By Stacie Boyls | Arts & Life Writer
Tucked away in a room outside the bowling alley of the Bill and Eva Student Life Center sit 12 glowing, high-powered PCs designed for top-level gaming. What started as a student organization in 2017 through the Oso Esports Club has evolved into a new chapter of Baylor athletic history.
This fall marks the official launch of the Baylor varsity esports team, a fully sanctioned collegiate-level competitive esports program designed to blend community, technology and performer excellence, all under a green and gold banner.
The idea to create a varsity program came about after the student-run Oso Esports Club showed promise in their casual competitions against other university programs.
“It’s really exciting — we’ve only existed as a varsity program for about three or four weeks now,” Adam Stanley, esports director and head coach, said. “We’re treating it one-to-one, similarly with athletics. There are practices, film review, study halls and workouts. It’s a true varsity experience.”
Stanely, an alumnus, came to Baylor to launch this exciting new program after building a championship-winning program at Brewton-Parker College in Georgia. Under his leadership, the program has been divided into three tiers — varsity, academy and club — all offering a competitive gaming experience for students of varying skill. While varsity and academy provide a fast-paced, athletically structured program, club offers a more casual setting, making gaming accessible for every student.
“The cool thing about esports is that if you’re a gamer, there’s a spot for you,” Stanley said. “You don’t have to be six-foot-five with a jump shot to be a competitor.”
The varsity teams currently compete in Rocket League, Overwatch, Valorant and Super Smash Bros Ultimate as part of the Power Esports Conference (PEC), facing off against other Division I schools such as Minnesota, Utah and Ohio State in weekly matchups. In fact, Baylor’s upcoming football game against Utah coincides with its esports matchup — a double showdown of Bears versus Utes.
All games are played virtually and streamed by one or both schools, according to the Baylor esports website. Matches take place in the Game Room in the Sub and start at 7 p.m. The PEC split for matches is Monday: Rocket League, Tuesday: Overwatch 2, Wednesday: Valorant, Thursday: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
According to Stanley, matches will soon be available to livestream on Twitch and YouTube.
For Carmel, Calif., senior Ryan McCrae, captain of Baylor’s Overwatch team and program manager, watching the esports scene at Baylor grow has been a gratifying experience.
“I joined Oso Esports my freshman year, and I’ve watched it double in size,” McCrae said. “Now we actually have a varsity program. The progression is there, it’s just going to keep expanding.”
McCrae said the esports team has been both bonding and transformative for him.
“Most people play ranked matches or just with friends,” he said. “Being able to grow together in a true team environment — that’s something everyone should experience. You learn how to communicate, how to be vulnerable, how to progress as a person.”
Beyond competition, McCrae said Baylor Esports aims to model the same holistic development mirroring the self-care regimen and high standards of traditional athletics — teamwork, discipline and leadership.
“We’re not after wins and losses of video games,” Stanley said. “We’re after the actual student development that comes within them.”
Along with holistic student development and scholarship opportunities for varsity and academy-level teams, Stanley said he hopes to increase female representation and visibility in the gaming world.
“We know women are gaming at nearly the same rate as men,” Stanley said. “We just don’t see that same participation at the top levels, and we want to change that.”
Baylor Esports has already gained national recognition, ranking eighth out of 252 teams in the Collegiate Rocket League Open Qualifiers. This achievement earned them a spot on the official Rocket League Twitch broadcast.
Looking ahead, Stanley said he hopes to keep the momentum with the program, striving for national leadership in the world of collegiate esports.
“All eyes are on Baylor right now,” he said. “In five years, I want us to set the standard for what collegiate esports can be — not just in competition, but in how we develop students.”
