and I are meeting this week (we go back to 1995) and look forward to hearing his latest.  Currently, in the US, it's a crap business to be involved in.

[#UnleashSean]

College esports teams will probably never be a real thing. We're talking about like 5th rate players joining these teams.

Couple of ex pros and I smashed the Robert Morris College team two years ago in a Chicago tournament . None of us had played counterstrike competitively in a few years. We were also not sober.

We then beat the Robert Morris LOL team. We never played that game outside of solo queue silver.

[lawdog77]

College esports teams will probably never be a real thing. We're talking about like 5th rate players joining these teams.

Couple of ex pros and I smashed the Robert Morris College team two years ago in a Chicago tournament . None of us had played counterstrike competitively in a few years. We were also not sober.

We then beat the Robert Morris LOL team. We never played that game outside of solo queue silver.
[/quote I would agree on college esports not being viable. Esports itself gets alot of eyes.

[Dr. Blackheart]

College esports teams will probably never be a real thing. We're talking about like 5th rate players joining these teams.

Couple of ex pros and I smashed the Robert Morris College team two years ago in a Chicago tournament . None of us had played counterstrike competitively in a few years. We were also not sober.

We then beat the Robert Morris LOL team. We never played that game outside of solo queue silver.

Did you ever dunk in the rec center too?

[#UnleashSean]

Did you ever dunk in the rec center too?

Sadly, the best I've ever done is touch rim.

but...

https://play.esea.net/teams/44194/league

[Dr. Blackheart]

Sadly, the best I've ever done is touch rim.

but...

https://play.esea.net/teams/44194/league

13 years to judge...

[#UnleashSean]

So some info I found on Marquette esports, lets just say its best if we don't bring it to "varsity" level

LoL team: Last big east season came in dead last. Won a single game (Each series is best of 3) of 7 series. Saw their Villanova game. They lost each game in under 19 minutes, thats super fast. Their roster consisted of 2 players who have never played a ranked game. 2 silvers and 1 Plat 5. To be eligible for official tournament play, you need to be Diamond 2. So not a single player on their roster is even laughably close to eligible. In comparison, I don't even play this game often or seriously. Im plat 3.

Counterstrike: Forfeited AVGL league. Collegiate stargate (A weak college only league) went 3-5.
Currently 0-4 in ESEA open. A league that features younger players/just coming into competitive play. While the higher echleon of it features either up and coming teams and older players forming teams to mess around on. Marquette is currently 0-4

https://play.esea.net/teams/8744140

I dont know much about any of the other games.

[Jay Bee]

Sadly, the best I've ever done is touch rim.

nh?

Let's squad up on Fortnite bro

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I heard a radio advertisement this morning for a university offering a degree in "E-Sports Management".