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Revenge of the nerds: Tiffin U. offers gaming scholarships

By Carly Regehr

A cameraman lines up his shot of Team Curse Venezuelan player Diego 'Quas' Ruiz (C) before the start of a match against Cloud 9 during the League of Legends North American Championship Series Spring round robin competition, at the MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach, California February 22, 2014. League of Legends, one of the world's most popular multiplayer online battle arena video game, has a fully professional competitive league and a top prize of one million dollars. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
A cameraman lines up his shot of Team Curse Venezuelan player Diego 'Quas' Ruiz (C) before the start of a match against Cloud 9 during the League of Legends North American Championship Series Spring round robin competition, at the MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach, California February 22, 2014. League of Legends, one of the world's most popular multiplayer online battle arena video game, has a fully professional competitive league and a top prize of one million dollars. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Tiffin University (OH) enshrines gaming as a varsity sport.

Is this the revenge the nerds had planned?

According to The Blade, Tiffin University will add competitive video gaming to its portfolio of D-II sports.

To kick things off, the program will pick out 40 “athletes,” of whom are offered gaming scholarships. From there, the college will participate in regional and national tournaments, including the already-televised eSports League on TBS.

But the announcement by Tiffin might be more of a recruiting tool.

Steven Borawski, a current psychology professor at Tiffin, points out some key benefactors in universities that choose to launch gaming as a program.

I. Attract International Students

With a small student population as is, Tiffin wants to embrace diversity. And Borawski believes that gaming will kick start that initiative.

II. There’s a Future in Gaming

Borawski is an advocate of individual progress. He reaffirms the idea that, by participating in eSports, students will feel more inclined to leave their parents’ homes.

And the gaming industry has a component that will help that – money.

By 2018, it’s reported that the industry will be worth $1 billion. Currently, it’s valued at only $194 million per year.

As for viewership, the numbers don’t lie.

In a study released by Newzoo, the gap between sports and gaming audiences isn’t too alarming:

  • 2014: 151 million sports fan tuned into football
  • 2017: 145 million “eSports enthusiasts” are likely to watch a tournament

More from Gaming

The inevitable ascent of the gaming industry started in 2013.

During this year, the number of TV viewers watching the League of Legends tournament (27 million) versus those who watched the 2013 NBA Finals (15.5 million) is staggering.

And this is great news for competitive video gaming on a college campus.

Currently, 27 universities, including some NCAA members, have relished the opportunity of inducting competitive gaming on a higher level that supersedes the need of college-sponsored clubs.

Paving the way for college gaming, Robert Morris University (IL) was the first to recognize gaming as a sport.

Next: 20 Greatest College Running Backs In The Modern Era

Former Robert Morris AD Kurt Melcher stands up for gamers:

"“I think it is a sport. I think they are athletes. As long as the students are getting the opportunity to compete.”"

Overall, the gaming industry has one company to thank – Twitch.

A portal for gamers to host their live streams, Twitch found a companion in Amazon. Eventually, Amazon purchased Twitch in 2014 for $970 million.

Set to debut its gaming program next year, Tiffin University joins an exclusive fraternity catered to the digital athlete.

Forget considering cheerleading as a sport.

Gaming is the way forward for future athletes.

About Tiffin

A member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), Tiffin was established in 1888 and is located southwest of Sandusky, OH.

For the upcoming academic year, the university will welcome a student body  of about 4,100 people. Most of them will pay upwards of $22,165 for in-state tuition, according to U.S. News.