An esports team celebrates their win

UO to Host “esports 101” at Turner Sports Headquarters in Atlanta

Inaugural Workshop to be held July 13 in Atlanta for experienced professionals interested in the exponential growth of esports industry.

Nerfed, gank, shotcaller, splitpush, toplaner—these are just a few of the terms you need to know to understand esports. The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon will host an inaugural esports workshop to bring sports and entertainment industry professionals up to speed on the continued rise of the esports industry. The interactive “esports 101" workshop will be held at Turner Sports" headquarters in Atlanta and will include a tour of its state-of-the-art ELEAGUE Arena.

"We are thrilled to create this first-of-its-kind Warsaw Center esports 101 workshop and to host it at Turner Sports" campus in Atlanta, home to the cutting-edge ELEAGUE Arena," said Whitney Wagoner, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. "Sports business professionals and industry leaders have been asking us more and more about esports, so we are leveraging the Warsaw Center's reputation, business acumen, and industry connections to create this truly unique experience to help those professionals more fully understand the esports space and the new opportunities it brings."

The term esports is used to describe organized, competitive video gaming. Events often take place in sold-out arenas and other large venues. In 2016, the esports industry nearly broke the half-billion-dollar mark at $493 million, according to market research firm Newzoo. The firm estimates it will be a $1.5 billion industry by 2020.

“Our focus with ELEAGUE has always been to provide the best experience possible for the esports community and, in turn, we've seen incredible levels of engagement with our content across all platforms," said Craig Barry, Chief Content Officer, Turner Sports. “While authenticity will remain a key factor, we're also concentrating on making esports more accessible to the masses and events like this one – focused on enhancing the awareness for esports – are important for its continued growth."

The one-day esports 101 workshop on July 13 will feature speakers and participants from across the esports ecosystem in a mix of presentations and panels with an emphasis on interactive conversations and opportunities for both learning and networking. The day includes a VIP tour of the ELEAGUE Arena and tickets to experience a live taping of the ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2018.

The Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business is the leading think tank and training ground for the sports business industry. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018, the Warsaw Center was the first program of its kind housed within a U.S. college of business.

ELEAGUE—formed in partnership between Turner and IMG—is a premium esports content and live tournament brand that has aligned with some of the most popular esports titles in the business through its first two years: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (including having hosted two Major Championships), Overwatch, Street Fighter V, Dota 2, Injustice 2, Rocket League, Formula E, and TEKKEN 7. With a focus on innovative production capabilities, storytelling and exploring compelling narratives surrounding star teams and players, ELEAGUE has generated record levels of engagement with its content and positive reaction throughout the esports community since its launch in 2016.