Esports Opportunities
By Josh Foreman
Photo from Mr. Paschal, Super Smash Bros. tournament, Owasso vs. Checota Rueger Guthery and Joshua Sanchez on left
With the ever-popular football season coming to a bittersweet close, sports fans look elsewhere to get their daily dose of competition. While many turn to basketball, wrestling or choir, the esports scene has gained more traction than ever. In the coming months, the team will be partaking in a partnered competition in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” pitted against other schools across Oklahoma. While they’ve done solo double-elimination bracket-style tournaments in the past, this format is sure to give the newer players an experience to remember.
The Owasso Esports team, sponsored by Mr. Paschal, currently includes popular competitive titles such as “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” “Valorant,” “Rocket League,” “Apex Legends,” “Halo,” “League of Legends,” “Madden 22,” “Overwatch 2,” “Call of Duty,” “Clash Royale” and even “Beat Saber.” With many titles to choose from and even more to come, students have many reasons to join Owasso esports – and even more to stay long-term.
The rapid, nationwide growth of esports means plentiful opportunities for those gifted enough to make a career out of it. Much like other sports scholarships, esports scholarships provide a traditional path for both formal education and a career, promoting a more stable lifestyle than most professional players would get by simply joining a team and living on tournament earnings.
Regardless of scholarship opportunities, Esports isn’t just a means of making money. For most, it’s an outlet to show interest in games that others don’t care for.
“Owasso Esports are part of the league called Oklahoma Esports League(OESL),” Paschal says. “In the attempt to grow this program, we will look at other leagues in addition to allowing more opportunities for playtime for all that join and possible scholarships to college,” Paschal explains.
Despite the change of scenery, most of the same school feuds are present in the esports scene. Hearing the members talk to each other about practice and upcoming tournaments makes it apparent that the friendly rivalry between districts is present as ever.
“We are still technically new to the scene, but some of the normal school rivals are still strong with the students, like Union and Broken Arrow,” Paschal added, noting that Union and Broken Arrow tend to be strong contenders in esports just as they are in football.
“For me, probably the most important aspect of esports for Owasso is the possibility for students to get exposure to college scouts or even professional scouts.” Paschal comments when talking about the future potential of esports players. But students don’t only play to compete; they play to have fun.
Players also use esports as a way to be social in their own way; rather than going to a football game or spending an afternoon at the mall, they spend time with friends playing games that interest them more than the food court. Many people don’t quite understand the fulfillment of playing computer games, but for esports members, it’s more than enough.
For more information on the Owasso Esports teams, email Mr. Paschal at james.paschal@owassops.org, visit him in room 40 on the west campus or visit oesl.org for more information about all Oklahoma esports.