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E-sports and online gaming could be coming to the Florida High School Athletics Association after discussion at an FHSAA board meeting. PHOTO/NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
News Service of Florida — The Florida High School Athletic Association could potentially sanction competitive video gaming, or e-sports, as an official sport, amid growing interest from member schools.
The FHSAA Board of Directors held that discussion at a board meeting in Gainesville Monday, with talks focusing on the share of Florida schools that would be interested in offering programs if the games are officially sanctioned as a sport.
The organization distributed a survey and received responses from 425 schools, 58 percent of its member schools.
“Two questions were about current participation and interest, while several other questions were asked to guide future research and decision making, if necessary,” a document included in the board’s agenda said.
Overall, 26.4 percent of schools that responded reported sponsoring an e-sports team or club. The FHSAA requires at least 20 percent of schools in at least two of its four state regions offering a sport in order for it to be eligible for sanctioning.
Interest in offering e-sports is high among the member schools that did not report having programs. More than half (54.6 percent) said they would be interested in offering e-sports to students if the FHSAA sanctioned the games. Nearly 50 percent of public schools surveyed indicated interest, while more than 56 percent of private schools and 82 percent of charter schools expressed interest.
Of the state’s four FHSAA regions, schools in Section 4 encompassing South Florida expressed the highest level of interest at 69 percent.
FHSAA board member and Oviedo The Master’s Academy Athletic Direcotr Trevor Berryhill, was among the members who voiced support for sanctioning e-sports.
“Last year we had a student get a scholarship to Florida State in e-sports. He also is a part of their NIL (name, image and likeness) collective,” Berryhill said, referring to student-athletes at the collegiate level being able to earn money from business sponsorship agreements. “So it’s just another opportunity for kids to be involved in something.”
FSU’s E-sports program is a student-run organization, according to its website, that “provides a foundation for our school's many competitive gaming teams.”
E-sports programs also are increasingly being recognized by sanctioning bodies across the country. There are 21 states that are members of the National Federation of State High School Associations that have sanctioned e-sports in their schools, according to FHSAA documents. Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana have already signed off on the programs.
Gulf County Schools Superintendent David Norton also backed the idea of sanctioning e-sports, calling the proposal a “win-win” for the FHSAA and saying he hopes the board will “move forward on this sooner than later.”
“This would be a way for us to reach us and bring some more student athletes in,” Norton, who also serves on the board, said during Monday’s meeting.
FHSAA officials did not indicate during Monday’s discussion when a potential decision could be finalized on sanctioning e-sports, but said the process is in its early stages. The next step would be requesting official petitions from member schools that would announce their intent to add e-sports programs.
