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Idea for adding a varsity sport that would make Purdue unique and groundbreaking

JohnnyDoeBoiler

JohnnyDoeBoiler

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Sep 23, 2013
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so I have read and followed a bit of the push ESPN has been givin to the college esports they are doing. As it stands, Purdue has one more woman's sport than it does men's. Would you be against Purdue creating the first varsity esports team? It would honestly be relatively low cost but would provide a huge boost to the university for a number of different reasons.

Just an idea that floated through my head while heading to bed tonight and thought it would be a pretty unique idea and one that could pave the way to open up new avenues for revenue for the AD.
 
I'd absolutely be against giving them scholarships for playing video games.
 
JohnnyDoeBoiler said:
so I have read and followed a bit of the push ESPN has been givin to the college esports they are doing. As it stands, Purdue has one more woman's sport than it does men's. Would you be against Purdue creating the first varsity esports team? It would honestly be relatively low cost but would provide a huge boost to the university for a number of different reasons.

Just an idea that floated through my head while heading to bed tonight and thought it would be a pretty unique idea and one that could pave the way to open up new avenues for revenue for the AD.
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I've posted on this topic several times in the last few years. Comments like TC4 let you know why Purdue is always behind. The league of legends espn cast drew more views than the world series. esports will be bigger than any conventional sport and it won't even be close. It's global. To pretend that football is worthy of a scholarship while 'playing video games' is not is stupid. It's really stupid. It just shows the ignorance of how difficult trying to be the best in the world at something is. It's so incredibly difficult. People stuck in their fuddy-duddy ways, then in 30 years, everyone will bitch and wonder how a school full of nerds is so far behind in esports. Obviously, I'm all for it. I'd earmark my money I give to the athletic department specifically for esports if I could to help get it going.
 
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TopSecretBoiler said:
I've posted on this topic several times in the last few years. Comments like TC4 let you know why Purdue is always behind. The league of legends espn cast drew more views than the world series. esports will be bigger than any conventional sport and it won't even be close. It's global. To pretend that football is worthy of a scholarship while 'playing video games' is not is stupid. It's really stupid. It just shows the ignorance of how difficult trying to be the best in the world at something is. It's so incredibly difficult. People stuck in their fuddy-duddy ways, then in 30 years, everyone will bitch and wonder how a school full of nerds is so far behind in esports. Obviously, I'm all for it. I'd earmark my money I give to the athletic department specifically for esports if I could to help get it going.
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I don't care how many stupid people watch it, I won't be one of them. There are certain things that I would not be proud to be good at. Men's soccer is one. I'd be perfectly happy if Team USA lost every soccer game they ever played. I hate the sport. I hate many of the fans of the sport. Fortunately, the US largely gives two $hit$ about soccer except for Team USA. When the national team loses, the growth of the sport in this country is slowed down and that is a good thing for the country.

Esports is similar except it's not even an athletic competition. There are many things one could become good at if they devoted enough time and effort into it. I'd just as soon Purdue give out scholarships for people who can make the best macaroni necklaces because that would be more beneficial than giving one to someone for playing a video game. Being the #1 esports school in the country would be an embarrassment. Best to not even pursue it.
 
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TC4THREE said:
I don't care how many stupid people watch it, I won't be one of them. There are certain things that I would not be proud to be good at. Men's soccer is one. I'd be perfectly happy if Team USA lost every soccer game they ever played. I hate the sport. I hate many of the fans of the sport. Fortunately, the US largely gives two $hit$ about soccer except for Team USA. When the national team loses, the growth of the sport in this country is slowed down and that is a good thing for the country.

Esports is similar except it's not even an athletic competition. There are many things one could become good at if they devoted enough time and effort into it. I'd just as soon Purdue give out scholarships for people who can make the best macaroni necklaces because that would be more beneficial than giving one to someone for playing a video game. Being the #1 esports school in the country would be an embarrassment. Best to not even pursue it.
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More embarrassing than fat guys in tights rolling around on each other chasing a ball? Please! The bias is incredible. I can understand that *you* don't like it. But it would be good for the school. You are 100% wrong about there being any embarrassment. And if there is on your part, it's something internal and you should seek help.
 
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TopSecretBoiler said:
More embarrassing than fat guys in tights rolling around on each other chasing a ball? Please! The bias is incredible. I can understand that *you* don't like it. But it would be good for the school. You are 100% wrong about there being any embarrassment. And if there is on your part, it's something internal and you should seek help.
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We already have too many kids that think they are going to grow up to be professional athletes against all odds. At least if someone falls short of that goal, they hopefully obtained some health benefits in their pursuit of it. I don't think we need to start glorifying "esports" so that kids can pretend that staying in their parents basement every night and all weekend playing video games is legitimate career development. It would most certainly be an embarrassment to be known for that.
 
