Play LoL? American university to offer a gaming scholarship up to 50% tuition/board

[Celista]

http://www.universityherald.com/arti...ert-morris.htm

From the article:

The Robert Morris University has become the first higher educational institution in the United States to add an online sport to its athletic program and to provide scholarships to professional gamers.


The RMU "League of Legends" team will receive the same benefits as other RMU athletes like coaching, staff support, tutoring and scholarships of up to 50 percent tuition and 50 percent room and board - a figure that comes up to $19,000.

"The Robert Morris University has always been at the forefront of providing opportunities for a diverse student population with different interests and skills. League of Legends is a competitive, challenging game which requires significant amount of teamwork to be successful," said Kurt Melcher, Associate Athletic Director, in a statement.

The recognised athletic program will comprise of one varsity team and two practice teams. The school's League of Legends team will be a part of the Collegiate Star League where the school will compete with Arizona State, George Washington and Harvard among others.

The college has begun to recruit high-school players of Riot Games' League of Legends for the new program, set to debut this fall. The varsity team will participate in next year's North American Collegiate Championship, Game Zone reports.

The Riot Games' free-to-play "League of Legends" is one of the biggest games in the world. More than 67 million people play the game at least once a month, with 27 million playing on a daily basis, Eurogamer reports. Blurring the lines between traditional sports and e-sports, last year, the US government granted visas to top-tier gamers, giving them the recognition of that as professional athletes, The Verge reports.

What do you guys think of universities awarding gaming scholarships for students? Personally I love the idea and hope it becomes a trend.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

..O_o Wow. That's definitely interesting.

[Deleted]

...What kind of restrictions are there?

Do i need to be plat?

Otherwise, impressive, South Korea has much the same idea behind it; They even have a national team devoted various games iirc, like SC2 and LoL.

Not a big fan of sport scholarships (I've read a lot about how teachers are pressured to pass said members of certain teams) but this would go a long way to pointing out competitive gaming is an alternate sport.

[Celista]

Not a big fan of sport scholarships (I've read a lot about how teachers are pressured to pass said members of certain teams) but this would go a long way to pointing out competitive gaming is an alternate sport.

Agree, I think this is the most interesting part about the article. Competitive university gaming teams in the US, woot

[Celista]

We should be moving away from scholarships that aren't related to academics, leadership, or helping underprivileged people get through school.

I don't see any reason why we can't have both and I think gaming can demonstrate a lot of intellectual ability and leadership skills depending on the game. Also I did my undergrad in Chicago and can tell you that Robert Morris is a pretty shit university, no one will be choosing that school over Northwestern or U of C just because it happens to have a gaming scholarship.

For a certain mediocre student/hardcore gamer though, the scholarship might enable them to afford a college education through their gaming interests.

[Deleted]

I disagree with sports scholarships of any kind, why should a dumb fuck jock get a free ride just because he can run fast?

[mikeakanice]

I disagree with sports scholarships of any kind, why should a dumb fuck jock get a free ride just because he can run fast?

Because of the insane amount of money he generates to the school so they can have top of the line technology for the classrooms.

[Deleted]

Because of the insane amount of money he generates to the school so they can have top of the line technology for the classrooms.

Only recently is that high tech shit, when I went through most of it was still done via books yet sports scholarships have been around a long time before I was born.

[Sunseeker]

Hey, if you can make money from organized gaming just like you can organized sports, there's no reason not to do this.

[Deleted]

I disagree with sports scholarships of any kind, why should a dumb fuck jock get a free ride just because he can run fast?

The athlete whom wrote this got an A- in the class.

[Deleted]

The athlete whom wrote this got an A- in the class.

Its bullshit because anyone with a brain knows it was Robert Freeman that refused to get out of his seat, rosa parks took credit because she was female.

[Conspicuous Cultist]

Its bullshit because anyone with a brain knows it was Robert Freeman that refused to get out of his seat, rosa parks took credit because she was female.

And a boondocks reference flies over my head.

[Deleted]

I did not know this. o.O

Learning new stuff everyday, all day.

Google his name, the guy is a legend.

[Conspicuous Cultist]

Google his name, the guy is a legend.

I'm horrible with names. I know the guy, just not the name.

Greatest person ever.

[Rukentuts]

"Athletic" scholarships are never about schooling, therefore they shouldn't be handed out.

- - - Updated - - -

<snip>

The athlete whom wrote this got an A- in the class.

The NCAA is full of academic integrity.

[Deleted]

And a boondocks reference flies over my head.

I love the show but I struggle not to call people nigga in real life.

[Crissi]

I can see athletic scholarships. What are the poorer athletes supposed to do if they cant afford to get into college, and football pretty much requires the bulk up you get while in college, so taking fresh 18 year olds will not work for the pros.

I think the athletes need to adhere to the same academic standards as non athletes, but I dont think their scholarships should be taken away as athletic prowness is one way out of poverty.

[Deleted]

I can see athletic scholarships. What are the poorer athletes supposed to do if they cant afford to get into college, and football pretty much requires the bulk up you get while in college, so taking fresh 18 year olds will not work for the pros.

I think the athletes need to adhere to the same academic standards as non athletes, but I dont think their scholarships should be taken away as athletic prowness is one way out of poverty.

Why not give the scholarship money to the poor rather than the fast?

[crakerjack]

I don't consider video games a sport. Something that requires no type of athleticism shouldn't be considered a sport. Pressing buttons and swiveling a mouse around is nothing special. Although I do support the idea of video game teams, I doubt it'll ever catch on.

[Crissi]

Why not give the scholarship money to the poor rather than the fast?

If the poor can adhere to the same academic standards, fine. But I also see value in giving scholarships to people that have talent, so I'm not opposed to athletic scholarships assuming they can at least get a C in all classes.