Miami University Starts It Own Hearthstone and Esports Team

Miami University in Oxford, Ohio is the latest college in the United States to get on the esports bandwagon. In particular, Miami University is supporting an esports team that competes in Hearthstone events. The team also competes in many other events although Hearthstone is the primary game that it is focusing on at the moment. The team is also expected to grow in size with more sports involved.

The university has developed its own varsity esports team. This team is focusing on Hearthstone for the most part although Overwatch is expected to be a big part of the team in the future.

The school has produced its own special facility for esports activities. It will also offer scholarships to players in the coming school year although it is unclear as to how large those particular scholarships will be, let along which esports would be represented by those particular scholarships.

Details on the particular games that are to be covered through these scholarships are unclear at this moment as well. It is estimated that Hearthstone and Overwatch will be included. League of Legends is expected to be a part of the program as well, what with it being the more prominent esports activity found on college campuses around the country.

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The school is promoting its team as one that understands the strong mental and physical aptitudes that are required for competing in esports. Many of the people who compete on the esports team at Miami University include ones who have participated in various physical sports over the years.

The school is also promoting its esports teams by streaming many of its competitions on Twitch. A recent Hearthstone match against a club team from Iowa State was recently streamed on Twitch for the public to watch.

The school especially says that the esports varsity team features players who are skilled with great physical and mental abilities. These include people who understand how to make quick decisions and can handle all the pressure-filled situations that often occur in esports competitions.

Esports on Colleges Are Developing

The move from Miami University in Ohio to offer its own Hearthstone team is reflective of the growth of esports activities in colleges around the country. Although most of the esports teams around the country at campuses are club programs, the number of varsity esports programs in the United States is growing. Miami University is among more than twenty schools around the country that currently have varsity esports programs that offer full scholarships. Other schools that offer similar programs include Robert Morris University in Chicago, Ball State, Boise State and the University of Utah.

In terms of the games being played at such varsity programs, League of Legends is the most popular. Hearthstone and Overwatch have been picking up in popularity as well.

This development all comes as the esports industry continues to grow with its fan base especially becoming stronger. This especially takes place as the International Olympic Committee has been discussing the potential of adding esports as an Olympic sport.

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