January 16, 2020
DANBURY, CT – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (“ECAC”) and Collegiate Sports Management (“CSMG”) announced today a long-term partnership for ECAC Esports that promises to propel the ECAC’s growing esports profile and footprint nationally as it assumes an ever-increasing leadership role within the landscape of intercollegiate esports. The deal makes CSMG the exclusive licensee for ECAC Esports, and also establishes Legacy Esports LeagueSpot as the comprehensive platform for ECAC Esports competition.
ECAC Esports has grown in three years to over 60 universities and 300 teams competing across 8 different esports games, culminating in the ECAC Championships conducted in person at the HV GamerCon in early April. The ECAC currently provides four-year colleges with governance, competition and national championships while also providing guidance to member schools in establishing, developing and operating esports programs.
CSMG will operate as the exclusive licensee with respect to monetization of assets and all commercial activities. The ECAC and CSMG will be working in tandem to continue to enhance ECAC Esports competition and championships nationally while continuing to conduct and expand its intercollegiate esports competition and profile under the leadership of Commissioner Dan Coonan.
“Leveraging the ECAC’s unique position as the preeminent authentic four-year college governing body for esports, while capitalizing on CSMG’s vast experience and expertise across all revenue and content verticals, will enable the ECAC to enhance its leadership position across college esports. CSMG will secure brand partnerships, help maximize media exposure, and provide students, alumni, and fans with access to content, merchandise and great events; including the national championship at HV GamerCon, in Albany on April 4-5, 2020,” said Michael Schreck, CEO of CSMG.
“This deal allows the combined team in place to immediately take ECAC Esports to the next level,” said ECAC Commissioner Dan Coonan. “I think one of the reasons for our success in esports has been our willingness to listen to the needs of our membership and constantly make adjustments as we fashion a comprehensive program that best suits what our schools are seeking. We believe in CSMG and their ability to elevate us to new heights, and we couldn’t be happier to be using the state-of-the-art LeagueSpot platform developed specifically for us by Legacy Esports.”
“We are grateful to join the ECAC and CSMG in this momentous step in the evolution of collegiate esports. This is exactly the type of initiative LeagueSpot was created to support,” said Andrew Barnett, CEO of Legacy Esports.
About Collegiate Sports Management Group
Founded in 2014, CSMG is a College Sports Properties Group that drives the business performance of college athletic conferences and schools, providing them with a successful growth strategy, and generating revenue to support their athletic departments and initiatives. CSMG specializes in Marketing Rights/Revenue Generation, Content Creation & Distribution, Media Rights Strategy & Negotiation, Sponsorship Sales, Licensing, Event Production & Management, CRM, Ticketing and esports. CSMG esports rights encompass the ECAC, the NJCAA, and most of the other 20+ conferences represented by CSMG for traditional sports. To learn more about Collegiate Sports Management Group’s client and case studies, visit www.collegiatesmg.com
About the Eastern College Athletic Conference
The ECAC is an eighty-year old organization with well over 250 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions – I, II and III – that exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in intercollegiate athletics, and provide great value for universities and colleges, by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions.