Photo by ELLA DON
The popular MOBA title League of Legends has long established itself as a dominant presence in the gaming world. Aside from maintaining a high player base, the game also enjoys a thriving eSports scene supported by fans, players, and developer Riot Games.
In 2018, we highlighted Lakers legend Kobe Bryant’s project, Mamba Sports Academy, which included various multi-sport training facilities for young athletes. The project also centered on creating a line of digital cognition training products — a 100,000-square-foot facility consisting of a biomechanics lab, cognitive training lab, and an eSports training ground. This level of eSports investment from Bryant was also evident in 2016 when he joined a group of investors who bought a League of Legends team for a reported $1 million.
However, aside from the glitz and glam of top-tier League of Legends eSports, much of the industry’s growth also goes down to the collegiate level. Today, many aspiring League of Legends professionals and eSports fans can pursue this lucrative career track as early as college. Below, we’ll take a closer look at the rapid growth of League of Legends and its eSports scene and how the two led to official collegiate League of Legends tournaments and eSports programs:
League of Legends
Photo by Josh Berendes
League of Legends, affectionately called LoL by its players, is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game where two teams of five battle and race each other to destroy the enemy team’s turrets and structure. Currently, the game has over 140 characters in its roster, each equipped with various abilities and skills to help further each team’s objectives. These characters are divided into different categories, such as assassins, fighters, mages, and tanks.
With so much going on, many LoL eSports players spend lots of time perfecting team compositions and strategies to win and rank up. In turn, this inevitably led to official eSports tournaments and leagues held by developer Riot Games. This LoL betting guide outlines how there are hundreds of LoL eSports events to watch annually, including nine official leagues with multiple seasons — winter, spring, and summer. These eSports tournaments culminated in the MSI and then the LoL Worlds, both boasting the highest honor and substantial prize pools for the best LoL teams in the world.
Still, because of the game’s high player base, the demand to take part in its successful eSports scene continues to increase. To help meet this demand, developer Riot Games has taken measures to extend the LoL eSports scene to colleges and institutions around the world.
College League of Legends
In 2023, League of Legends saw an official move and expansion towards collegiate programs and tournaments. Along with the company’s other popular eSports title, Valorant, developer Riot Games announced a significant three-year collegiate partnership with eSports company GGTech Entertainment for its North American ecosystem. GGTech would be Riot Games’ official North American collegiate program provider, including the official collegiate tournaments — College League of Legends and College Valorant.
However, League of Legends eSports has been present at the collegiate level as early as 2015 with the North American Collegiate Championship (NACC). In 2018, the College League of Legends (CLoL) began and rapidly grew in popularity as more and more universities in the region participated. In 2023, the CLoL Championship hosted 32 teams competing for a $190,000 prize pool.
Many gamers who participate in these collegiate LoL tournaments credit the events as crucial milestones and learning experiences as they pursue related opportunities in the industry. Tony “Saskio” Chau won his third CLoL title in 2021, after winning his first two playing as top laner and AD carry for Maryville University in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Prior to the 2020 CLoL season, Saskio joined Winthrop University and became the first player in history to win three collegiate titles a year later — while finishing his MBA.
In an interview with Inven Global, Saskio explained his experience and wins at CLoL could allow him a spot in other collegiate programs as an eSports coach or director. However, Saskio decided to pursue streaming full-time after completing his degree, as he enjoyed the pastime and loved creating LoL-related content on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch. Meanwhile, other players at the collegiate level can also choose to continue playing LoL professionally for franchised teams, potentially ending up on international stages and playing for even bigger prize pools, glory, and trophies.
Collegiate eSports programs
The expansion of LoL eSports to colleges and educational institutions aligns with the growing interest in the eSports industry. Beyond League of Legends, many institutions, colleges, and universities have begun offering specialized eSports programs to help equip students and young talent with the necessary skills and hardware to compete at their best.
Many organizations like the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and the National eSports Collegiate Conferences (NECC) have also invested in the thriving industry, hosting regional competitions for popular eSports titles like League of Legends, Valorant, Overwatch, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six Siege. Suffice it to say, college eSports has come a long way since the first US school to offer eSports scholarships in 2014 — Robert Morris University.
Today, some of the best college eSports programs hail from many states. Michigan’s Northwood University ranked first in 2023 for bagging wins in Valorant, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in that year. Maryville University in Missouri, as mentioned above, boasts three CLoL championships and came close as runner-ups in last year’s tournament. The Maryville LoL roster did come first for the NACE Spring Finals for League of Legends, along with top finishes in other eSports titles like Overwatch.
