By Max Miller — Reporter
The coronavirus has flipped the sports world on its head. Across the world, major sports leagues are suspending or canceling their respective seasons.
Of the 35 club sports at San Jose State, eSports was the only club to play on. Both the Rocket League and Overwatch teams were still competing at the time COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11.
Sophomore Daniel Warda, captain of the Rocket League team, had high hopes for his team in the playoffs.
“We consider ourselves to be the best in the Mountain West,” Warda said. “It would’ve been a great opportunity to go and flex on everyone else.”
Competing in the College Star League California Division, SJSU’s Rocket League team finished with a perfect 12-0 record.
As playoffs began, the team was ranked No. 6 in the country. Warda said the team had an unlucky draw but was ready to show everyone its strength.
With play suspended, the team is facing difficulties in order to compete in ever-changing conditions.
“Two of our players lived in the dorms and have since moved back home during playoffs,” Warda said. “We almost had to forfeit one of our games because we have a player that lives in Los Angeles.”
Even though COVID-19 caused problems for eSports participation, more people are turning to video games. Many professional athletes, now with an abundance of time, started streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, which is helping the eSports community grow.
“A positive aspect is that now that all sports, in general, are shut down hopefully more people are going to pay attention to eSports,” Warda said.
SJSU’s Overwatch team was in the middle of its regular season when the pandemic began. Junior captain Edward Ham wasn’t phased by the “suspension” of play.
“I wouldn’t say a lot has changed because we are used to playing from home,” Ham said.
Unlike the Rocket League team, Ham’s Overwatch squad usually conducts video reviews online while using Discord. Discord is an application that allows a group of people to communicate by text, voice, and video with ease.
Competitions for both teams are now suspended indefinitely. Senior Alan Ignacio, club founder and president sees the potential of eSports not only at SJSU, but growing in popularity everywhere.
“We have an opportunity to possibly do something with the SJSU community,” Ignacio said prior to the suspension of eSports competitions.
As club president, Ignacio compared his duties to those of a general manager. Working hand-in-hand with club sports supervisor Winston Adams, Ignacio takes care of the external needs of the teams. Since the pandemic, his entire job has changed.
“I’m putting my job at a complete halt,” Ignacio said. “Everything I anticipated ongoing in this semester is off the board.”
With the external side of eSports being taken care of by Ignacio, the focus moves to how the players are affected by COVID-19.
Like Ignacio, Warda looked toward the future of eSports as a whole and for SJSU. With an invite to the now-canceled Mountain West Championships, Warda’s mindset has completely changed.
Similar to his teammates, Ham was excited over the potential to grow eSports.
“I think it is a cool opportunity where we are the only club sport that could participate in anything,” Ham said.
The junior also explained that most of the team are home. Ham himself, is back home in Sacramento County.
“The world of eSports is affected by this no matter what,” Ignacio said. “I give a lot to this program but I also give a shit that COVID-19 is a serious issue.”
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