Fresno State Esports continue during the pandemic

Fresno State sports have been hard hit by the pandemic. No fans are allowed to attend football games. The Athletics Department just eliminated the varsity lacrosse, men’s tennis, and wrestling teams. But the Esports teams are continuing their seasons from their homes.

Eric LeNorgant is Fresno State’s Esports Rocket League coach. “It’s an inconvenience, but it’s nothing that Esports can’t overcome. Like I said at the foundation of it we can all play from our computers,” said LeNorgant.

Before COVID all the Esports players would practice and play together in Fresno State’s Esports arena, but now although they can still practice and play at home, team bonding and communication have gotten harder.

Noah Martinez is a returning Esports player from last semester and has seen how the shift out of the arena has changed team dynamics.

” I could definitely see how difficult it is to kind of grow with a new teammate that you haven’t ever met before in your life even though it is virtual and you can still talk to them there is some disconnect there,” said Martinez.

While these players would love to be back in the arena playing together and celebrating a win in person, just like all sports they’re gonna have to wait until it’s safe. In the meantime, these Fresno State athletes are doing their best to stay focused virtually while remembering their love for the game

“We play video games to have fun, first and foremost,” said Martinez.

If you want to catch Fresno State’s Esports team in action you can watch them compete on their Twitch channel at https://www.twitch.tv/fresnostatees.