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The idea of E-sports came from a single-game tournament and now has evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry. In the last year, the Esports market gained over 2.4 billion dollars in revenue according to Statista. It has become a place where the people who have put everything into gaming have a place to show off their skills and prove themselves in front of millions. An international fascination has grown with the sport and it has even been considered for the Olympic event in recent years. The sport has grown to the point where schools are creating clubs for students to compete. One school that recently adopted the sport of electronic gaming in the state of Kentucky was Central Hardin.

Central started as a casual, non-competitive gaming club, but a fascination with video games grew within the club. 

“Prior to the start of the team, three years ago, we had a game club for the school. Esports advisor and art teacher Antonio Menendez stated in an interview.  And in the game club, we were already doing some of the games that are on the Esports team.”

The season started with wins in Splatoon 3, NBA2K, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It continued with wins, losses, and ties in each of Central’s different leagues. By mid-November, the standings were finalized as Central placed in the top 10 in the leagues of NBA2K, Splatoon 3, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The playoffs for Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart began on Nov. 18 and 21, respectively. Both teams advanced to the next stages of the playoffs. Super Smash Bros lost 0-3 against Shelby Valley, ending their season before they reached the state playoffs. Mario Kart advanced past the regional level and into the state playoffs, traveling to the University of Kentucky to compete against teams from all across the state. The Mario Kart team beat Butler Traditional 2-0 to advance to their next opponent, where they fell short against a strong Wayne County High School team. They would end the season as a semi-finalist in Mario Kart for the first time in school history.

Junior Ben Holbrook, who was the lone player for NBA2K, and his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, began the road to state after finishing 3rd in his league-standing. He only had to play one game before achieving the state level of his sport, as his standing was high enough to immediately advance to state. Holbrook’s first game in the state tournament was against Muhlenberg County, where he bested them 2-1. He then faced Boyle County, where a 0-2 loss ended his season before he could reach the championship. Even after the loss, Holbrook stated he was happy with his placement for his first season with the team.

Holbrook said “I was mad because I still lost that day, but it was really cool to know that I was, I think, in the 30-something team, and I was the number three team. And I got a medal for it, too, which is really cool.”

After the good showing at state, Antionio Mendenez stated in an interview, “I think we did pretty good for the most part. I wouldn’t have changed anything for this season.” Rankings after the season ended put Central Hardin as the 13th-ranked team in the United States put them in the spotlight.

The sport of Esports has truly proven itself to be worth watching and has broken stereotypes about people involved in the sport. As Holbrook stated in an interview “ Esports is not full of weird kids that people always think are involved with it. I’m on the team and I love the people as they’re really chill and they’re really nice people.” The sport has shown itself to be something that you can participate in and truly put hard work into as you can only get better in sports with hard work and dedication.

The Esports team has begun their spring season with hard-fought wins and losses against other teams within the state in all leagues they are involved in. They plan to continue a hard-fought season and this season have more teams get to the state level for a better shot at a state championship in any game. Be sure to support the team as they play throughout the rest of the school year and even after the year ends. Make sure to support the spring sports as we begin the push towards the end of the year activities.