Esports in Education

Activities Association Testing Esports in CO High Schools

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/02/19

The Colorado High School Activities Association is testing esports in schools this year to figure out whether to add it to the athletics fold. CHSAA is the organization that oversees high school sports and other kinds of activities, including band and choir. Esports will be classified as a "competitive activity" by the association and is expected to be piloted in 50 schools around the state.

In a media interview CHSAA Director of Digital Media, Ryan Casey, said the move was pushed by member schools. The state has an estimated 22,000 high school gamers, a count "second only to football," Casey said. "This is a group of people we're not currently servicing and we want to get them into our community."

Current games under consideration include League of Legends, Rocket League and Smite. The seasons will run from October through December and February through May.

The esports teams will be co-ed, and all matches except for a state championship will be played online.