Esports Stadium Arlington hosted the third annual CECC tournament last weekend for 64 collegiate esports teams from 50 schools across 14 conferences in America and Canada. The event attracted more than 3,000 fans and 5,000–8,000 more viewers on Twitch and other online platforms who watched the teams compete for trophies and a big check in games including Super Smash Bros. Melee, Valorant, Overwatch 2 and Rocket League.
"It's reputation precedes itself and it's one of the finest, if not the finest, esports facility in the country," says Collegiate Sports Manager Group chief revenue officer Jim Connelly. "We were thrilled to come here. It exceeded all of our expectations."
The big winners from last weekend's CECC included Fisher College of Boston, which won the Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament; Northwood University of Midland, Michigan, won the Valorant tournament and its second Rocket League tournament; and Maryville University of St. Louis won the Overwatch 2 tournament.
Local schools also competed in last weekend's championship including the University of Texas at Arlington, which made it to the final eight teams in the Rocket League competition, and the University of Texas at Dallas, which reached the semifinals in Overwatch 2.
The gathering also brought teams from middle and high school esports groups to compete in a number of different games. The North Side High School Awesome Sauc3 from Fort Worth won in the high school bracket in Apex, and Independence High School's Indy Knights from Frisco won for Overwatch 2.
"I loved it," says Daniyal Ghayasuddim, UT-Dallas' director of the Omega Strikes, who competed in the weekend's LAN and Super Smash Bros. Melee Open. "The atmosphere really caught my eye. They gave us some good space. The atmosphere was just beautiful."
Angela Bernhard-Thomas, the chief esports officer for Collegiate Sports Manager Group, says her organization has known of Arlington's dedicated esports stadium since before its official announcement in 2018, and the facilities and staff lived up to all the hype.
Fans at the Esports Stadium Arlington watch the gripping action during the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup's Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament on Saturday.
Courtesy of CECC
"This venue is a plug-and-play venue, meaning we brought in our staff, and the broadcast infrastructure is already in the venue," Thomas says. "We also used local operators to make the broadcasts."
The weekend wasn't just about the tournaments. Players from middle and high school teams were also on display for collegiate scouts looking to add future stars to their esports leagues. Among them was Ahman Green, a lecturer and future head coach of the University of Nebraska esports program, which starts its first varsity play in the fall.
"I'm looking at teamwork and communication like how they talk to their teammates and know the games' mechanics," Green says. "This place is top notch. It's on the same level as 2K Studios' arena in New York."
The opportunities and scholarships players could earn from the weekend tournament aren't just to help them become esports athletes. Thomas says esports competitions and college activities can also help them pursue careers in other parts of the gaming and media industry such as game development, marketing and business.
"We believe college sports is a great accelerator," Thomas says. "Between education and gaming, technology is constantly changing industries in things like robotics, [augmented reality] and drones, so what we're really seeing is these students are the innovators and leaders of tomorrow. They're tech-savvy. They're born with a device and we're an intersection for all that."
Planning is under way for next year's CECC, and Thomas says Arlington is already a strong contender to host the 2024 tournament thanks to last weekend's tournament.
"We love Texas," Thomas says. "They've treated us very well here. Texas has a lot to offer us, so it will be very competitive next year."
