EMU Esports Team Soars to the Top in Varsity Esports

Three people pose with Gamers for Giving trophies in a conference hall
Left to Right: Mason Hargreaves, Jackson Sparks, and Kyle Matanzas
Three people pose with Gamers for Giving trophies in a conference hall

Left to Right: Mason Hargreaves, Jackson Sparks, and Kyle Matanzas

Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of video game competition typically taking place in highly organized, highly competitive, multiplayer video game tournaments. With video games such as League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Overwatch 2 on the roster in 2024, Esports’ popularity has been growing rapidly. Over the past six years, peak viewership of the League of Legends Worlds Tournament alone has grown from 2 million in 2018 to 6.4 million in 2023.

EMU Esports has been reforged over the past year by Zach Lewis, an Oklahoma native who spent three years developing South Carolina Limestone University’s esports team. Lewis has propelled EMU’s team into the upper echelon of collegiate esports by offering numerous professional development experiences, staying uniquely connected with the community, and playing host to massive regional events. This past April, Lewis arranged for 20 EMU Esports athletes to join the Gamers for Giving charity event. Hosted by the GameAbove Center, the free-to-spectate event brought in $1.2 million.

Intrigued by this up-and-coming virtual sport? There are several ways to get involved in Varsity Esports at EMU. The best way to stay connected with everything happening in EMU Esports is to join their Discord channel. Other ways to stay updated include periodically checking their Events page and following the team’s Twitch and YouTube channels. We look forward to cheering on our esports athletes at the next tournament!