Syracuse hosts first-ever Esports Conference Kickoff match

Syracuse University made sports history on Saturday. Not on the court or on the field, but on computer monitors. 

SU hosted the Power Esports Conference Kickoff event at the Gaming and Esports Center at the Schine Student Center.

The event was a first-of-its-kind video game competition on a college campus.

Syracuse’s Varsity Rocket League team competed against visiting teams Michigan State, Boise State and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After three hours of competition, Boise State won the kickoff, sweeping Nebraska 3-0 in its first round matchup and doing the same to Michigan State in the final round. 

Joey Gawrysiak, executive director of esports, said Syracuse hosting the country’s first-ever kickoff event shows the university’s commitment to setting high standards for students — whether it be for video games or academics. 

“It is super fun — these are the kind of things that we do our jobs for,” Gawrysiak said. “To impact students, and do things that nobody has ever done before, try new things out, try to find new ways to engage students, and offer opportunities that you do not see at other institutions.”

The event opened with a pregame game show hosted by a professional broadcast team, followed by the first match at 3:45 p.m. 

Syracuse lost its first Rocket League tournament of the year 3-1 to Michigan State. Though the result was not what the fans hoped for, the large crowd of engaged spectators were still electric throughout the match, taunting Michigan State while cheering and chanting once SU scored a goal. 

Fans also celebrated Orange goals with a booming horn reminiscent of those heard at the JMA Wireless Dome during football and lacrosse games. 

The event is setting a precedent for the future of esports tournaments, freshman Matthew Russell said. 

“This is the first of its kind — for a university to run something like this, at a scale like this, having three other universities fly out on their own and compete here … I think that other schools are going to look at that,” Russell said. 

Boise State swept Nebraska 3-0 in its first round matchup and did the same to Michigan State in the finals, winning the kickoff event. 

Even though the Orange did not get their way, the squad remains positive about the future of their program.

“Every school is looking at Syracuse University, and its esports program and trying to copy it,” Russell said. “At the time, it was number one. We did not really show much today. But as it grows and as it develops, because the concept is still very new, I think collegiate esports is going to become a very big thing.”