GAMING THE SYSTEM: CUMBERLAND’S eSPORTS TEAMS AMONG THE NATION’S BEST

(Note: in the gaming tradition, we will be using the team members’ gamer tag, or username.)

eSports has been around for a while now, and yet some people look at it as either a waste of time, a distraction to life in general, or don’t even know what it is. (And some have a real problem with calling it a sport.)

Mr. Spencer Claypool, the director of the Cumberland esports program, is changing that. He started the program in the Fall of 2021 with only nine players. In his inaugural season, his team went on to win the national championship.

Since that championship season, he has widely expanded the team to multiple game titles. Overwatch 2, Madden, and Rainbow Six Siege are among the games played. Over 80 players are now on the team, along with coaches for each game they play.

Eighteen of those 80 are international students from 11 different countries. In the process, the team has won 15 conference titles and two national championships, and they are looking for a fourth win this year. That success is what drives the eSports team to be even better than before.

Mr. Spencer Claypool, the director of the Cumberland esports program, is changing that. He started the program in the Fall of 2021 with only nine players. In his inaugural season, his team went on to win the national championship.

The reason the team has grown so big (in terms of roster depth) is because professional eSports is not suitable for up-and-coming players. According to Claypool, “college eSports are more stable right now than the pros.” The team is scouting for new talent all the time. They always want to win, even when they are in a drought. 

I met a few of the players and members of the production team, who were all calm even as their match was going on. Afterwards, some of them played ranked Rocket League, either playing just for fun or to practice for the next match.

Team member Nxrway described the program as “one massive family." He says one thing that makes the team special is the bond between everyone who's involved, including players who are interested in other games than their own specialties and those who check in on the other teams within the program. At press time, the Discord server they made is flooded with happy birthday messages and overall wholesome content. 

While most people think eSports players can just stay at home and take it easy, sometimes that is not the case. Crips, a freshman from California, had to drop everything he knew to compete in eSports.

Several people also think that players don’t have to lift weights or exercise while on a team. According to the players, Coach Claypool makes them participate in weight lifting and basic exercises as part of their team bonding at what they called “boot camp.” It's their own version of preseason training. They also get to know each other, their interests, and how they interact with the dynamics of the team.

They do all of this training, match playing, and team bonding in order to achieve the opportunity to go to Texas to compete on the biggest stage in their career. Be on the lookout to see if the Phoenix bring home yet another title in the coming weeks!

For anyone wondering how to get on the team, talk to Coach Claypool on Discord. (It’s his preferred platform). For anyone wondering how to support the team and to watch their matches, head over to twitch.tv @cuesports21. https://twitch.tv/cuesports21 For all updates and notifications, follow @CUesports21 on X.