Hosted by the Collegiate Esports Network, College Esports News, and The Fault Foundation, the event’s first iteration will take place in mid-November.
As football season begins for many collegiate universities, students are riled up and excited for a season of tailgating and weekend football. Why shouldn’t college esports players and fans get to have some fun as well?
Introducing College Esports News’ newest event, “Rivalry Week Series”, a joint effort between the Collegiate Esports Network, College Esports News, and the Fault Foundation. The event’s theme is rivalry week, where college esports teams compete against their main esports or football rivals and go head-to-head in a variety of titles and to see which school can raise the most money for charity.
Founder of College Esports News, Sheridan McGuire shares what the Rivalry Week Series is and what it entails: “The Rivalry Week Series is a collegiate invitational centered around traditional football or college esports rivalries. A school will face off head-to-head against their rival in 4 game titles, as well as compete to see which school can raise the most money for charity.”
Colleges will compete in League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch, VALORANT, and to see which school can raise the most money for The Fault Foundation, the event’s benefactor. Each of these rivalry games will be hosted virtually, but schools can compete in person if both universities agree. The organizers do not want to force any travel requirements to try to keep the barriers low and encourage schools to compete.
Many students may ask, “Why should we compete in this event?” McGuire shares why college esports programs should compete in the Rivalry Week Series:
“Schools should compete in the Rivalry Week Series because it is a great way to mobilize a traditional college fan base for the good of charity. Bring fans together, rally against familiar opponents, and raise money while doing it.”
Tentatively, the event is invite-only for this first iteration, but if your school wants to compete, you can message the Collegiate Esports Network regarding the event.
For this event, the entry is free, but College Esports News has a few guidelines. To compete, it is required that all players must meet academic eligibility requirements or they cannot compete.
While the entry is free, there will also be a live broadcast during this week. McGuire expands on the stream details, “We have really awesome stream integrations through Tiltify, like a head-to-head donation counter that shows which school is leading in fundraising.”
As part of College Esports News goal to give back to the community, there will be prizes for the event. With the prizing, twenty percent of all donations will go towards funding the prize pool in a 70/30 split.
The event will benefit the Fault Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing gaming culture and education, through providing resources to students.
A statement from Justin Panchula, from the Collegiate Esports Network shares the benefactor information and how the event plans to help:
“As with all Collegiate Esports Network events, we like to raise money for a charity we believe is positively impacting scholastic esports. This event’s benefactor will be the Fault Foundation. All proceeds from this event go to providing scholarships, career advising sessions, and funding operations for the exact students we’re running this event for.
The Fault Foundation (a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit) advances gaming culture and education by creating inclusive competitive gaming opportunities; fostering community connections between gamers across diverse backgrounds; and developing educational programs that promote teamwork, strategic thinking, and digital citizenship.”
Confirmed rivalries featured in the event will be revealed in the weeks to come.
If schools are interested in competing, please contact College Esports News via social media or on our website.
