Esports isn’t exactly what someone would think of when talking about the many sports at Saint Joe like Football, Basketball, Tennis, and Soccer. Even Quizbowl is more well-known. That doesn’t mean they aren’t one of the clubs with the most history at Saint Joe though.

Starting in 2019, Esports was simply a small club of people who would come together to play video games with each other. Mr. Davidson, the moderator at the time however took it into his own hands to make the next year even better. Starting in the fall of 2020, Esports was an actual competition sport at Saint Joe, battling against other schools in many games such as Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and Rocket League. This continued despite the member count dwindling, as they also picked up iRacing in the following year.

Saint Joe Esports competed relatively well in many of their seasons, being one of the best in the county or state depending on the year. Just when they reached their peak in the fall of 2022 however, Mr. Davidson stepped down as moderator of the club, as he was moving on from Saint Joe and leaving Esports to Mr. Stalcup. Despite lower membership, they continued to compete in Smash Brothers and iRacing. Unfortunately, their season was halted when the Saint Joseph internet started to fail them, blocking them from the ability to complete the season.

Undeterred, Esports came together in the fall of this year to try and bring the club back together, and it is safe to say they succeeded. Gaining two new moderators in the form of Mr. Gish and Mrs. Coleman, they made repairs to the internet and competed in their first game last week, going 2-0 for a smash win early in the season.

Saint Joe may not even necessarily know they exist, and they do not tend to grab headlines, but Esports is a club that thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to compete in the growing arena of video game competition.

If you are interested in joining Esports for the Spring Season, they meet on Wednesdays at 3:30 in Mrs. Coleman’s Room 204.