Esports
Levels: Varsity
Season: Fall, Spring
Head Coach: Amanda Nagurney
Esports is knocking down barriers and setting high standards for inclusion. Samuel Schachter, Coach of Barrington High School in Rhode Island
Practice Schedule
- Tuesdays: League of Legends, Splatoon 3
- Wednesdays: Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Overwatch 2
- Thursdays: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Rocket League, Hearthstone
Inclusive Play
Our sports program welcomes and brings together students around a common interest of competitive gaming, with no limits on who can participate, providing the traditional benefits of a sports program such as teamwork, social interaction, responsibility, pride, belonging, and personal improvement; as well as academic and behavioral accountability.
Naugatuck High School's esports team formed in 2021 to compete in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
After playing Rocket League in the first season, the team has since expanded to Super Smash Brothers Smash Ultimate, Mario Kart, League of Legends, and Splatoon.
The team hosts a school-wide Smash Brothers and Mario Kart tournament each year.
Players of all ability levels are welcome to join the team.
Season Records
NHS Tournaments
Esports: A Brief History
Esports refers to organized video game competitions. While relatively new to popular culture, competitive gaming has existed almost as long as video games themselves.
In 1980, Atari held the Space Invaders Championship, which attracted 10,000 participants and was the first major esports competition, sowing the seeds for what the industry would become.
The Current Landscape
High School Communities:
Almost 13,000 players signed up for PlayVS leagues in over 1,000 schools. Players report feeling more involved with their school community.
College Ecosystem:
Rapidly expanding in both size and scope with tens of millions in new scholarships each year.
Job Market:
Esports and STEM jobs are increasing at a rapid pace. Players involved with esports will be exposed to skills coveted by the industry.
What's the difference between video games and esports?
Video games are recreational, meant for personal enjoyment and focused on the individual, while esports are competitive, structured, and team-based. Just like traditional sports, esports helps foster competition, community, and teamwork.
Esports in Education
Esports help foster student achievement and can lead to scholarships and careers. Colleges are now awarding their esports players with over $15 million in scholarships and even providing esports curriculum. High school students can build their player profile with official PlayVS games to share with potential colleges, universities, and employers. The sport can help lead to careers in art, audio, engineering, data, finance, marketing, facilities, IT, game design, legal, writing, publishing and quality assurance. Esports players build leadership and digital citizenship. In 2021, the global games market was worth $180.1 billion. The sport also builds life skills like conceptual thinking, resiliency and sportsmanship.
“Watching them play and the talent they have in critical thinking is amazing. These guys are using just as much teamwork skills as anyone on the football team.”
- Kyle Magoffin, Coach at Ralph C. Mahar in Massachusetts