DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced today the final schedule of events for its ECAC eSports Exhibition sponsored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) at the Albany Capital Center. The ECAC eSports Panel Discussions and Exhibition Tournament will take place on Thursday March 1, 2018 as part of the 2018 MAAC Basketball Championships Fan Fest.
The exhibition is a day-long event designed to educate college sports and recreation administrators about the rapidly expanding intercollegiate eSports opportunities for their institutions. The event will feature a series of panel discussions on eSports followed by a four-team eSports tournament on Riot Games’ League of Legends featuring ECAC and MAAC member schools.
The first panel, “Why eSports?” begins at 3 p.m. President/ CEO of TeeVee Media Jim Bates will moderate a discussion amongst eSports consultants and university administrators. Panelists will discuss the multitude of reasons why eSports has become so popular and what is prompting colleges and universities across the country to create an eSports program.
The second panel discussion, “How to establish an eSports program,” begins immediately following the first, and features several athletic directors who have created eSports programs for their students. They’ll discuss what it takes to get a successful program off the ground, including cost, equipment, facility, personnel and campus buy-in.
The third, and final panel, will address “The Future of eSports.” This group of eSports consultants will talk about how they envision the future of intercollegiate eSports. The panel will also feature a look at the launch of the ECAC eSports initiatives that will begin this spring.
The panels and all matches will be streamed live on the ECAC Network at ecacnetwork.com.
For further information, including an invitation to the event, please contact Meghan Crystal at mcrystal@ecac.org or Kiernan Ensor at kiernan.ensor@maac.org.
Full Schedule of Events
3: 00 p.m. Panel Discussion 1: Why eSports?
Moderated by: Jim Bates, President/CEO, Tee Vee Media
Panelists: Brett Adams, Athletic Director, Stevenson University;
Kiernan Ensor, MAAC eSports Consultant; Duane Bailey, eSports Consultant; Randy Sieminksi, Athletic Director, SUNY Canton; Bernie O’Neill, President/CEO, Media R3alm
3:45 p.m. Panel Discussion 2: How to establish an eSports program?
Moderated by: Dan Coonan, President/CEO ECAC
Panelists: Randy Sieminksi, Athletic Director, SUNY Canton; Bill Maher, Athletic Director, Canisius College; Brett Adams, Athletic Director, Stevenson University; Kerry Klug, Campus Recreation Coordinator, Drew University; Kiernan Ensor, MAAC eSports Consultant
4:30 p.m. Panel Discussion 3: The Future of College eSports.
Moderated by: Kiernan Ensor, MAAC eSports Consultant
Panelists: Dan Coonan, President/CEO ECAC; Duane Bailey, eSports Consultant; Brett Adams, Athletic Director, Stevenson University; Bernie O’Neill, President/CEO, Media R3alm
5:15 p.m. Intermission with light refreshments
6:00 p.m. Match 1: Canisius College vs Siena College
7:15 p.m. Match 2: SUNY Canton vs Stevenson University
8:30 p.m. Match 3 Consolation Match
9:45 p.m. Match 4: Championship Match
About the ECAC:
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation’s largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men’s and women’s sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit ecacsports.com.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.