TC4THREE said:
We already have too many kids that think they are going to grow up to be professional athletes against all odds. At least if someone falls short of that goal, they hopefully obtained some health benefits in their pursuit of it. I don't think we need to start glorifying "esports" so that kids can pretend that staying in their parents basement every night and all weekend playing video games is legitimate career development. It would most certainly be an embarrassment to be known for that.
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So there aren't any kids now living in their parents basements because their dreams of being a pro sports athlete failed and they received no education because they thought they would get to the pros? What about the hundreds of kids every year who go directly to the minors and never see anything more than 1A ball for 10 years chasing their dream?

So what you are saying is that you would be, if possible, for doing away with sports like swimming, soccer, wrestling, track and field, etc. simply because you only enjoy football and men's basketball? That is a ridiculous statement and as TopSecret mentioned, it would place the university on the cutting edge of the next huge avenue for sports and paint the university in a huge positive light.
 
Correct. I'm for things that I like and against things that I don't like.
 
How about penny pinching? Maybe not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, but we've got lots of experts on campus! Morgan could be the HC and the BOT could act as his staff! We'd win the national title for sure!
 
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JohnnyDoeBoiler said:
So under your idea, Purdue should do away with all sports except men's bball and football?
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When George King was AD, he supported football and men's basketball competitively, and he minimized expenditures on all other sports, men's and women's. His logic was that he'd end up with less total revenue if he took more from the revenue sports to further subsidize the non-revenues, since football and men's basketball would inevitably suffer. He felt the University and the BOT should support the non-revenues, since they were (are) cost centers. The fact is, the BOT's model of a financially independent AD is unsustainable if Purdue also wants to be competitive in non-revenue sports. We simply can't make enough money off football and men's basketball to do it! The only financially independent AD's that are good in revenue and non-revenue sports are the biggest of the Big Dogs, like the OSU's, etc.

King was a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for -- but then we hired a swimmer, and the BOT committed the AD to being competitive in non-revenue sports, and the rest is history.
 
JohnnyDoeBoiler said:
so I have read and followed a bit of the push ESPN has been givin to the college esports they are doing. As it stands, Purdue has one more woman's sport than it does men's. Would you be against Purdue creating the first varsity esports team? It would honestly be relatively low cost but would provide a huge boost to the university for a number of different reasons.

Just an idea that floated through my head while heading to bed tonight and thought it would be a pretty unique idea and one that could pave the way to open up new avenues for revenue for the AD.
Click to expand...

How on earth would this open up new avenues for revenue?

Also, having one more women's sport than men's is because it's the number of athletes, not the number of teams that matters (football is obviously the biggest team out there so there usually ends up being more women's sports). Purdue's student body make-up is dominated by males (which is what you have to balance according to). With many universities having an enrollment of majority females, Purdue actually is able to have more male athletes because that's what you base it on.
 
lbodel said:
How on earth would this open up new avenues for revenue?

Also, having one more women's sport than men's is because it's the number of athletes, not the number of teams that matters (football is obviously the biggest team out there so there usually ends up being more women's sports). Purdue's student body make-up is dominated by males (which is what you have to balance according to). With many universities having an enrollment of majority females, Purdue actually is able to have more male athletes because that's what you base it on.
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esports is a growing venture...so much so that ESPN took a shot on a Sunday night to match it against the NBA and NHL playoffs. It rated just a .1 but you have to think it is the first time for it to be put on tv instead of simply streamed online where most gamers have come to watch. Purdue has a great computer graphics department and you don't think creating the first recognized varsity sport wouldn't also lead to increased recognition of that department and the athletic department? What about the potential donations that could pour in from alumni who may not have donated to the AD before but become major contributors because they are opening up an avenue to something they recognize and can relate to? What about non-alumni that take interest and donate because of their jobs in the gaming or computer graphics industry? I'm not saying it would happen but the potential is there to open up a new stream and avenue for donations to the AD...especially one that is so adamant about funding itself.

Plus, how expensive would a scholarship and providing materials be for an esports team? It would, quite honestly, be a very small investment with a potential for a massive return.
 
BSTJim said:
Was over lurking and ran into this thread.....Esports.....uggghhhh. Time to got back to KHC.
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Been there. No better. Just as ridiculous when people started threads there every fall to tell everyone how great their dynasty Purdue team was doing in NCAA football.
 
I thought this was a joke. Playing video games isn't a sport and doesn't involve athletes. No way the NCAA would ever consider it an athletics event. ESPN does things to get publicity buzz, like naming a horse as its "athlete of the year" and showcasing the world series of poker. Like those things, this is a novelty (not that horse racing itself isn't a sport, but the horse is no more an athlete than Mario Andretti's car).

If video game tournaments become a popular "thing", then it's most appropriate to keep as a club activity like the Bass fishing club (which is one of the most popular clubs on campus or at least was at one point). I would be pissed if my kids went to college and majored in video game playing or got a scholarship to sit on the couch and eat Fritos and play Halo. That's not educational or healthy, and sends the wrong message about what college is supposed to be. And this is coming from a graduate of Purdue's excellent Computer Graphics department.
 
