Alaska’s collegiate Esports athletes to showcase talents, programs in exhibition

The University of Alaska Southeast Blue Tails will take on the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks in an exhibition series to introduce the newest competitive team sport within the University of Alaska system. The event starts Saturday, October 8 at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on UAF’s Twitch Channel.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: October 6, 2022

The University of Alaska Southeast Blue Tails will take on the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks in an exhibition series to introduce the newest competitive team sport within the University of Alaska system. The event starts Saturday, October 8 at 4 p.m. and will be broadcast live on UAF’s Twitch Channel. 

The E-athletes will compete in League of Legends, a team-based strategy game where two teams of five players face off to destroy the other's base. The exhibition match will be a best of three and casters will be present from UAF and UAS to cast the games. 

Esports is a growing field. It is estimated that more than 240 colleges and universities host Esports teams. In Alaska, UAA, UAF and UAS all feature Esports facilities, with opportunities for students to participate recreationally or competitively. UAF offers scholarships for Alaska esports students. 

One driving force behind this weekend’s exhibition is to garner the attention of prospective athletes to support UAS’ team entry to the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Starleague. The NACE Starleague facilitates competition and broadcasts matches for more than 13,000 students from nearly 700 colleges and universities, which results in more than $150,000 in scholarship prizes each year. 

“The inclusion of UAS into the UA Esports Federation will allow all students a chance to compete against their statewide peers to allow students to explore their passions, promote their skills, develop good sportsmanship, network, and boost their confidence,” said Casey Bain, academic advisor and mine training coordinator at UAS. “And for UAS, it means we have an additional pathway to facilitate inclusion and retention and keep students involved on the campus and feel like they have somewhere to belong,”. 

Esports within the UA system have received financial support from GCI, Credit Union 1, Matanuska Telephone Association, Red Bull North America and Resource Data, Inc. 

Learn more about UAS, or call and speak to an advisor at 907-796-6100.