Esports at UGA seeks to build financial support
Esports at UGA seeks to build financial support
Esports at UGA is one of the largest student clubs at the University of Georgia…however, the club receives very little funding.
At 2,000 members strong, the Esports at UGA club is seeking to make big strides in the years ahead and establish a competitive presence in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and throughout the country.
A Georgia Funder account has been established to raise money that would support technology needs, meeting space and team participation in tournaments to be competitive with other schools in the Southeastern Conference and nationally.
“We have the numbers and we have the drive,” said TJ Stephens, outgoing president of Esports at UGA.
Not only is Esports at UGA one of the largest clubs, it is also one of the fastest growing clubs, nearly doubling in size in the last three years.
Electronic sports, or esports, is a burgeoning activity among all age groups, but especially on a collegiate level. The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) was founded in 2016 and eSports became an Olympic competition in 2020. More than 260 colleges and universities are NACE members, and many more compete in national and international tournaments. According to a 2024 Pew Research poll, 85% of teenagers play video games and 97% of teenage boys identify with playing games.
ESports at UGA is housed at Grady College and Sun Joo “Grace” Ahn, professor of advertising and director of the Center for Advanced Computer-Human Ecosystems, serves as the club’s advisor.
“Esports is one of the most quickly growing areas of spectator sports,” Ahn said. “With our expertise in technology, advertising and broadcasting, Grady College provides a natural home to this next generation platform for sports entertainment. I am incredibly excited about the future that Grady faculty and alumni can build together with our e-sports students.”
Esports at UGA has won two national championships in 2023 and 2024, but the lack of updated technology and meeting facilities have hindered growth and a competitive edge.
As the activity has grown, expenses to compete in tournaments have escalated. Stephens explains that several years ago, tournaments did not really have entry fees, but now they do and UGA does not have the funds to send students to competitions.
There is no fee to become a member of Esports at UGA, and try-outs take place to participate in the competitive teams. There are nearly 25 games that are included in the competitive circuit including games like Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant.
Stephens said that University of Alabama, University of Missouri and University of Mississippi are SEC schools that have active esports programs. Esports at UGA was co-founded about 10 years ago by Annie Lian, who has gone on to work professionally in the gaming industry.
“UGA has to realize that there are thousands of students on this campus, myself included, who are learning extremely important life skills and are actually creating jobs and creating futures out of this field,” Stephens said.
He points to skills that esports participants learn including teamwork, critical thinking, leadership, computer science and coding. He talks about advantages of being involved with eSports in his 2024 TEDxUGA talk.
Author: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu