Today, as an instructor in Sports Administration and the father of baby Gemma with wife Nichole, he chuckles at the idea of “spare time.”
“She’s 4 months old, so she doesn't sleep anymore,” he said in an interview in late August. “Because of that, whatever it's called, 4-month sleep regression? So if you see me walking around campus like a zombie, it’s probably sleep deprivation.”Sobcyzk doesn’t have a lot of time for playing videogames these days. Instead, he’s coaching Bellarmine students in the university’s new Esports club. Live-streaming services like Twitch, which allow gamers to broadcast their online matches, have turned videogaming into a lucrative spectator sport, and Bellarmine is getting in on the action. The university’s club currently competes in League of Legends, Valorant and Overwatch.
Sobcyzk was recruited from Trinity High School, where he led that school’s Esports team to a state championship in its first season. “The term ‘Esports’ is new to many people, but it has quietly become one of the fastest-growing industries in the world,” he said. “The prize pools for several Esports events now rivals mainstream events like The Masters in golf, and the global viewership for a couple of Esports events is bigger than the Super Bowl. Esports has the attention of many companies, gaining major sponsorships in advertising. The money videogames make is more than the music and movie industry combined, and Esports is just getting started.” Esports is also finding its way into educational institutions, and not just on the competitive side. Starting next semester, Bellarmine will become one of a small number of universities to offer both Esports competition and classes, through a minor in Esports in the Sports Administration Program. “I’ve always been up for taking on new adventures and putting myself out of my comfort zone,” Sobcyzk said, “and building an Esports program at the collegiate level does both of those things. I’m looking forward to figuring out Bellarmine’s unique position in the state and region and making that work for our Esports program.” Sobcyzk taught an Introduction to Esports course at Bellarmine in 2021 as an adjunct faculty member. This semester, as a full-time instructor, he is teaching Introduction to Sports Administration and Facility and Event Management. Introduction to Esports will be offered again in Spring 2023 along with Business of Esports. Eventually they will be joined by courses in the ergonomic impact of Esports, videogame history and culture, gaming ethics and Esports event planning. Like many businesses, the Esports industry employs managers, accountants, financiers, attorneys, marketers, promoters and other professionals in addition to game designers and product developers. “The career opportunities are popping up more and more,” Sobcyzk said. “And it reaches into so many different degrees, including Marketing and Communication. There’s video production, ‘casters’—people are literally making a living talking about the videogames, just like sportscasters are on ESPN. There are a lot of different majors that this could be paired with.” While gaming was a solitary pursuit in its early days, “it’s definitely a social thing now,” Sobcyzk said. “Everybody has these ridiculous boom mics and headsets and are communicating through Discord, or FaceTime, or whatever it is, in a multiplayer game, enjoying each other’s company. “It's just like playing football with your friends, but it’s on a computer. And it's the same thing with watching: It’s very interesting to the people that are playing the game, to watch someone who is that much better.” To promote Bellarmine’s program to prospective students, Sobcyzk hopes to start a summer Esports camp and hold a high school tournament on campus. He’s also still getting the word out to current students who don’t realize Esports is a club sport option. “I just know it in my heart that there are kids that are playing videogames in the dorms right now who would be interested if I said, ‘Hey, why don't you join our team? You get yourself a jersey, you get some exposure, maybe we do some traveling. This can be something bigger than your evening dorm room entertainment.’” Minoring in Esports could make videogaming much bigger. “If you never in your wildest dreams thought you could join an Esports program or an Esports company, I think this is a great way to get your get your foot in the door,” he said. “Bellarmine degrees hold a lot of weight—people do look at them and go, ‘OK, this is someone who can handle himself or herself really well.’ I think that a minor in eSports, with whatever you're majoring in, is absolutely going to get you some attention.” Want to play? Visit Bellarmine University Esports on Engage.