Do you have a parent who narks you for playing League of Legends too much, consistently reminding you that video games are a detriment to your school life? Well, now you can tell them that putting in hours towards League to get to that coveted diamond tier can help pay your way through college, thanks to Robert Morris University.
Robert Morris University (RMU) located in Chicago, Illinois is the very first college in United States history to offer gamers specifically within the League of Legends eSports community a tuition scholarship. The creation of this one-of-a-kind scholarship was made possible by Kurt Melcher, RMU’s Associate Athletic Director and director of RMU’s varsity eSports program.
In an interview with a local Chicago news station, Melcher states that the scholarship is “an easier sell for parents because I’m sure parents have been telling [their children], ‘No, no, get off the computer, the console.’ Now [the kids] are saying, ‘Look, I can get a scholarship. I’m good enough to get a scholarship and finally be recognized for all the work I’ve put in.'”
At last year’s North American Collegiate Championship hosted in California, Melcher and his dedicated team of RMU eSports students placed second, each student leaving the competition with a reward of $15,000. Over 900,000 people attended the championship to watch them compete, proving that eSports is just as popular as other college sports. This may come as little to no surprise to most gamers dedicated to watching eSports for entertainment. After all, it’s not uncommon for League tournaments to completely sell out of tickets to view the spectacle live.
Similar to students who are awarded athletic scholarships for traditional sports such as basketball and football, recipients of RMU’s unique eSports scholarship must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0, be enrolled to the university as a full time student, and follow the guidelines listed in the school’s student-athlete handbook.
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