Byline: Valerie Lane
When you think of athletes training for their sport, you may conjure images of football players leaping through tires, soccer players kicking a ball, or basketball players attempting a half court shot. Physical athleticism is required for almost all sports, even for obscure games like ax throwing and ostrich racing. Cardiovascular fitness and strength training often go hand in hand for professional athletes, keeping up the physique required to dominate your craft. So, what happens when a sport doesn’t require traditional methods of training?
Esports (electronic sports) are organized video games and tournaments, made up of players and leagues that compete against one another. Sounds a lot like the make-up of physical sports, right?
Since medieval times (and likely before that), watching competitions, or games, was a form of entertainment for people. Attend any Renaissance Faire and see jousting, an ancient game of man against man, horseback and with swords. As humans evolved and we created different types of physical games, the thru line was the same: a format with rules, multiple players or teams, spectators cheering them on, and a winner.
Esports follows this same formula. Players immerse themselves in a digital game, meaning they are mostly seated for tournaments. They move their fingers, hands, and eyeballs, with neurons likely firing just as fast, if not faster, than their counterparts running around soccer fields.
If you’ve ever played a video game, you know quick decisions and hand-eye coordination are a must, as are hand and finger dexterity. These skills aren’t born out of luck, they can be trained just like an Olympic marathoner.
A typical esports training facility is outfitted with couches, gaming chairs with headrests, and other ergonomically designed furniture made to support the esports athlete in their game. This is a far cry from the open fields physical athletes are accustomed to, with not a recliner in sight.
Sure, playing video games may not be the most traditionally “athletic” endeavor. But that doesn’t mean your heart rate won’t elevate and you don’t have to practice. Think of it like chess: players aren’t moving anything but their arm, but their minds are sharp as a tack.
If you choose to attend an esports tournament, you won’t have to stand and remove your hat for the national anthem, but you will get to cheer on your favorite players and teams. International tournaments and championships will feature famous players, just like any other sport. Teams walk onto a stage and sit at computers. Live feeds of the games are projected onto a large screen, giving spectators the chance to see what’s going on, just like you would at a sports bar.
Instead of headers, slam dunks, and spikes, esports athletes are maneuvering their fingers, wrists, hands, and arms. To the average person, it might not look like much is happening. But mentally, these players are reacting instantly, cognitively functioning on a higher level, and cashing in on hours of training.
At GBC, we’re lucky to have an extremely talented, former professional Rocket League player as our coach. David Lawrie understands the level of skill and training required to win, because he won quite a bit in his career. He’s put together championship level leagues at GBC, while still maintaining an open door policy for people who have little to no experience. To put it simply, if you’re interested in esports but feel self-conscious about your skills, David would love to meet you.
As with many sports at GBC, it’s more about attitude than skill, because skills can be taught, practiced, and refined. Attitude is something only you can bring to the table, or in this case, the computer.
Video games have always been a great point of connection for people across state lines, and even around the world. You can meet all sorts of people playing video games, but you may never see them in person. By joining an esports team, you get the best of both worlds. There’s a physical, real community of gamers you can train with, eat dinner with, and socialize with. But there’s also the allure of interacting with players from other schools through scrimmages and tournaments.
And that’s the beauty of esports. Being an athlete can look like locker rooms, running five miles as the sun is rising, or long weightlifting sessions followed by a huge plate of scrambled eggs. Or, it can look like sitting in a chair, letting your mind run around the game, and your hand eye coordination make moves.
If the number of hours logged by Twitch spectators are any indication, interest in competitive gaming is only continuing to rise and the thrill of winning is universal. The GBC esports team knows this well, with this past season resulting in our Super Smash Brothers Ultimate team finishing as grand finalists for the fourth consecutive semester. In addition, our Valorant team made two nationals appearances in the NECC, the Marvel Rivals team are back to back CACC Champions for the past two semesters, and the Rocket League team won the CACC championship in Fall 2025.
A win is a win, and the GBC esports team plans to do a lot more of that.
Valerie Lane is a higher education professional, marketer, and writer. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and women's studies from West Chester University ('14), and a master's in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware ('16). In 2026, she was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship as an Emerging Artist for Creative Nonfiction by the Delaware Division of the Arts. When she's not running around Goldey-Beacom College capturing content for social media, she can be found writing personal essays on Substack, knitting a sweater, in the middle of a yoga class, or caring for her two cats.
Goldey-Beacom College is a Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Text Telephone/Teletypewriter (TTY) Relay Service: 711 or 800-232-5460 for English or 877-335-7595 for Spanish
