Middle Tennessee State University recently unveiled the newly expanded Esports Level Up Arena on campus. Combined with the signing of a partnership with XP League of Franklin, the university further boosted investment into competitive gaming and the growing career opportunities for students within an exploding industry that isn’t just fun and games.
The official partnership combines the largest youth esports league in North America with more than 11,000 kids participating, and is the culmination of more than a year’s worth of conversations and collaborations.
“Together we are creating a bridge between youth and collegiate esports and expanding opportunities available to students and families throughout our region,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said.
Under the partnership, XP League of Franklin will provide professional coaching to MTSU student gamers and competitors in its MTSU Esports club, while MTSU will provide the league with weekend space for its middle and high school esports teams to train and compete.
It is located on the first floor of the Student Union Building and beside the North Commons and Phillip’s Bookstore. The Level Up Arena is open to all MTSU students, and is equipped with a casual gaming space, console gaming space, and competitive gaming space.
Esports is competitive video gaming, and like any other sport, there are multiple levels of competition ranging from high school and collegiate to professional teams that compete in front of packed arenas and are broadcast to global audiences.
Last year, MTSU launched two undergraduate concentrations—Esports and Gaming Content Creation housed in the College of Media and Entertainment and Esports Coaching offered by Leisure and Sport Management in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences—a collaborative effort with stakeholders across campus to give students pathways to the needed skills and a degree for an industry that was previously unavailable in the region.
“We were not simply trying to build a gaming facility. We were creating an environment where students could find their people, develop friendships, discover new interests and establish meaningful connections to MTSU. The technology is important, but it’s not the most important thing in this room—the students are,” said Justin Reed, executive director of administration and strategic initiatives for the Student Affairs Division.
Esports jobs can range from professional player, content creator and influencer to broadcast manager, social media manager, talent manager, team publicist, assistant coach, events manager, general manager, game analyst, commissioner and more.
Kyle Greaney, a video and film production student from Memphis, is the vice president of MTSU Esports. He initially joined the esports club as a freshman in 2023.
“I can confidently say this organization has played a significant role in my life,” he said. “Esports has opened my eyes to career possibilities, introduced me to my closest friends and allowed me to travel and compete against colleges across the country.”
Greaney added that MTSU has a “rare collection of talent” that is hard to come by.
“Esports may look different from traditional athletics, but the mindset behind competition is remarkably similar,” he said. “The drive to improve, to compete, and to push yourself further is just as real in esports as it is in any other sport.”
For more information on MTSU’s Level Up Arena, visit mtsu.edu/mtunions/levelup.