JohnnyDoeBoiler said:
so I have read and followed a bit of the push ESPN has been givin to the college esports they are doing. As it stands, Purdue has one more woman's sport than it does men's. Would you be against Purdue creating the first varsity esports team? It would honestly be relatively low cost but would provide a huge boost to the university for a number of different reasons.

Just an idea that floated through my head while heading to bed tonight and thought it would be a pretty unique idea and one that could pave the way to open up new avenues for revenue for the AD.
Click to expand...
Only after we add poker, cornhole, and dart teams.
 
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I'm all for esports. It is the wave of the future -- it probably won't rival the more 'traditional' sports, but it will increase in popularity. More and more colleges are adding teams and the B1G League of Legends Invitational was on TV the other day. It is a matter of time before they offer scholarships. Might as well embrace our engineering nerd persona and get out in front.
 
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Like_a_Boss said:
I'm all for esports. It is the wave of the future -- it probably won't rival the more 'traditional' sports, but it will increase in popularity. More and more colleges are adding teams and the B1G League of Legends Invitational was on TV the other day. It is a matter of time before they offer scholarships. Might as well embrace our engineering nerd persona and get out in front.
Click to expand...
OK-what TV rating did the Big Ten league of legends get ?
 
FiveWeight said:
I thought this was a joke. Playing video games isn't a sport and doesn't involve athletes. No way the NCAA would ever consider it an athletics event. ESPN does things to get publicity buzz, like naming a horse as its "athlete of the year" and showcasing the world series of poker. Like those things, this is a novelty (not that horse racing itself isn't a sport, but the horse is no more an athlete than Mario Andretti's car).

If video game tournaments become a popular "thing", then it's most appropriate to keep as a club activity like the Bass fishing club (which is one of the most popular clubs on campus or at least was at one point). I would be pissed if my kids went to college and majored in video game playing or got a scholarship to sit on the couch and eat Fritos and play Halo. That's not educational or healthy, and sends the wrong message about what college is supposed to be. And this is coming from a graduate of Purdue's excellent Computer Graphics department.
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So do you consider competitive shooting a sport? What about table tennis? I mean, table tennis is just sitting in a lot of people's basements as well. Equestrian? I mean, why are we giving gold medals to the riders who just sit on the horse? Those are all Olympic sports and like some one else mentioned, eSports is a growing market and honestly I wouldn't be surprised to see it added to the Olympic Games by 2040.

It sounds more to me like it is something people don't understand and because they don't truly understand it, they simply choose to shove their heads in the sand rather than taking a closer look at it.
 
JohnnyDoeBoiler said:
So do you consider competitive shooting a sport? What about table tennis? I mean, table tennis is just sitting in a lot of people's basements as well. Equestrian? I mean, why are we giving gold medals to the riders who just sit on the horse? Those are all Olympic sports and like some one else mentioned, eSports is a growing market and honestly I wouldn't be surprised to see it added to the Olympic Games by 2040.

It sounds more to me like it is something people don't understand and because they don't truly understand it, they simply choose to shove their heads in the sand rather than taking a closer look at it.
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What is the proof of concept, from a business standpoint? How much revenue would Purdue bring in next year, if we had a team?

And, do we really need to offer scholarships if we had a team? Seems like Purdue could field a pretty solid group of walkon gamers.

Also, how about a Purdue University Magic the Gathering team?
 
JohnnyDoeBoiler said:
So do you consider competitive shooting a sport? What about table tennis? I mean, table tennis is just sitting in a lot of people's basements as well. Equestrian? I mean, why are we giving gold medals to the riders who just sit on the horse? Those are all Olympic sports and like some one else mentioned, eSports is a growing market and honestly I wouldn't be surprised to see it added to the Olympic Games by 2040.

It sounds more to me like it is something people don't understand and because they don't truly understand it, they simply choose to shove their heads in the sand rather than taking a closer look at it.
Click to expand...

You've got a compelling point with your examples table tennis and shooting, but the NCAA doesn't sponsor leagues for either that I know of. Still, there's a fine line (arbitrary as it might be) that can separate anything requiring physical activity from something you can do sitting in front of a TV with bad posture.

The NCAA would be broadening its scope from athletic events to just simply "competitions" if they were to include video games. That would be challenging to its identity and against its mission statement. Even the name "NCAA" wouldn't make sense anymore (though that didn't stop the Big Ten from keeping its name when it expanded). If what you say does happen in a few decades, I think it would be more likely to happen under a successor or replacement to the NCAA and not by the NCAA as we know it now.

I'm sure that in 500 years, we will all be blind and deaf piles of atrophied flesh, hooked up to the matrix, having virtual sex with each other, and being fed intravenous meals that we think taste like lobster and caviar. I'll bet anyone a hundred bucks that if the NCAA is still around at that time, every league it sponsors will be a video game.
 
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