Sunbirds Fly Cyber FPU Levels Up Its Athletic Efforts With Esports

A short walk across the Schlichting Quad on the main campus—at the end of Super Smash St.—is Fresno Pacific University’s newest sports arena.

There’s a poster of a jacked Sunny the Sunbird on the glass door. Behind that the scene is spartan, but the focus is clear.

Welcome to the Sunbird Esports Center.

Colorful posters of characters from various games pop from the flat-black painted walls. There are a couple of cloth chairs and leather/vinyl couches, but the action is centered on about a dozen gaming computers on long tables in the main part of the room. On a random Thursday afternoon three gamers practice their craft so intently that an obviously out-of-place visitorcan gaze around for several minutes beforeanyone looks up.

The wave of the present

FPU launched into the esports multiverse in September 2024, when its fledgling teams started competing in weekly Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Rocket League tournaments. These were no spur-of-the-moment excuses to zone out and binge takeout pizza and energy drinks, but official matches with other university teams sanctioned by the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC). West Coast teams include Fresno State and several UC campuses.

Like any athletic endeavor, esports at FPU are carefully calibrated to appeal to the interests of young people today, build school spirit and attract new students to FPU. “If you look at the research, the number one way of recruiting male students is football. Number two is esports,” says Jake Gilbertson, Ed.D. vice president of student development. “It’s not a small thing. It’s not just nerds hanging out in their dorm rooms. It’s serious. It’s not fringe, its mainstream.”

“The goal is to make a footprint and to recruit players from area schools,” adds Christopher Carlson, special assistant to Gilbertson, coordinator of FPU esports and coach of both teams. He notes that Fresno Unified School District has a team that meets at nearby Sunnyside High School, and area clubs are also potential recruiting grounds.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate requires a minimum of five players, four playing at any given time and one on the bench. Rocket League requires at least four players, three playing and one on the bench. The spring semester saw the addition of an Overwatch 2 team with a full roster of 10 players.

International reach

Esports are organized multiplayer video game competitions. By the 2010s, esports was a major part of the video game industry. Today top players are considered professionals, playing in internationally broadcast matches complete with onsite audiences and commentators.

The NECC began sponsoring esports in the fall of 2020 and today includes more than 300 colleges and universities in both regular season competition and championships. More at neccgames.com.

A new kind of student-athlete

At FPU, there is a concerted effort between student development and athletics to integrate esports. Players get scholarships, wear jerseys, take part in Sunbird Media Day and have a presence on the athletics website as well as their own webpage at fpu.edu/esports.

“We try to treat them as much like a student-athlete as we can,” Carlson said.

So far reality has exceeded Carlson’s expectations. More players came out than expected, teams are doing better than expected in their rookie seasons and IT has been very helpful. “It’s been lots of work, but lots of fun,” he says.”