CANTON, New York (WWNY) – SUNY Canton’s Esports program is seeing more and more participants. What began with 20, has grown to nearly 100.
“Four years ago I was really new to what Esports looked like,” said Esports Program Manager James Brooks. “Seeing it grow to this size has been kind of incredible.”
Brooks currently leads the program as Team Manager.
When the program began in 2017, there were 20 or so players.
“In regards to student participation, Esports has our highest student participation of all of our varsity teams, with almost 100 students participating this semester. It’s continued to grow since its inception six years ago,” said SUNY Canton Athletic Director Randy Sieminski.
Within those six years, not only has the Esports program flourished, but it became on of the top Esports teams in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, and kickstarted the push for a SUNY-wide Esports league.
With different games this season like Overwatch and League of Legends, the Esports program has multiple teams dedicated to playing the game of their choice.
Team Captain Damian Lederman said what makes the Esport program special is being able to connect with others on campus.
“For me personally, it’s about making as many friends as possible. I connect with so many of the people here it’s made my time on campus much more enjoyable,” Lederman said.
Lederman hopes that as the program grows at SUNY Canton and larger nationwide, the NCAA may add Esports to it’s official list of sports.
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