While the definition of an Athlete might talk about someone who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise, we guess times have changed to the point where even video gamers can be considered pro athletes and have international competitions referred to as e-Sports. That being said, even the US government has recognized such athletes by giving them visas for a variety of games, like StarCraft and League of Legends.
Well it looks like more universities are starting to recognize such professional gamers as well. Previously to get into a university on a sports scholarship, you’d have to be involved in a physical sport like basketball or football, but now it looks like Illinois’ Robert Morris University has become the first college in the US to offer scholarships to professional gamers, and have even begun to recruit gamers from high school who are proficient in League of Legends.
The university has pledged to cover up to 50% of their tuition fees and living costs, which according to the folks at IGN should amount to amount $19,000. That’s a lot of money that can be saved, not to mention that children get to have a higher education while doing something that they love and are good at. Of course this shouldn’t be an excuse to play video games all day, but if you’re good at what you do, why not?
What do you guys think? Things have certainly come a long way from back in the day, don’t you think?
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