Last week featured tryouts for the major Esports teams at Rollins College, for games like Marvel Rivals, Overwatch, Valorant, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I attended these tryouts to get a sense of what the fall 2026 competitive season would look like, since the esports program has historically been bustling with gamers and competitive spirit, with students sharing their passion for competitive video games. I was personally excited to see new faces.
When I attended tryouts, however, my expectations fell short. It appears interest for competitive teams has gone down a significant amount. Whereas once tryouts were bustling, I found no such thing this semester. For many of the tryouts, there weren’t enough members to start a team. Many of the members of the esports program graduated last semester, so this reality wasn’t entirely unexpected. There was a noticeable disparity between the turnout for the Smash Bros. tryouts (twelve people) and the turnout for the Rivals tryouts (six people), with the Rivals team unfortunately unable to form. However, the season is only in its infancy, so it may be too soon to properly gauge participation for the rest of the semester.
Despite the rocky turnouts, there is still hope for the season. Ben Katz, director of esports at Rollins College, shares his thoughts: “The turnout was a bit lower than expected, but we are still able to field teams in a few games this semester.” Despite the seemingly negative nature of this semester’s turnouts, Ben is positive about the future, stating, “My biggest hope, as always, is to perform as best as possible in competition while providing a place for students to compete nationally in an area that’s not traditional sports.” One thing is clear: the slow start has not changed the underlying mission of the esports program, which is to provide students with an opportunity to display their skills in video gaming at a notable level.
For the teams that did not end up being formed this semester, there’s always an opportunity in future semesters to see them flourish. For now, the Esports program can focus on solidifying the teams that are competing this semester: the Rollins Overwatch team and Super Smash Bros. team. To close things out, Katz said, “We have a solid foundation for our teams and I’m excited for how the season progresses!”
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