Sports Requirement Expanded to Include a Mandatory Season of ESports for All Students
Sports Requirement Expanded to Include a Mandatory Season of ESports for All Students-Gabriel Grapes
The Athletic Department announced two weeks ago that Western Reserve Academy’s sports requirement would be expanded to include a mandatory season of Esports for all students. “Video games are becoming part and parcel of daily life,” Mr. Haller explained, “so it is imperative that every student acquires some gaming knowledge before they graduate.” This new eSports program purportedly seeks to give students a more diverse vision of competition and athleticism.
Since this change would require all 400 Reserve students to spend a season playing an eSport, the school will expand eSports from a Spring only sport to being playable during any season. Students would be able to choose between several games, including Minecraft, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rainbow Six Siege, Dota 2, and League of Legends.
The program will be implemented next year and the Athletic Department is taking it very seriously. Students will not be able to be exempted from the requirement with an alternative sport like conditioning or afternoon music. Furthermore, any late or missed eSports practice by a student will result in a detention, no matter what the student’s excuse is. It appears that Reserve does not want to fall behind in the Niche rankings of high school eSport teams.
The response to this new program from the community has been mixed. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to play a video game outside of the Spring season,” one anonymous student said. However, other students treated the program with animosity, saying that they “are a varsity athlete in three normal sports” and thus they “should not have to replace one of their good sports with a season playing some kid’s game.” Overall, most Reserve gamers are happy with the change, but many other students feel alienated or robbed by this additional requirement.
Esports will be present at next year’s Athletic Award ceremonies (Source: WRA Facebook)
The Reserve Record 